What Derek Shelton Saw While Watching Twins Hitters This Summer

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The downside of hiring Derek Shelton—a former organizational soldier who remains a close friend of the just-ousted Rocco Baldelli—was that the Minnesota Twins risked sending the message to their fans that the foregoing 15 months had been acceptable. Whatever differences of perspective Shelton might bring, he comes from the same philosophical lineage as the front office, which hired him once before, and his closeness to Baldelli will lead some fans to paint the two with the same brush.

Derek Falvey knew that. Thus, entering the club's interview with Shelton for the managerial job, he and his staff ensured that they also realized the upside of engaging with him.

"I think we were harder on [Shelton] than maybe we were on other candidates, because when you spend three rounds of interviews (6-8 hours each time among groups, there's a lot of time when you're interviewing somebody that you spend a lot of time getting to know the person," Falvey said at Shelton's introductory press conference Tuesday. "How's the fit? Can we work with this [person]? How do they feel about this organization?

"With Shelty, it was easy to cut through all that. 'I know you. We know you.' We can talk about the challenges and what is similar to what you would do to what we've done historically, but how you'd do things differently."

In other words, the very familiarity that made Shelton somewhat suspect in the eyes of many outsiders permitted a much-needed frankness between the once-and-future colleagues. Specifically, Shelton has a long track record as a hitting coach; that's the side of the runs ledger on which his greater expertise lies. He worked in the Cleveland organization at the same time as Falvey, before moving on to become the hitting coach for the Rays.

When the time came for those harder questions, therefore, Falvey and the Twins front office asked Shelton the same thing so many Twins fans asked, starting in August 2024 and almost without stopping until the end of this September: What's going wrong with these hitters?

The answer, as Shelton rendered it, will be maddening for some Twins fans, but it remains true. In brief: it's complicated. Falvey said that Shelton, who took a gig on SiriusXM MLB Network Radio over the summer and got more accustomed to watching the whole league again and asking objective questions. focused his analysis of Minnesota's long slumps at the plate on approach.

"He said the most important thing is to understand what the player's intent was, right?" Falvey recalled. "To know a little bit of what they were trying to do. Because you can watch a game, you can watch an at-bat, and go, 'Man, why was he doing that?' I was like, 'I don't know what his game plan was. I don't know what his approach was. I could judge it because he was 0-3. But like, was he actually, did he actually have a good approach and a good plan, and it just didn't execute that night?' That happens too. So, he has said he wants to get to know how our people operate and what they do to better assess, is it a plan issue? Is it an execution issue?"

Predictably, both Falvey and Shelton said they don't yet have those answers hammered out, in each individual case or at the broader team level. But Shelton was asked a specific question about Brooks Lee, who is hitting .232/.279/.357 over his first 712 career plate appearances, and he did have at least a partial (and perhaps a telling) answer for it.

"I talked to Drew MacPhail a little bit about it, and we’ll continue to talk about it, but players get to the big leagues so fast these days," Shelton observed, "and then when players get to the big leagues the competition they go through in terms of amateur baseball is different, and they end up jumping from team to team, and it becomes almost more of a showcase than what’s actually going on in the game."

That explanation widens the lens far beyond Lee, and it offloads the blame for his slow or uneven development to entities beyond the Twins. Shelton doesn't yet have a specific remedy in mind for his switch-hitting infielder, because he doesn't yet know Lee deeply enough to evaluate his process. However, the answer he gave Falvey still tells us something, because of what he didn't do: he didn't denigrate or question the fundamental moves of any of the hitters there.

Shelton takes a holistic and intellectual tack to hitting, but he also has the eye of a coach who has to correct and adjust bad mechanics or essential failures of timing. That wasn't his focus in the meeting with Falvey, and it's not a crisis-level, organizational problem. In Shelton's view, the Twins do have talent, and their hitters are doing things he considers plausibly correct; he just didn't have the access to them to test those plausible options.

