Too few major league bats on this roster

[Old Twins Cap]

Guys, it's the Strike Outs.

Leading the league.  Not a small sample size

Here's why:

1.  Getting the bat on the ball forces pitchers to throw more pitches.  It just does.   Good hitters spoil the pitchers best pitches.  Twins have good pitchers;  when do they get in trouble?   When they play teams that don't strike out much, and force the Twins to the bullpen.    A team that can't extend ABs, pressure the other team's pitchers and defense, foul pitches off, put balls in play -- even weak dribblers down the 3B line can be huge!  But a team that can't get bat to ball is not going to win in MLB, or even have much success.

2.  Rallies depend on multiple hits, multiple good ABs, multiple players stepping up, the long line-up that puts pressure on other teams, and keeps turning over, game after game, all the way through the season, extending innings ad nauseum.  A good team must be able to rally.  Just in the last week, how many times have the Twins gone down 1-2-3 Ks?  It's just a killer to K that much.  Sure, it's boring for the fans, but imagine how dispiriting it is for the actual team.  To see your best players walk back to the dugout, time after time, Buxton, Correa, Gallo, Polanco -- all-star players!  Unable to even take a good AB, striking out on 3 or 4 pitches, one after another.

3.  It's one thing to lose a game when a line drive is caught or a guy flies out to the warning track.  It's quite another when a team just can't get the bat on the ball.  It's the feeling of:  "We aren't even close to being good."  The other team knows the formula to beat the Twins:  "no matter how many times the Twins load the bases, we can always strike them out." Over and over again, we are seeing the same script.  It never gets old, because it is so familiar.  We are destined to lose in the final analysis because we can be run off the plate without making a fuss.  Psychologically, this is a failure that is devastating and can't be redeemed.  Literally, SOs can't ever add up to redemption.  (With the one extremely rare exception of a wild 3rd strike pitch.  How many times a year does that happen?  -- Less than once a year?)

How did the Twins put themselves in a situation in which they literally have no hope, no ability to rally, no way to pressure the other team?  That would be the story to write.  How the Twins became the biggest K brigade in MLB, without consciously trying to do it.

Popkins' job, likely his career, will not survive this massive backslide into worse than mediocre hitting.

It ain't going to change until someone points at it and admits it isn't acceptable.  It's not.  You can't win by striking out this much.  You just can't.  Not going to happen.  Not in a million years.
 

 

[John Belinski]

On 6/5/2023 at 1:54 PM, Nashvilletwin said:

They need to be up if they are going to contribute. That means the FO has to have the intestinal fortitude to make room for them.  The FO didn’t have to make the tough call when Mahle and Maeda injuries led to them being replaced fortuitously by the superior Ober and Varland. Maybe that’s what they are waiting on.

But make no mistake, Larnach, Wallner, Julien and Miranda will continue “mashing” in AAA until something is done with Kepler, Gallo, Solano, Castro and Garlick.  MAT is safe with Gordon’s injury.

Just do not understand why Wallner is not being called up plus after being on base 8 times in a row when he was with the Twins he should have never been sent down. Larnach is 0-12 since being called up so Wallner could have not done any worst. Either Rocco or front office can not judge talent.

[Whitey333]

People still waiting for the big boys to produce?  We've been waiting for the offense for 2 and a half years.  

[Mike Sixel]

8 minutes ago, Whitey333 said:

People still waiting for the big boys to produce?  We've been waiting for the offense for 2 and a half years.  

What would you do, realistically, with CC and Buxton. 

[USAFChief]

7 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

What would you do, realistically, with CC and Buxton. 

Stick with Correa. He's at least a legit very good SS. 

Buxton is the starting CFer the day he's activated from the IL and stays there unless he's back on the IL.

That way at least there's room for a DH. Not that we have anyone deserving ABs, but with Gallo due back, and Julien, Wallner and Miranda in AAA, maybe they can find one. 

[specialiststeve]

My issue is with our approach or lack thereof. With the changes in rules and incentives to play more station-to-station baseball we stay stuck in the Swing for the Fences mentality. 

Not sure what our hitting coach is doing but watching this team "pull off the ball" trying to hit it 117 mph is just plain dumb. Metrics like most statistics and numbers are what you want them to be... 

Old time fundamentals and playing the old "Twins way" is what this team lacks. Hitting, Fielding and running the bases mostly. 

As good as our pitching has been Rocco has continued to mismanage the end of the game.. with no end in sight... 

[ashbury]

On 6/5/2023 at 7:37 PM, Old Twins Cap said:

You can't win by striking out this much.  You just can't.  Not going to happen.  Not in a million years.

The Rays went to the World series leading the majors in SO.  That wasn't a million years ago.  Just 2020.

Outs aren't good, every strikeout is an obstacle, but strikeouts correlate weakly with failure.

[Cave Bear]

Y'all are missing the elephant in the room. I have never seen a team with more hamstring, knee and other lower body injuries in my many years. It's hard to put together a consistent lineup when a third of your players are out. I've never been a Baldelli fan, but he has had to cobble together some lineups that nobody would have imagined. Personally, I think they need an entire new strength and conditioning 

[lecroy24fan]

Fire the strength and conditioning coach, and also the hitting coaches.