Twins 5, Reds 3: Castro, Polanco Lead Twins to Dramatic Come-from-Behind Win

[John Belinski]

13 hours ago, darwin22 said:

Absolutely on the same page as you when Castro was signed.  He has absolutely EARNED a spot on the active roster next year.  Looking like Gordon can/will be used a trade chip.  

Gordon seems to have really gone backwards and if Twins can trade him for help it would seem to make sense.

[John Belinski]

1 hour ago, William K Johnson said:

Attended last two games at Cincinnati and must say that:

- The signing of Willie Castro has to be the greatest under-the-radar signing in Twins history.   He won both games for us with his bat, glove and speed.

- The Red's best players were Streer and Stand.   Has to go down as one of the worse transactions in team history, right up there with the release of David Ortiz and the JJ Hardy trade.

The Twins would be a much better team with Streer and Stand on the team. Twins really got nothing in the trade. Letting Ortiz go is still the worse move the Twins ever made.

[Peter]

Huge huge huge win!!! And yes Castro is mvp!!!! What a signing !!! Didn’t see that coming!!! Enough of the clinching at home!!! There will be a celebration regardless!!! Now it’s time to finish strong and take 2 seed!!! Again what a huge win!!! This team has special feel and will do damage in playoffs! Go Twins!. 

[John Belinski]

1 hour ago, arby58 said:

He's been valuable, but MOST valuable? I suspect part of why Dan Gladden likes him is to plays the game with the same abandon that Dan did. Being a 'plug and player' adds value, for sure, and he's come on of late, but the statistics are pretty similar to Julien's. Castro, in 336 at bats, has scored 55 runs, hit 9 HRs, driven in 34 runs and has an OPS of .735. Julien, in 310 at bats, has also scored the same 55 runs, has 11 HRs, driven in 2 more at 36, and has a much higher .836 OPS. Granted, Castro leads the team by far in stolen bases, with 32, and that helps offset the lower OPS in my way of thinking.

Really, the MVP to me is Max Kepler - and boy, is that a surprise. Besides playing excellent defense, in 414 at bats, he has scored 64 runs, has 22 HRs, 60 RBIs and a .798 OPS. Unlike a lot of Twins players, he has been available most days and has the second most at bats on the team.

After Max's bad first half I was ready to give up on him, but he really had a great second half and earned to be voted MVP.  Castro has played well as has Julien plus Lewis really helped the Twins when he was called up. The Twins season has really been a overall team effort with no real superstar, but many players having good years. 

[UK Twin]

Twins are playing good baseball right now. An excellent series win. Now Correa can rest up, no risks with Lewis either please. And a short leash for Gray, Lopez, Maeda and Ryan please for their remaining regular season starts. 

Twins have been actually very good since the ASB. With the exception of being swept by KC, I can't remember any time we've been swept since then. Oh I suppose the two game set against Milwaukee as well. But can't think of any others.

[Riverbrian]

Willi had a great series in Cincinnati. He's actually had a great return from the DL. He should be getting a roster spot on the 2024 roster IMO. Castro is one of those examples of players that you find with opportunity and he's one of those players that make it possible to roster 13 players who can play. Castro is one of those examples of why it is absolutely unnecessary to hold onto to players who absolutely struggling. 

However... 

Willi Castro Twins 2023 MVP? 

That thought is equally sensible and nonsense? 

It's sensible because who else do you give it to. There are only 7 players who were on the roster all year and played in over 100 games. 

Lewis would be a no brainer but we only got 58 games out of him.    

Of those 7 players who have been on the roster all year... it would be between Solano and Castro in my opinion. Castro has helped us win games in all phases of the game. Solano has been extremely consistent all year.   

The other 5

Correa: No... He played in the most games, had the most AB's he played great defense, I'm sure he was a leader but you can't reward his season with an MVP.

Kepler: No... his first half was so bad he should have been released and not allowed to have the great 2nd half that he has had. (Keep going Kep). 

Gallo: No... Obviously absolutely not. 

The other two are Taylor and Farmer and they were a step below Solano and Castro in my opinion.  

So... Castro gets strong MVP consideration... it makes sense. 

Which is nonsense because apart from his stolen bases... his numbers are league average. 

I think you have to go to the other side to grab an MVP this year.

Gray or Lopez are the top choices.   

[Johnny Ringo]

12 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I agree with Dan Gladden. Castro is the Twins MVP. Who'd a thunk it? 

Castro is a marvelous signing and his enthusiasm is contagious and refreshing.  But like most things, the "Dazzle Man" is flatly wrong.  Gray and Lopez are clearly the MVPs. The statistics on that are conclusive.  