As he looks ahead to the time when he will have more complete information, Shelton believes the first part of his work in reforming struggling hitters is done: they've failed. For most big-leaguers, it takes some failure to open the doors to change. From there, the question becomes one of information management—which sometimes means figuring out what voices the player is hearing, besides his own.

"I think the second, and probably just as important, thing is you have to figure out where they are getting their information," Shelton said. "Players get their information from so many different people today that we all have to be working in the same direction. The communication lines—sometimes, that’s the manager. Sometimes that’s the pitching coach. It’s definitely a hitting coach in today’s world. I know. I lived it at one point. You have to find out where they’re getting their information and is it counterproductive? With today’s player, you have to prove to them this is why we’re doing it. I think that is important."

Most hitters work with some private hitting instructor or trainer. Shelton was quick to say that that's often a good thing. The wrinkle comes in the form of whatever confusion it might cause, as the team and the player try to communicate clearly about the best way for that hitter to be their best self.

"If you tell someone right away, 'Hey, we’re not going to allow you to do this,' and they have a feeling that it helps them, then we’re damaging the relationship from the get-go," he said. "The biggest part is making sure there are open relationships in terms of the information you’re getting. That may not directly be made to that other coach, but at least to the player, hey, if you’re getting that, can you give me a little bit of a glimpse into what you’re doing?"

Every team strives for this, of course, but not every team achieves it. Baldelli took a delegatory approach to the job, and left any sorting out of messaging from coach to player between those parties. Shelton will take a more direct role, not only in those conversations about hitters' approaches, but in the follow-up and in the discovery of underlying theory in everything his hitters do.

That could be the way he separates himself from Baldelli, and it could make him the right man for this job. If there's one thing the Twins must do better going forward than they've done over the last half-decade, it's develop and transition talented young batters to the majors. Falvey bought into Shelton's ability to do that. It's up to Shelton to prove (not merely to Falvey, but to Twins Territory) that that faith was warranted.

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[Doctor Wu]

Shelton doesn't yet have a specific remedy in mind for his switch-hitting infielder, because he doesn't yet know Lee deeply enough to evaluate his process. 

Well, let's hope that Shelton, or the next hitting coach, can quickly unlock the potential that Lee has with the bat. The clock is ticking. 

[saviking]

Man, Shelton sure said alot of nothing.

[Mahoning]

Brooks Lee has one season and people  have already decided he is a flop.  He is 24, hit .239 and drove in 63. In Lindor’s first season with the Mets he hit .230 and drove in 69. I guess he was a flop. Is he even still in baseball?

[old nurse]

46 minutes ago, saviking said:

Man, Shelton sure said alot of nothing.

He said a lot about the process of his coaching and did identify the likely problem. 

[jmlease1]

45 minutes ago, saviking said:

Man, Shelton sure said a lot of nothing.

I doubt there was a single possible hire that would have said much different. While it might have been satisfying to parts of the fanbase to hear the new manager come in and rip Wallner for his low contact rates and high K's, bash Brooks Lee for his low quality contact, beat up on Royce for swinging at everything, etc but would it have been productive? Clearly Shelton doesn't think so with this quote: 

Quote

"If you tell someone right away, 'Hey, we’re not going to allow you to do this,' and they have a feeling that it helps them, then we’re damaging the relationship from the get-go," he said. "The biggest part is making sure there are open relationships in terms of the information you’re getting. That may not directly be made to that other coach, but at least to the player, hey, if you’re getting that, can you give me a little bit of a glimpse into what you’re doing?"

He's probably right. he's got to establish relationships with the players and build trust in order to make an impact and create change. Getting detailed on player flaws from last season (and there certainly were plenty) in public out the gate is unlikely to help him do that.

It will be interesting to see if some of the premise of this piece plays out: that guys failed last season and will be more open to hearing new advice or approaches to their game. You hope they will, but I'm guessing there will at least be some who will be looking backwards ("what did I do to get here in the first place? I need to do more of THAT") and not necessarily forwards.

