These 5 Stats at the Halfway Point Tell the Story of the 2023 Twins So Far

About as accurate of a wrap as possible. 

Almost every game there is an at bat where a key hit would turn the game. Almost every game ... failure with risp. There are a couple of players who can be jettisoned right now. The pitchers keep us in every game.

In other news, St. Paul was fun to watch hit today. It just felt like the team was going to win from the beginning and then to walk off on a comeback grand slam was fun. A couple of these guys can help now.

…If these three can continue to perform the way they have in the first half for the final three months, while Bailey Ober, Kenta Maeda, and others hold down the back end of the rotation, it's going be very hard to give up on this team.

Not for me. Gotta make the tough decisions. Trade Gray. It’s the right thing to do.

I actually got to watch a live game and one thing I think I noticed is they have trouble with battling pitches.  There is a baseball term for this but the at bats are quick and they can’t work a count to force the opposing pitcher to throw many more pitches.  I hop that makes sense and remember I don’t get to watch many games thanks to Bally.  Any updates on Bally’s nd the Twins?

9 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Here's the bad news: I don't think there's any possibility the starting pitching is as good in the 2nd half. 

I think the starting pitchers are for real. We are halfway though the year and the starts have been well above expectations on the whole. which is truly amazing when one considers the poor offense and largely mediocre defense. Pablo Lopez has been decent and might be better in the second half. I think Ryan and Ober should be close to their first half performances. Maeda and others will fill in with respectable fifth starter stints. Gray was so good the first half that one would expect some decline, but Sonny is fired up for his chance to be a free agent and his focus will be at a high level. Good things can happen.

The Twins rotation is so strong, but they just can't win games. Ryan 8-5, Lopez 3-5, Gray 4-2. Ober 4-4, Varland 3-3, Madea 1-5, Mahle 1-2 - that's 24-26! The offense IS NOT putting their hard work into a position to win games, especially fater a fine performance.

You can afford to have a weak catcher, if he frames, throws out runners, calls a good game. Maybe Vasquez and Jeffers combined will be above the norm. You can play Taylor in centerfield if he gives you Buxton-style fielding, and is allowed to try and do things in a game...a bit of power, ability to bunt, steal a base. 

But you can't win games if four more guys are basically doing nothing, especially with the hap-hazard way Rocco forms a batting order.

When Julien, Kirilloff, Lewis are you best three starters on the field, but they are surpassed in play by a bench of Farmer, Castro, Solano and Jeffers, something IS NOT right in TwinsTown! Even with Arraez in the line-up (replacing who - Lewis, Julien, Kirilloff) he can get on base all he wants, but the strikeouts are still happening - BIGTIME!

Applaud the rotation. Be happy with a bullpen that started the season with Thielbar, Alcala, Sands, Lopez and now have Headrick, Balazovic, Ortega, Winder trying to carve a future as Twins mainstays. Although WHY the Twins haven't brought up Patrick Murphy is beyond me (or, better yet, hungry guys like Stevenson, Contreras, Williams - not to mention Wallner).

'which would be lower than Gary Sanchez's final mark as a Twin last year'

I threw up in my mouth a little when I read this... 

Past time to shut Buck down for as long as it takes for him to play in the field again.

If he cannot ever play the field again, I feel terrible for him.

BUT, tough decisions will then have to be made by management, because there is no evidence that he is a natural DH to pencil in for the next 6 years. 

For lack of a better or more polite way to put it..The offensive problem is in the cover photo..With the platoon obsession. Correa and Buxton are the only real regulars. HOPEFULLY Correa turns it on in September and Buxton manages to make it through the WHOLE season as a DH. If not for how bad the Al central is, we would and probably should be talking about who we can trade..

Any chance Polanco can wear a 1B mitt?

Here's a stat your going to throw up in your mouth with ....

I just checked in on cleveland / royals game and cleveland is winning big time , 14 to Nothing  in the seventh  ...

The bad news Stat  will be twins will be in second place ....

We've been asking for accountability , changes and here we are losing our first place title second year in a row  ...

Changes are coming to late once again  ...

As usual-Nick’s article is spot on.

In my opinion, the 3 biggest areas of Concern:

1.) Buxton- either he plays CF, or send him to IL until he can.

2.) Get rid of Gallo-this one is on the FO. They knew what they were getting!

3. Stop platooning! How are our best LH hitters supposed to improve if they always sit against LH pitchers? Play your best damn players.

