Week in Review: Cold Start

Starters: ERA 3.95 Ranked 14th - 43,1 innings Ranked 19th

Relievers: ERA 4.93 Ranked 22nd - 34.2 innings Ranked 21st

Starting pitching has been decent collectively

Bullpen has not been decent collectively.  

On offense:

Batting Average .192 Ranked 30th

On Base .298 Ranked 21st

Slugging  .331 Ranked 27th

OPS vs LHP .530 Ranked 26th - 143 PA's - Ranked 2nd

OPS vs RHP .704 Ranked 15th - 194 PA's Ranked 30th

Offensively we've done a decent job drawing walks and getting hit by a pitch. We have faced more lefthanders than any team in baseball and we have sucked against them. We stack the right handed batters box with 5 RH Hitters and 3 Switch hitters when a lefty starts. Doesn't seem to be helping thus far. I'll keep insisting this a talent issue and not a math problem.

Brooks Lee needs competition. 3 for 18 thus far (3 singles) 2 walks. He had a .655 OPS last year. 

Tristan Gray has shown a couple of shades of Gray. He leads the team in RBI's. He is 11th in PA's. 

That isn't me declaring Gray anything. It is me saying that Brooks hasn't earned anything. 

Wallner striking out at a 46% clip will need to calm down. 

Too soon to be declarative... it's a small sample after 9 games. 

43 minutes ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

100% agreed, for as bad as this team has been, what the hell is James Outman doing on this roster?

Lee and Gray are in a 50/50 split I get that.

Martin and Larnach are in a 60/40 split, but for a team that desperately needs hitting.

Bell, Larnach and Wallner are 3 of the 4 best hitters and all need to be DH.

All I say it again and as often as I need to say it. If Outman is on the roster... he needs to be allowed to compete or he is a complete waste of roster space. That statement isn't a defense of Outman on the roster... It's a statement based solely on the fact that he is on the roster. We can't afford to waste roster spots on players who are defensive replacements. We don't need specialists who face specific hands. We need to find talent. The front office acquired him knowing he didn't have options. So you believe in him or you don't. If you don't believe in him... If you don't think he can OPS over what Clemens is doing or Caratini or Martin or Lee... he has no business being on this roster.  Get him off the roster and call up Roden. 

Lee was ill for two games and I assume that has provided more AB's for Gray than he would have gotten and Gray was a significant positive factor in two of those games. Lee not so much thus far. Players get hurt and they get ill. Every roster spot matters. If you think of a player on the roster as bench... the baseball gods are going to show you that a bench designation on players is just a bad idea.  

Martin has gotten decent AB's because we have faced an incredible percentage of left handed starters. I still worry... and will continue to worry until the Right/Left thing stabilizes that Martin is going to be treated like a short side specialist. He's too young to be strip mined for parts. That will be a complete waste of Austin Martin and his potential future. Austin Martin does not have to be Randall Grichuk. He's young enough to be better or worse in the future. If the organization plans on turning him into Randall Grichuk... just get rid of him as well.

Bell and Larnach have been our best thus far. Part of the reason why we are 2-2 vs Right Handers and 1-4 against left handed starters. So Far nobody on the team can hit left handed starters despite throwing 8 hitters into the right handed box every time a lefty starter has started on the rubber. 

Find Talent.  

26 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

This isn't little league.

A player like Outman only getting minimal playing time can actually help develop other players, and find talent. There are about 6000 PAs to go around. If Outman is only getting 150, that leaves 300 PAs for the rest of the team to go around. 

I know this isn't little league. Do you believe I think this is little league? It's a completely unnecessary and insulting start to your response. 

I'm not focused on Outman... I'm focused on the roster spot. 

The issue isn't Outman's playing time or whoever is occupying that 26th spot on the roster. The issue is the playing time and performance of everybody else. If everyone is healthy and performing nicely... There is no issue with that 26th man spot. 

"A player like Outman only getting minimal playing time can actually help develop other players". I suppose that's true because the other players are going to get all of the development time. 

Well it better work! They better have hand selected players the right players and they can't make a mistake.  

7 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

 

Not every roster spot is going to, nor should get, equal playing time. That's my point by saying it's not little league. 

This seems like the first time you're even considering this concept, which is why I stated it, albeit rudely, in your opinion. 
 