[Schmoeman5]

1 hour ago, Mahoning said:

Brooks Lee has one season and people  have already decided he is a flop.  He is 24, hit .239 and drove in 63. In Lindor’s first season with the Mets he hit .230 and drove in 69. I guess he was a flop. Is he even still in baseball?

Nothing again Lee. But Lindor is a real SS. Thats a ridiculous comparison. Lee can hit. He falls behind a lot and winds up with weak contact.  Just putting the ball in play is better than striking out. So in that sense you might say Lee was unlucky. I dont. Its obviously something he needs to work on. The one thing I keep hearing about Lee is how baseball smart he is because his dad's a manager. Lee makes more boneheaded mistakes than any Twin not named Martin. In addition to that. Hes slower than every Twin except Vasquez.

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Mahoning said:

Brooks Lee has one season and people  have already decided he is a flop.  He is 24, hit .239 and drove in 63. In Lindor’s first season with the Mets he hit .230 and drove in 69. I guess he was a flop. Is he even still in baseball?

That was Lindor's first season with the Mets. He had already had several very successful seasons with Cleveland, not an apples to apples comparison. 

[JD-TWINS]

Lee, is my “most frustrating to watch” batter the Team has. He looks like he’s playing Pepper about 25% of the time……just reaching and tapping the ball somewhere. He, to me, has 20HR power ……. very encouraging! He just doesn’t seem strong enough to me. He seems tired, physically, and it appears to affect his ability to hit the ball sharply. Mental fatigue is certainly understood…….his back may not be 100% every day ……. I get that it’s complex. It’s hard for everyone and he needs more time, to be fair. He drives me crazy in about 50% of his AB’s though & I just want him to show some consistency……..he goes into BIG depths for days and days too often! I know, he needs more opportunity.

Hoping Shelton and his team of coaches can get more out of Brooks……he’s saying the right things here, however obvious his comments may sound.

[stringer bell]

I think the key point here is that Shelton may be more hands-on with his players, whereas Baldeilli delegated. I don't know if that will make things better or not, but it might be different.

Quoting the OP:

That could be the way he separates himself from Baldelli, and it could make him the right man for this job. If there's one thing the Twins must do better going forward than they've done over the last half-decade, it's develop and transition talented young batters to the majors. Falvey bought into Shelton's ability to do that. It's up to Shelton to prove (not merely to Falvey, but to Twins Territory) that that faith was warranted.

Well stated what the biggest problem was during Rocco's tenure. Small and mid-market teams need their players to develop and the Twins have failed. If Shelton doesn't succeed there will be a lot of losing going on. 

 

[Sjoski]

9 hour interview = 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 meaning.

[sweetmusicviola16]

This didn't start to unravel in August of 2024. This started in March of 2021. The blip was August and September of 2023. This has been a listless team for most of 5 years. It's never been a talent issue. The team has had plenty of talent. Above average talent. It's been a mental issue and a heart issue. If Shelton and his new coaches can solve this we have some promise. But if Shelton continues the trend of looking at these players as human less spreadsheets the problems will continue to multiply. Falvey couldn't solve it. Lets hope this hire and the ones to follow get it going in the right direction again. I'm still a doubter but I'll give it a wait and see. 

[TopGunn#22]

Count me as one of the many who were quite disappointed that the Twins went with the "easy" the "familiar" in hiring Shelton.  But I really appreciate Matthew's article and it gives me a glimmer of hope.

The Twins have all kinds of young hitters who either have shown flashes (Lewis, Keaschall) or just haven't seemed to ever really put it together at the major league level (Julien, Lee).  I could mention several more in the "never really seemed" category, but I'll also add Trevor Larnach.  

Larnach was the biggest bat in a solid Oregon State lineup that won a College World Series.  Throughout Oregon State's march to the NCAA title, Trevor Larnach always seemed to get the big hit that got the Beavers over the top.  Yet even though Larnach showed a little improvement, he never has come close to being that #3, #4 or #5 hitter in the heart of the Twins lineup that many Twins fans expected when he was drafted in the first round.