4. Get Polanco healthy.

I'm an optimistic by nature and love the Twins so I usually remain hopeful about the teams prospects and will find any slice of positivity to focus on...but this is as frustrated as I can ever remember being with this team. There's too much talent and the level of competition is too weak for this to be acceptable. The organizational approach ( coaching and upper management) has failed. Watching quality starts being squandered over and over while the strikeouts and RISP failures pile up is so painful. I love baseball and the twins but they are simply not fun to watch right now. Their hitting approach is particular is awful. Dealing the best contact hitter in the league while going all in on the all or nothing approach is clearly not working. Rest is nice but your players bodies need enough action to be conditioned to actually play without breaking. Im thinking it's time for a change of management, not because of personnel or in game decision making but I think their overall philosophy has been fundamentally shown to not be effective.

Watching this team is depressing for a real twins fan. Everyday I look at the line up of the day and just don’t understand what the heck Rocco is thinking. Even the starters can’t be sure they will be in the game by the 3rd inning. Rocco’s decision's seem to be made by which crappy reliever the manager of the other team brings in to pitch. Then he’ll pull a Julian or Lewis or a kirriloff for Anyone who bats from the other side of the plate. I can remember Rocco pinch hitting for Lewis with a player with a .190 batting average. I understand the analytics but how are these young players ever going to improve if  never given a chance in a pressure situation?  I’m not so sure the players haven’t  given up on Rocco. This team has the talent so one reason could be that he has lost the clubhouse. If that’s the case Rocco should be replaced before we fall farther behind Cleveland and soon Detroit and Chicago. The way we are going I really believe Kansas City is the only team we might finish ahead of. If that’s the case then Rocco would have to go anyway. I’ll continue to watch the twins until they fall into 3rd place, then turn my attention to anything else. I would love to ask the pollad ownership take a good look at what falvey has accomplished since taking over the twins and think about making some changes. 

11 hours ago, D.C Twins said:

Past time to shut Buck down for as long as it takes for him to play in the field again.

If he cannot ever play the field again, I feel terrible for him.

BUT, tough decisions will then have to be made by management, because there is no evidence that he is a natural DH to pencil in for the next 6 years. 

Agreed. Shut down both Buxton and Correa, or just admit that they have peaked in their late 20s and will never be impact players again. Okay, that's harsh, but what we are seeing this year is not encouraging.

This team has been stagnant since the start if the 2021 season.  They look and play as if they are not interested.  A shakeup of some sort is needed soon.  Too many veterans on this team that are just going through the motions.  Not nearly enough accountability and responsibility taken for their lackluster attitude and performance. 

At this point the only games that are getting my attention are the mid-week afternoon games.  Spending time in the evenings to watch this team play is a horrible way to invest my time right now.

As for the players... Buxton is just off.  He needs to do what Lopez is done and take a mental health break.  His decision to try and score on a ball hit to the left side yesterday is something you get washed out of your head in little league, but he did it any way.  I could complain about every other position player except for 4 - Jeffers, Lewis, Castro, and Kirilloff.  At least those four are trying.

14 hours ago, Rosterman said:

(or, better yet, hungry guys like Stevenson, Contreras, Williams - not to mention Wallner).

With the way the 40 man roster is constructed, it is hard to add more mid to late 20 year olds to it. The 40 man is loaded with unproven older guys. (Larnach, Miranda, AK, Wallner, Julien, Winder, Sands, Headrick, Canterino, Alcala, Lewis)  That is 25% of the 40 man, sure Lewis looks like a keeper, maybe Julien, the rest as of now are just players,

Looking at the 40 man on the non-pitching side, there are two obvious to get rid of (Kepler and Gallo) but then who? Nobody they are going to cut so it would have to be a trade, and who of the above mentioned players are going to return anything? Plus at some point Gordon is coming back and another decision will need to be made. Plus who at the end of the year goes away? Taylor and Solano and more unproven players will need to be added.

On the they are screwed because none of the following at taken a job AK, Larnach, Celestion, Wallner, Miranda.

Absolute great read, Nick.

I am so excited for everything Castro is doing on the field.  Expect he has taken Gordon's spot on the team, whenever Nick is ready to return.  Will the front office pull the trigger on Gordon, doubtful.

Concur with all the comments above.  Hell, the other night when Ryan had his post shutout experience, I switched to an FBI trilogy on CBS.  And they were reruns I had seen before.  That's how interested I have become in my Twins.

After reading this and much of what you have written the past years, Nick, I have a suggestion.  Call Joe Pohlad.  Ask for a meeting and in it submit your application to be General Manager.  And no, I am not joking, you would be an improvement over the guys currently calling the shots.  Hopefully, young Pohlad would give your application serious consideration.