I have always been aware of the concept. My point is that they need to reconsider the concept and my  thoughts will always look like the words of a crazy man if anyone believes that picking and predetermining the 9 players works. It doesn't. There is a success failure ratio that has been constant throughout the many decades of baseball. Front offices know more than I do but with all that knowledge... they fail quite frequently.  

The concept discussion just becomes subjective when individual players are discussed. Twinsdaily can't even reach consensus on the 9 players to choose. 99% want Outman gone. I'm making up numbers of course but 80% of Twinsdaily wants Larnach gone... 50% want Wallner gone. 95% thinks thinks Gray is too old to matter. Very few are happy with Lewis... but 85% think we should play him 162 games a year if healthy regardless of how he actually performs.

I can't talk concept nor get understanding of what I'm trying to say... Because Outman just kills understanding because by simply being on the roster he becomes part of the concept. If the only thing you see is Outman getting any playing time and you reject that out of hand. Well... nope my concept won't work because it require Outman to compete. So... if the team doesn't want Outman to compete... if the team just wants to have him come into the game in the 8th to replace Larnach in LF. He isn't going to push anyone for playing time. We are locked into Larnach being the savior and Outman not being able to become a replacement if Larnach isn't the savior.

So just cut him and call up Roden or Erod or Jenkins and let them compete with Larnach and Wallner for playing time. 

Are we talking concepts or are we talking about Outman. You won't understand what I'm saying if you reduce the concept to Outman or not Outman. The point has never been Outman... my point has always been... if you have selected Outman for the 26 man spot. He's a waste of valuable roster space if he's just collecting dust.

I don't want this team selecting players that they won't play. We need talent... we don't need specialists. Defensive replacements, Pinch Runners or short sided platoon guys. We need talent and in that search for talent... nobody... and I mean nobody... I mean the front offices... I mean me... I mean you... I mean everybody on the planet doesn't know what Royce Lewis is going to become. Not even Royce Lewis knows what he will become. Yet all eggs will be in the Royce basket. If he fails... it's back to the drawing board and Gio Urshela on one year deals. 

I'm talking about competition for playing time. I'm talking about hedging bets. I'm talking about Lee having to actually win a job and not throwing him away if he doesn't. I'm talking about turning on 13 faucets not 9 and I'm saying that if you are going to get every day playing time... you need to perform like you deserve every day playing time. 

As much as I defend Larnach and Wallner. They haven't performed well enough to deserve every day playing time. There is a canyon between Juan Soto and Matt Wallner but they will receive the same amount of bats if they both remain healthy. That's just baking in the disadvantage between Soto and Wallner. 

That's a depressingly accurate write up. 

I remain baffled at this off season, nearly every decision seemed wrong, and so far, I am sadly correct. Actually, I'm looking naively over confident! Sigh. 

34 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

All you need to do is look at how the 13th position player is being utilized on other teams. I'll spoil it for you, that player is hardly used ever on good teams like the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Brewers, etc. 

If the starting 9 was good enough, Outman or (insert veteran player here that no Twins fans like) wouldn't be a blip on the radar for fans. 

You don't have to spoil it for me. 

I have typed miles of real estate on the subject on utiliization on Twinsdaily over the past many years. 

I have tracked utilization for all 30 teams... not just the Twins... I know the Twins are not alone in concept. It'll be hard to find anyone on Twinsdaily as utilization driven as I am. 

I have to try and keep my own personal my subjective thoughts on players away from it. I get it... nobody likes Outman... so Outman is going to be a roadblock when I say that all 13 spots should be utilized in order find the 9 because nobody wants to see #30 on a lineup card ever.  

13 Faucets turned on instead of 9. I didn't choose Outman... The Twins did. 

So Let's make it Erod instead of Outman on the roster. Now TD is going to want Erod playing 162 games and Larnach parked on the bench. Not everyone... some folks on TD don't want rookies period. So now you run the possibility of Erod struggling in his debut... performing like Lee did last year and Larnach who is at least average parked on the bench while we are OK with a .720 OPS parked for a .650 OPS because we believe that Erod will be an .800 OPS eventually once he works the kinks out. How many players have we watched... not work the kinks out. You can roster Larnach and Erod and nobody has to be put to sleep.    

My opinions on utilization will never fly with anyone as long as they have predetermined that Gray and Outman are trash. 

My point has always been... If Gray and Outman are trash. Get rid of them... bring in someone who can compete with Lee and Larnach and Wallner and Lewis. 

Everyday playing time goes to those who perform like they should get everyday playing time.