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Matthew Lenz

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Everything posted by Matthew Lenz

  1. With the explosion of Edouard Julien, the Twins have even more infield depth than they already had at the start of the season. This makes one long-time Twin expendable, and he may have the most value of any non-prospect in the organization.
  2. The Twins will start the second half a half game back of the division crown after a disappointing first half. Should the Twins buy with one of the best pitching staffs in baseball or sell with one of the worst offenses?
  3. The Twins will start the second half a half game back of the division crown after a disappointing first half. Should the Twins buy with one of the best pitching staffs in baseball or sell with one of the worst offenses? View full video
  4. The Minnesota Twins starting rotation is arguably the best in baseball. Heck, the entire pitching staff IS one of the best in baseball. But where does this rotation rank amongst other starting rotations in franchise history? View full video
  5. The Minnesota Twins starting rotation is arguably the best in baseball. Heck, the entire pitching staff IS one of the best in baseball. But where does this rotation rank amongst other starting rotations in franchise history?
  6. Everyone has an opinion on strikeouts. And like everything in 2023, there is no middle ground. Like any out, strikeouts are bad…but just how “bad” are they? View full video
  7. Everyone has an opinion on strikeouts. And like everything in 2023, there is no middle ground. Like any out, strikeouts are bad…but just how “bad” are they?
  8. Sonny Gray will be an unrestricted free agent, has had no reported movement on extension talks, and has often voiced his displeasure about getting pulled too soon. Can the Twins flip him for player(s) who can improve their current team? View full video
  9. Sonny Gray will be an unrestricted free agent, has had no reported movement on extension talks, and has often voiced his displeasure about getting pulled too soon. Can the Twins flip him for player(s) who can improve their current team?
  10. Relief pitchers and bullpens as a whole are volatile by nature. Often times it can months for pitchers and bullpens to “recover” statistically from even one bad outing. While it can be challenging to not magnify bullpen blow ups, it’s important to understand that the Twins actually have a good bullpen.
  11. Relief pitchers and bullpens as a whole are volatile by nature. Often times it can months for pitchers and bullpens to “recover” statistically from even one bad outing. While it can be challenging to not magnify bullpen blow ups, it’s important to understand that the Twins actually have a good bullpen. View full video
  12. As of right now, no. If he is solely a DH for the entirety of the contract, then maybe. But at the time he was signed it was a no brainer and ultimately that’s all that matters. Too easy to play Monday Morning QB and criticize something when it doesn’t work out as intended. Process > results and this was a great move by the Twins no matter what happens from here, even if it doesn’t work as intended.
  13. At the major-league level the Twins don’t have a single starter in the top-50 for average fastball velocity, yet find themselves with a 9.4 K/9. Pablo Lopez and Louie Varland have matching 94.9 mph averages, which is good for 54th out of 258 total starters in Major League Baseball this year. After Lopez and Varland, the next closest is Sonny Gray at 92.6 mph which is a significant dip. So, as a whole staff, how are the Twins able to throw guys the chair so effectively? The answer may not be what you expect. A lot is made of Joe Ryan’s deception behind his 92.5 mph “heater” as it tends to sneak up on hitters. His three-quarters delivery fools hitters into anticipating the speed and movement behind the pitch. Gray and Lopez are two more pitchers who have pitches in their arsenal with significant movement that can make hitters look foolish at the dish. All that said, you may be surprised to learn that, as a staff, the Twins are exactly league average in their Stuff+ ratings. So how do they do it? Command. The Twins are the best in baseball when it comes to commanding their pitches. Command isn’t just the ability to throw strikes, we call that “control”, but command is being able to “hit your spots”. If the catcher calls a fastball low and away? The pitcher throws it low and a away. The catcher calls for a back door slider? The pitcher throws a back door slider. As effective as velo can be, commanding the zone is arguably the most important skill a pitcher can have. But this isn’t just seen at the Major League level, it can be found throughout the entire organization. In St. Paul, the Twins have Brent Headrick, Cedar Rapids has Marco Raya, Fort Myers has C.J. Culpepper, and now Wichita has Pierson Ohl. When you look up the word “command” in MLB’s glossary, they now just show a GIF of Ohl’s fastball. The 2021 14th-round pick has 143 strikeouts to just 18 (!!!!) walks in 133 2/3 minor league innings to start his career. The otherworldly 7.94 K:BB recently earned him a promotion to AA-Wichita after just 25 starts in single-A. In fact, he’s making his AA debut tonight (June 9) against the San Antonio Missions who have the third most wins in the Texas League. You won’t find Ohl on any top prospect lists, because pitchers who don’t throw hard face an uphill battle making it to the Majors and typically are underrated. But pitchers who don’t throw hard also don’t typically strikeout more than one batter per inning while walking just one better every seven innings. Without a question, Minor League hitters are the ones facing an uphill battle when they stand in the box against the 6’ 1” righty. For years and years, the Twins were known for soft throwing pitchers who pitch to contact. Now, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are proving that soft throwing doesn’t have to mean pitch to contact if you can command the zone. Be sure to check out my recent (June 8) interview with Pierson Ohl embedded at the top of this article.
  14. Happy Short Season Opening Day! Let’s take a look out the short season Twins prospects to keep an eye on as many continue and some start their path to Major League Baseball. Who is only a handful of short years away from their MLB debut?
  15. Happy Short Season Opening Day! Let’s take a look out the short season Twins prospects to keep an eye on as many continue and some start their path to Major League Baseball. Who is only a handful of short years away from their MLB debut? View full video
  16. FanGraphs released their top 36 Twins prospects. Dive into the top 5, as well as prospects received from recent notable trades.
  17. FanGraphs released their top 36 Twins prospects. Dive into the top 5, as well as prospects received from recent notable trades. View full video
  18. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine took over in 2016 making every player in the organization “theirs” one way or another. How does their knack for identifying and developing Major League talent stack up?
  19. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine took over in 2016 making every player in the organization “theirs” one way or another. How does their knack for identifying and developing Major League talent stack up? View full video
  20. The Twins have one of the most inconsistent offenses in baseball with metrics on both sides of the spectrum. What’s going on and is there hope things can improve? View full video
  21. The Twins have one of the most inconsistent offenses in baseball with metrics on both sides of the spectrum. What’s going on and is there hope things can improve?
  22. The Twins are going to be without Kenta Maeda for awhile which means Bailey Ober gets first crack at the rotation. Who’s in line next and should Maeda reclaim a starter role when he returns?
  23. The Twins are going to be without Kenta Maeda for awhile which means Bailey Ober gets first crack at the rotation. Who’s in line next and should Maeda reclaim a starter role when he returns? View full video
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