The only thing I will ever agree with Gladden on is his resignation letter. He is absolutely the worst MLB broadcaster to have a microphone. Having Molly on the call for a bit this summer was like finding a 7-11 in the middle of a desert.  

[tarheeltwinsfan]

2 hours ago, arby58 said:

He's been valuable, but MOST valuable? I suspect part of why Dan Gladden likes him is to plays the game with the same abandon that Dan did. Being a 'plug and player' adds value, for sure, and he's come on of late, but the statistics are pretty similar to Julien's. Castro, in 336 at bats, has scored 55 runs, hit 9 HRs, driven in 34 runs and has an OPS of .735. Julien, in 310 at bats, has also scored the same 55 runs, has 11 HRs, driven in 2 more at 36, and has a much higher .836 OPS. Granted, Castro leads the team by far in stolen bases, with 32, and that helps offset the lower OPS in my way of thinking.

Really, the MVP to me is Max Kepler - and boy, is that a surprise. Besides playing excellent defense, in 414 at bats, he has scored 64 runs, has 22 HRs, 60 RBIs and a .798 OPS. Unlike a lot of Twins players, he has been available most days and has the second most at bats on the team.

Great points about right fielder Kep. Great defense, but only in RF. If Kep played CF when needed, I might feel stronger about his value. For me, what places Castro above Julien is his defense and his ability to play every OF position well and the 3 key IF positions well. This has allowed Rocco to mix and match with effectiveness all year. Castro is a switch hitter, which gives added value to Castro. Castro also has set a new bar for Twins players in steals. His bunt and baserunning yesterday were perfect examples of his value.  Granted Julien and Castro each have scored 55 runs and Julien has a higher OPS due to Julien having more walks than Castro. But as between Castro and Julien, for me the big difference is Castro's really good defense and Castro's   defensive versatility vs. Julien's sub-par, but improving, defense at 2B this year.  Both players are extremely valuable, and I am very happy with their play this year. Finally, Castro, like Lewis, is a spark plug who excites and ignites his team-mates. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

10 minutes ago, Johnny Ringo said:

Castro is a marvelous signing and his enthusiasm is contagious and refreshing.  But like most things, the "Dazzle Man" is flatly wrong.  Gray and Lopez are clearly the MVPs. The statistics on that are conclusive.  

The only thing I will ever agree with Gladden on is his resignation letter. He is absolutely the worst MLB broadcaster to have a microphone. Having Molly on the call for a bit this summer was like finding a 7-11 in the middle of a desert.  

You have a good point about Gray and Lopez.  

[PDX Twin]

For your amusement, I suggest the comments on the following post:

https://www.redlegnation.com/2023/09/20/hunter-greene-strikes-out-14-cincinnati-reds-bullpen-implodes-in-5-3-loss/

It's like all the usual TD commenters have simply been cut and pasted to be Reds' commenters!

 

[MN_ExPat]

57 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Willi had a great series in Cincinnati. He's actually had a great return from the DL. He should be getting a roster spot on the 2024 roster IMO. Castro is one of those examples of players that you find with opportunity and he's one of those players that make it possible to roster 13 players who can play. Castro is one of those examples of why it is absolutely unnecessary to hold onto to players who absolutely struggling. 

However... 

Willi Castro Twins 2023 MVP? 

That thought is equally sensible and nonsense? 

It's sensible because who else do you give it to. There are only 7 players who were on the roster all year and played in over 100 games. 

Lewis would be a no brainer but we only got 58 games out of him.    

Of those 7 players who have been on the roster all year... it would be between Solano and Castro in my opinion. Castro has helped us win games in all phases of the game. Solano has been extremely consistent all year.   

The other 5

Correa: No... He played in the most games, had the most AB's he played great defense, I'm sure he was a leader but you can't reward his season with an MVP.

Kepler: No... his first half was so bad he should have been released and not allowed to have the great 2nd half that he has had. (Keep going Kep). 

Gallo: No... Obviously absolutely not. 

The other two are Taylor and Farmer and they were a step below Solano and Castro in my opinion.  

So... Castro gets strong MVP consideration... it makes sense. 

Which is nonsense because apart from his stolen bases... his numbers are league average. 

I think you have to go to the other side to grab an MVP this year.

Gray or Lopez are the top choices.   

Don't disagree with you at all on saying Lopez/Gray would probably get the nod... as they were absolutely indispensable to the team (especially in the first half when the offense was so sluggish), but I think this team would look immensely different (not necessarily worse, just much different) if Castro wasn't there to just be "that guy".

"That guy" isn't always the same guy every year, and how he fulfills the "that guy" role is always a little different, but on every good team he always exists.  This year... that has been Castro.  Doesn't necessarily mean he's the team MVP (and being MVP isn't always about having the best stats), but the boys wouldn't be in quite as good a position without him.