Some of that may have been Rocco's propensity for goofy, analytic driven batting orders.  But much of it was because Larnach just wasn't ever that good or consistent of a hitter.

So for the first time, I'm feeling a little more positive about what Shelton may bring.  I give Matthew credit for that, because I didn't come to that place easily.  

[Edmond Dantes]

1 hour ago, Mahoning said:

Brooks Lee has one season and people  have already decided he is a flop.  He is 24, hit .239 and drove in 63. In Lindor’s first season with the Mets he hit .230 and drove in 69. I guess he was a flop. Is he even still in baseball?

His previous six seasons he hit .313, .301, .273, .277, .284, .258. He was also just 21 years old his first year; Lee will be 25 in February. I don't think most people are suggesting the Twins should give up on Lee, but it's not an encouraging start. 

[stringer bell]

33 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Lee, is my “most frustrating to watch” batter the Team has. He looks like he’s playing Pepper about 25% of the time……just reaching and tapping the ball somewhere. He, to me, has 20HR power ……. very encouraging! He just doesn’t seem strong enough to me. He seems tired, physically, and it appears to affect his ability to hit the ball sharply. Mental fatigue is certainly understood…….his back may not be 100% every day ……. I get that it’s complex. It’s hard for everyone and he needs more time, to be fair. He drives me crazy in about 50% of his AB’s though & I just want him to show some consistency……..he goes into BIG depths for days and days too often! I know, he needs more opportunity.

Hoping Shelton and his team of coaches can get more out of Brooks……he’s saying the right things here, however obvious his comments may sound.

I've speculated that Lee, more than most, wasn't able to handle the grind in the late season due to not being in the right kind of shape. He played more games and had more at-bats than he ever had  in organized baseball (college and pro) so he needs to be more ready for the marathon. If he stays healthy, it is a near-guarantee than he'll again exceed 500 plate appearances, whether it is as the shortstop or a three-position utility guy. He can't afford to give away so many at-bats.

[rv78]

"I talked to Drew MacPhail a little bit about it, and we’ll continue to talk about it, but players get to the big leagues so fast these days," 

 

This is no excuse compared to players from the past.

Ages of 1st season in the majors:

Lee 23, Martin 25, Larnach 24, Julien 24, Jeffers 23, Lewis 23, Wallner 24, Miranda 24.

Mauer 21, Polanco 20, Sano 22, Morneau 22, Hrbek 21, Knoblauch 22, Puckett 24, Gaetti 22.

All I got from this article is that no one knows why the Twins hitters struggle to carry over their success from the minors to the majors and Shelton doesn't know either. My guess to why is, lack of consistant playing time, never a consistant batting order, and no confidence shown from the Manager. If the regulars don't get to play everyday and the lineup order changes daily, and the Manager platoons them against every left or right handed pitcher, like Rocco did, nothing will change.

 

 

 

[Parfigliano]

3 hours ago, saviking said:

Man, Shelton sure said alot of nothing.

It's a gift.

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

This didn't start to unravel in August of 2024. This started in March of 2021. The blip was August and September of 2023. This has been a listless team for most of 5 years. It's never been a talent issue. The team has had plenty of talent. Above average talent. It's been a mental issue and a heart issue. If Shelton and his new coaches can solve this we have some promise. But if Shelton continues the trend of looking at these players as human less spreadsheets the problems will continue to multiply. Falvey couldn't solve it. Lets hope this hire and the ones to follow get it going in the right direction again. I'm still a doubter but I'll give it a wait and see. 

The team has had plenty of talent. That's why they are always ranked high & look so good on paper every year. The problem is the non continued development of the players once they arrive to MLB. Many come the MLB undeveloped & need further development, which they were not getting. I think Lewis kinda voiced that when he was frustrated that he wasn't getting the help he needed at 3B & hitting. 

