RaoulDuke

I think May will take awhile to work his way back in the minors and while they said he would come back as a starter I don't think that is a given. I would consider him, like Pineda, an asset for next year. Once Santana is back it seems like Odirizzi/ Lynn/ Gibson/ Gonsalvez/ Mejia (where did he go?) are fighting for 2 spots. Lynn has the best track record if he gets his control problems corrected. Gibson's changes have been intriguing but he is still prone to collapsing quickly. Gonsalvez probably stays in AAA to be injury insurance. Mejia probably moves to the pen. Odirizzi is the most interesting to me, he has been pretty solid as a starter but he throws so many pitches he is always done by the 5th or 6th inning. Would his stuff play up in the pen? Could he have a Wade Davis style transformation to being a solid late inning guy?

Its been incredible to watch this guy for 2 games. I love that he is home grown from the system and I love that he looks ready after making a huge jump from AA without a ton of innings even there. He seems to not be intimidated and trusts his stuff vs MLB hitters already, hes even joking around like no big deal in the dugout which is a really good sign to me. His fastball is nasty and he seems like he can give it some cut or run depending on which side of the plate hes throwing too. That low and away fastball hitting the corner of the zone at 97 is a devastating pitch and he seems to be able to command that spot. The slider has excellent break and he can really bury it off that same corner he hits with the fastball, which makes both even better. He does seem to lack control of it a bit and has spun/ hung/ wildly missed with a few. The change is kinda confusing, he must not be able to get the same arm speed/ deception if he throws it any slower. It must look somewhat like a hung slider coming in at that speed so maybe it is deceptive in a weird way, hitter thinks they are getting a slider they can handle and then it drops on them Overall he overcomes some offspeed inconsistency with the power on his fastball as hitters have to be worried about 97 foremost. Comparing him to Berrios is kinda fun, both have big fastballs/ nasty breaking stuff/ inconsistent changes/ no 4th pitch. Romero has more control/ speed and Berrios has more break. I think Romero could be more consistent because his fastball is the main weapon whereas Berrios relies on his curve being on and getting called for strikes. Add Gonsalvez to the mix eventually and the Twins rotation is going to be an absolute joy to watch.

I want to see Rooker start to mash, he seems to be off to a slow start.

His initial signing was a great deal, he had some struggles with the Yanks that made him a low risk high possible upside deal. He preformed well outside of Yankee stadium and delivered a lot of excess value that first season. There was zero reason to extend him the way they did. He had 1 good season out of 3 or 4 and they threw money at him instead of making sure that it was real (it wasn't). Extending young guys/ buying out some free agent years is a solid plan, extending mediocre vets when you already have them on a good contract is dumb. Even if Hughes had pitched well all 3 years no one was going to be throwing money at him outside what the Twins could afford.

What is Dickey doing these days? We could use a 45 year old knuckler.

Lol welp, send this crop of bush leaguers back down and lets try some other scrubs?

Pitching needs to get its s*%t together. Odorizzi is preforming about as expected, Berrios is jekyl/ hide right now depending on his breaking stuff working/ getting called. Lynn has been a disaster but should figure it out. Gibson is showing some hope to be a real 4th/5th starter. Hughes is toast. Rodney is struggling, Reed is a boss, Duke is getting exposed vs RH + struggling with control, Hildy is lost, Pressley seems to have it again, the rest are struggling. In the rotation Berrios/ Odorizzi/ Gibson are locks, Lynn should get there assuming he can figure out his control/ command. Santana should be a welcome addition when he is ready, they have been sorely missing his presence/ contribution. In the pen Reed/ Pressley are the only real positives. The rest have proven to be less than ideal. Duke should get there and would benefit from being used in advantageous situations, maybe Hughes is serviceable as a long man. They badly need consistency from the closer, number 2 setup guy, and long reliever. All those failing is a disaster pen.

Can we have Shaggy back now please.....

Can't make Reed closer, he is far more valuable deployed when needed. Pressly I guess? Whats Perk up to these days?

I think they should send him down to work it out in AAA, he is obviously out of whack. They are running through relievers quick after we thought Reed/ Duke/ Rodney would really shore things up and allow the kids to compete. Trevor May cannot get healthy soon enough. I haven't checked out minors stats hopefully Melotakis/ Jay/ Reed/ ect are doing well. Chagois has 8 innings logged with LA with, 10/3 k/bb only 2 runs allowed..... Why the F**&^ did Falvine let him go I just don't understand that move at all.

LamarrBI .... please!

Cmon wild pitch walkoff!

Ya that game is truly painful to watch. I fully expect them to lose to HOU but they are just embarrassing themselves tonight.

Way to go Boozy! You just won Hildenbergers spot in the pen!

Waiting for the Wolves came to pop on, the end of the game interview with Lebron the reporter blindsides him with news of Pops wife passing and he basically cried on air. Maybe have a little bit of a heart sports media people.

To face 4 righties in a row.

Really Molitor is pulling him?

Next years "big baseball excursion" .... North Korea. Tim Kurkjian - So President Kim what can you tell us about the rich baseball tradition in your country? Kim Jong Un - Puerto Rico

Ok I am officially over the Puerto Rico infomercial. Talk about baseball again please announcers.

I could only watch the condensed game (damn those are nice btw hope mlb.com runs them all year), Berrios looked like he was eating people alive with the curve. That is a +++ pitch when he has it going and makes his fastball a real danger as well. Congratz Mr. Mauer, its a shame injuries made it take this long but thats a hell of a milestone.

This is maybe a side track but who is the most likely of the young core to be gone? It seems to me its Sano, this off season aside (nothing came of it), he strikes me as the biggest risk because of his agency/ personality. Its a good move to lock any of them up, the whole young core coming up for paydays at relatively the same time is going to be very interesting to watch.

Gone are the days the Twins needed to turn the fans on at the dome to get an edge, its the modern era and now we send birds of prey on our foes.

Dozier is only going to age into a lumbering 2nd base/ small 1st base/ or lighter bat dh. He doesn't have anywhere near the arm to play 3rd or a corner outfield spot. He could have an late career arc like Ian Kinsler but he could also go the Dan Uggla/ Brett Boone route. He has been an awesome Twin but I think it would be prudent to not be the team to pay his one big contract.

Odirizzi and Reed were a pleasure to watch. Dozier looks to be gearing up for his slow 1st half, I really think he should be somewhere other than leadoff. Speaking of which Buxton's speed is kind of wasted when Castro is the guy right behind him. I say bat Buxton first and let him run all over when he gets on and have Mauer there to actually do something with the opportunity. This was as fresh as the pen is ever going to be why let someone stay out there too long?

Whats Polanco's trainer up to these days?