[jmlease1]

48 minutes ago, Johnny Ringo said:

Castro is a marvelous signing and his enthusiasm is contagious and refreshing.  But like most things, the "Dazzle Man" is flatly wrong.  Gray and Lopez are clearly the MVPs. The statistics on that are conclusive.  

The only thing I will ever agree with Gladden on is his resignation letter. He is absolutely the worst MLB broadcaster to have a microphone. Having Molly on the call for a bit this summer was like finding a 7-11 in the middle of a desert.  

Seriously. Gray & Lopez have been the MVPs this season, leading the rotation and providing impact innings. The lineup this year is filled with a bunch of guys who have been good for partial seasons or solid starting quality for most if not all of the year, but none of them has been as truly impactful and valuable as those two starters. Gray is going to finish top 5 in the AL Cy Young. Lopez is likely to get votes and could land top 10.

Castro has been excellent for the team, come up in big moments, added an additional dimension and been available basically all season. That's important and we love him. But in terms of team MVP is he really more valuable than any one of Julien, Lewis, Jeffers, or Taylor? They've all been important, especially in a year where Buxton and Correa haven't performed to their standards (ugh, I hate injuries!).

Arguably, the MVP on this team is simply depth. We haven't given away as many innings or ABs to players who just aren't up to MLB quality this year as last and it's made a huge difference. Instead of 240 innings going to Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer they've gone to Pablo Lopez and more of Sonny Gray. Instead of Celestino, we've had Michael A. Taylor. as the injuries piled up, there were a lot of ABs that went to guys that either weren't ready, were playing through injury, or not MLB players. This year, we have guys like Farmer and Solano, and Castro to absorb those rather than hoping Palacios or Contreras might get lucky.

Very nice win against a Cincy team fighting for the playoffs. Never complain about winning a series on the road. Division is basically locked up, so let's get everyone healthy and ready for playoffs!

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Gray or Lopez are the top choices.   

This is the biggest no-brainer. The vote for Twins MVP is 1) Gray 2) Lopez.

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, Johnny Ringo said:

The only thing I will ever agree with Gladden on is his resignation letter. He is absolutely the worst MLB broadcaster to have a microphone.

I wish that were true. He's not good but I have heard many who are worse.

[Shaitan]

15 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

That was great - I was in Great American & was laughing big time when we pulled the double-steal. David Bell must have nearly had a stroke. Aggressive move  - not sure we do that if Rocco’s in the dugout?

So it was what I thought when watching on Gameday: Just the Twins putting on extra pressure right after the C throwing error on Castro's steal.

[stringer bell]

I'm watching the replay on Bally since I didn't see the game live. I wanted to see how on earth the Twins got a double steal with Farmer and Vázquez running. Moll apparently is pretty easy to read and paid little to no attention to the "runners". The ball still beat Farmer to third, but the 3B caught it while moving and didn't get the tag down immediately.

What is the significance of the hands in the air with the index and middle fingers moving (perhaps a clawing motion)? I've seen it before, but don't know what it means. 

[William K Johnson]

8 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

TWINS fan - live in Cincinnati - was at the game. Great win for the Club with broad contributions!

Greene deserved a win.

I watched him warming up prior to the game and noticed he was hitting the target from 120 - 150 feet when warming up.   I knew he was going to be a tough one yesterday.   Why wasn't he the pitcher we got in the Strand-Steer trade?

[SwainZag]

57 minutes ago, William K Johnson said:

I watched him warming up prior to the game and noticed he was hitting the target from 120 - 150 feet when warming up.   I knew he was going to be a tough one yesterday.   Why wasn't he the pitcher we got in the Strand-Steer trade?

Because generally teams trade veterans for young talent, not their #1 prospect?

[joefish]

Last week I had Donny as the MVP. He carried us for a few games. Now it's Castro. Pass it around. Depth is good. 

[Linus]

Has to be Gray or Lopez. Castro has been great in his role. If I was giving it to a position player it would be Jeffers. I can’t believe I am saying this because the guy drove me nuts last year. His improvement this year is nothing short of remarkable. 

[Doctor Wu]

On 9/21/2023 at 6:41 AM, darwin22 said:

Absolutely on the same page as you when Castro was signed.  He has absolutely EARNED a spot on the active roster next year.  Looking like Gordon can/will be used a trade chip.  

Seems like the Twins really struck gold on all of those cheap off-season trades/pickups: Castro, Taylor, Farmer, and Solano have all been VERY valuable. Even the injured relief pitchers like Stewart and DeLeon were good additions. 

[Doctor Wu]

14 hours ago, SwainZag said:

Because generally teams trade veterans for young talent, not their #1 prospect?

Yeah, we would have ended up giving up a LOT more for Hunter Greene, and I doubt that was ever even an option.