Baldelli delegated to his coaches what Falvey wanted & the coaches coached everyone basically the same. I prefer the more direct & more individual approach. I'll voice again even though Baldelli & Shelton are friends & is familiar with Falvey. Shelton is different. I believe Molitor selected Shelton, then Baldelli selected him. Molitor & Baldelli are totally different but Shelton, IMO, strikes a good balance between the 2, What Shelton has said & his selecting Hawkins is a good start & are heading in the right direction. I'm willing to give Sheldon a pass, until he proves me wrong.

[JD-TWINS]

2 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

Count me as one of the many who were quite disappointed that the Twins went with the "easy" the "familiar" in hiring Shelton.  But I really appreciate Matthew's article and it gives me a glimmer of hope.

The Twins have all kinds of young hitters who either have shown flashes (Lewis, Keaschall) or just haven't seemed to ever really put it together at the major league level (Julien, Lee).  I could mention several more in the "never really seemed" category, but I'll also add Trevor Larnach.  

Larnach was the biggest bat in a solid Oregon State lineup that won a College World Series.  Throughout Oregon State's march to the NCAA title, Trevor Larnach always seemed to get the big hit that got the Beavers over the top.  Yet even though Larnach showed a little improvement, he never has come close to being that #3, #4 or #5 hitter in the heart of the Twins lineup that many Twins fans expected when he was drafted in the first round.

Some of that may have been Rocco's propensity for goofy, analytic driven batting orders.  But much of it was because Larnach just wasn't ever that good or consistent of a hitter.

So for the first time, I'm feeling a little more positive about what Shelton may bring.  I give Matthew credit for that, because I didn't come to that place easily.  

I agree on the article being a real positive take and somewhat eye opening regarding Shelton.

“College clutch” and MLB consistent is often world’s apart. I know that Larnach platooned much more rigidly prior to ‘25 …….. those nearly 120 AB’s (that everyone already knew he’s struggled with) from the left side in ‘25 really skew his numbers. Obviously, they are real. If they get reduced to 35AB’s or so, out of necessity, he has a decent year. He’s career .765 OPS v. RH pitching……he was .771 overall OPS in ‘24. He had 17 HR’s (against both sides) in only 385 AB’s v. RH pitching …….. if they can get his AB’s focussed on guys throwing from right side, then he’s a solid bat in the line-up. ………..spend the $$ on him and if Rodriguez &/or Jenkins come around, then trade him in July.

To me, he’s a major league bat that’s above average. ………. what if Brooks Lee had Larnach’s stats from the left side?

With Martin apparently able to perform at a reasonable to good level, those LHP at bats for Larnach can be minimized (hoping Gonzalez can help there soon as well) and he’s then a solid contributor. There are platoon hitters with specific roles all over baseball and using Larnach this way doesn’t mean he’s some inferior guy on the roster or in the box!

[JD-TWINS]

2 hours ago, rv78 said:

"I talked to Drew MacPhail a little bit about it, and we’ll continue to talk about it, but players get to the big leagues so fast these days," 

 

This is no excuse compared to players from the past.

Ages of 1st season in the majors:

Lee 23, Martin 25, Larnach 24, Julien 24, Jeffers 23, Lewis 23, Wallner 24, Miranda 24.

Mauer 21, Polanco 20, Sano 22, Morneau 22, Hrbek 21, Knoblauch 22, Puckett 24, Gaetti 22.

All I got from this article is that no one knows why the Twins hitters struggle to carry over their success from the minors to the majors and Shelton doesn't know either. My guess to why is, lack of consistant playing time, never a consistant batting order, and no confidence shown from the Manager. If the regulars don't get to play everyday and the lineup order changes daily, and the Manager platoons them against every left or right handed pitcher, like Rocco did, nothing will change.

 

 

 

There was much less College time involved historically in a player’s path to big leagues …….. I don’t think guys are necessarily “young” but they are only in Minors for 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 years (fast) and that wasn’t the norm until relatively recently. ….., guys across the board are getting less Professional ball development. Puckett & Mauer are HOF guys and Morneau & Hrbek were pretty special - Knoblauch was ROY.

Tony Oliva was ROY at age 25. We can find stats to support an opposing point of view for anything.

I can’t think of any teams in baseball that don’t platoon at least 1/3 - 1/2 of their line-up every day……I’m sure there might some line-ups with elite talent that don’t, but none come to mind.

[sweetmusicviola16]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

The team has had plenty of talent. That's why they are always ranked high & look so good on paper every year. The problem is the non continued development of the players once they arrive to MLB. Many come the MLB undeveloped & need further development, which they were not getting. I think Lewis kinda voiced that when he was frustrated that he wasn't getting the help he needed at 3B & hitting. 

Baldelli delegated to his coaches what Falvey wanted & the coaches coached everyone basically the same. I prefer the more direct & more individual approach. I'll voice again even though Baldelli & Shelton are friends & is familiar with Falvey. Shelton is different. I believe Molitor selected Shelton, then Baldelli selected him. Molitor & Baldelli are totally different but Shelton, IMO, strikes a good balance between the 2, What Shelton has said & his selecting Hawkins is a good start & are heading in the right direction. I'm willing to give Sheldon a pass, until he proves me wrong.

I agree. But some of the problems this organization is having, and I don't know that Shelton can resolve it, is identification. Lee is a player that comes to my mind. Lee is talented. I think everyone would agree that he is. But he is not a SS. At least not one who is the type that will lead you to the highest level as a team. This should have been identified when he started playing for this team to begin with. Yes he can play the position but it isn't his strength. But everyone dreamed that we'd have a SS who would hit .320 and hit 20-25 HR and that would suffice making up for him being a weak fielder. His bat can't make up for it. This was ignored in favor of the dream of big offensive numbers. I want a SS who can first field. Hitting is gravy. I want a SS who is going to save my Pitcher. Get him back in the dugout sooner. Keep his pitch count down. We chose offense instead. And Lee may never put up the offense that was envisioned. So now we are left with another position that we have failed to develop. That in itself isn't Lee's fault. This is on the organization. Ozzie Smith the greatest SS ever would have been traded long before he ever made the ML by this brain trust, or left to languish bouncing between AA and AAA. This FO gave Noah Miller away. People clamor that he can't hit, which btw he has improved upon. But we had a GG caliber SS in our system given away in another of Falvey's masterminds. Instead we continue to scratch wondering who will step up. Identifying each players strength's continues to be a struggle for this franchise. Lets's see if we can make Martin into a power hitter. lol

[USAFChief]

27 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

I can’t think of any teams in baseball that don’t platoon at least 1/3 - 1/2 of their line-up every day……I’m sure there might some line-ups with elite talent that don’t, but none come to mind.

With 13 position players on a typical roster I'd like you to show us a single team that platoons 1/2 their lineup.

[SkyBlueWaters]

2 hours ago, rv78 said:

"I talked to Drew MacPhail a little bit about it, and we’ll continue to talk about it, but players get to the big leagues so fast these days," 

This is no excuse compared to players from the past.

Ages of 1st season in the majors:

Lee 23, Martin 25, Larnach 24, Julien 24, Jeffers 23, Lewis 23, Wallner 24, Miranda 24.

Mauer 21, Polanco 20, Sano 22, Morneau 22, Hrbek 21, Knoblauch 22, Puckett 24, Gaetti 22.

 

It’s fine to pick some of our hall of famers and all-stars from the past. And I do hope the current players you’ve noted go on to have illustrious careers. But what if their careers are closer to:  

Lombardozzi 25, Marty Cordova 25, Coomer 28, Meares 24, Brian Buchanan 26?

Major League pitching has changed radically in recent decades. It might take longer now to get hitters major league ready and confident.

[Doctor Gast]

42 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

I agree. But some of the problems this organization is having, and I don't know that Shelton can resolve it, is identification. Lee is a player that comes to my mind. Lee is talented. I think everyone would agree that he is. But he is not a SS. At least not one who is the type that will lead you to the highest level as a team. This should have been identified when he started playing for this team to begin with. Yes he can play the position but it isn't his strength. But everyone dreamed that we'd have a SS who would hit .320 and hit 20-25 HR and that would suffice making up for him being a weak fielder. His bat can't make up for it. This was ignored in favor of the dream of big offensive numbers. I want a SS who can first field. Hitting is gravy. I want a SS who is going to save my Pitcher. Get him back in the dugout sooner. Keep his pitch count down. We chose offense instead. And Lee may never put up the offense that was envisioned. So now we are left with another position that we have failed to develop. That in itself isn't Lee's fault. This is on the organization. Ozzie Smith the greatest SS ever would have been traded long before he ever made the ML by this brain trust, or left to languish bouncing between AA and AAA. This FO gave Noah Miller away. People clamor that he can't hit, which btw he has improved upon. But we had a GG caliber SS in our system given away in another of Falvey's masterminds. Instead we continue to scratch wondering who will step up. Identifying each players strength's continues to be a struggle for this franchise. Lets's see if we can make Martin into a power hitter. lol

Preach it brother! I suggest SweetmusicViola for GM.

[rv78]

1 hour ago, JD-TWINS said:

There was much less College time involved historically in a player’s path to big leagues …….. I don’t think guys are necessarily “young” but they are only in Minors for 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 years (fast) and that wasn’t the norm until relatively recently. ….., guys across the board are getting less Professional ball development. Puckett & Mauer are HOF guys and Morneau & Hrbek were pretty special - Knoblauch was ROY.

Tony Oliva was ROY at age 25. We can find stats to support an opposing point of view for anything.

I can’t think of any teams in baseball that don’t platoon at least 1/3 - 1/2 of their line-up every day……I’m sure there might some line-ups with elite talent that don’t, but none come to mind.

I just saw 2 teams in the 2025 World Series that didn't platoon like you say. Maybe it's not a coincidence that they won as many games as they did and made it to the WS because they don't platoon to death.

[sweetmusicviola16]

3 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Preach it brother! I suggest SweetViola for GM.

Lol. My first action as GM though would be to call up the Dodgers and say "hey, we have to rectify the fleecing that you did on the last guy. I want Miller back." Where is the guy we got? Doncon or whoever it was. I'm not mentioning by name the player we got as the centerpiece of the deal. But Miller has continued to improve which I knew he would. He still has GG potential if the Dodgers stick with him.

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Lol. My first action as GM though would be to call up the Dodgers and say "hey, we have to rectify the fleecing that you did on the last guy. I want Miller back." Where is the guy we got? Doncon or whoever it was. I'm not mentioning by name the player we got as the centerpiece of the deal. But Miller has continued to improve which I knew he would. He still has GG potential if the Dodgers stick with him.

He could be a MLB GG now. But his bat is lagging.

[DJL44]

8 hours ago, Mahoning said:

Brooks Lee has one season and people  have already decided he is a flop.  He is 24, hit .239 and drove in 63. In Lindor’s first season with the Mets he hit .230 and drove in 69. I guess he was a flop. Is he even still in baseball?

I really wish Brooks Lee could field as well as Lindor. He fields a lot more like Bichette.

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, SkyBlueWaters said:

It’s fine to pick some of our hall of famers and all-stars from the past. And I do hope the current players you’ve noted go on to have illustrious careers. But what if their careers are closer to:  

Lombardozzi 25, Marty Cordova 25, Coomer 28, Meares 24, Brian Buchanan 26?

Major League pitching has changed radically in recent decades. It might take longer now to get hitters major league ready and confident.

There is evidence that careers are getting shorter. Players come up later and retire earlier. All signs that competition has never been higher. We are overdue for expansion.

[mluebker]

Glad to hear Shelton plans to be more hands-on and is looking to communicate more with his players. Delegating is something every good leader should be able to do, but he also needs to know when not to.