rv78

"The goal here is straight-forward and measurable," Falvey said on Monday. "It's to build a sustainable, championship-caliber team, an organization that Twins fans will be proud of." -- Derek Falvey, November 2016 We're still waiting! Seriously though, how can anyone take this FO at their word? Look at some of the dead wood they have brought in thinking those players were going to make this team better. The biggest mistake, and I was absolutely shocked at the time, was signing Gallo for $11M. How can anyone with any baseball knowledge or common sense think he was going to help this team? Letting Sano take the bus and then signing someone just as bad or worse isn't going to make Twins fans proud. At the very least DFA the guy and move on. Your first mistake was signing him. Don't compound the first mistake by making a second mistake by keeping him around. At least be smart enough to chop one piece of dead wood from the roster.

I agree something needs to change but it has to start with the FO and include the Manager and coaches. The direction we have seen since they have taken over isn't going in the right direction. Weren't they suppose to build this team into a perrienial contender. So far all we've gotten is a perrenial pretender. The FO only has themselves to blame for this mess. Extended part-timer Buxton for $15M. Signed an over-rated Correa for $33+M. Signed a worthless hitter in Gallo for $11M and kept another crappy hitter in Kepler for $8.5M. Let's see they are hitting a combined .213 for $68 MILLION. Gee, I wonder why this team can't win games when they need to. DUH!

I'm pretty sure his knee was injured last year into the end of the season. Why wasn't it repaired last off-season? Why is playing your best defensive player at DH better than getting him healthy so he can play both sides of the ball? A lot of his value is on defense. There have been a lot of people, some former players, say that being a DH isn't a good fit for some players. Some need to be involved defensively to be good offensively, which definitely seems to be the case for Buxton. Seems to me, not fixing the problem last off-season was another gamble the FO took that was a huge mistake. Why even consider that an option going into the season. What reasoning is behind NOT doing the surgery as soon as he was injured? Why is playing one of your best players part-time, (because that's what a DH does) better than fixing him? And... If surgery wasn't going to fix him last year why is it going to fix him this year? If he is damaged goods he needs to see the door. He's not helping the team the way he is.

Trying to play chicken with injury is a losing game, and putting the best lineup configuration on the field each night should be the goal. If this was true, then it would also apply to Buxton.

Guarantees are one thing, acquiring injured players and 1/2 year wonders are another. Point being......... better decisions need to be made by this FO.

Refilling the chuck wagon at the deadline is still no guarantee the extra beans will make a difference. I remember not too long ago a certain pitcher or two named Mahle and Lopez that produced more flatulance than fiber. If the FO does add, lets hope it is someone without injury or more than a 1/2 year wonder.

Won't be a problem if Buxton doesn't start hitting. Buck to the bench or IL, Polanco to DH and Lewis inserted back into the 3B spot. To make room for him on the roster DFA Gallo.

It's not good when players hitting in the .240's or .250's is an improvement over what you have. McCutchen isn't going anywhere as I'm sure he'll finish his career in Pittsburgh. Pham may be the best fit of the guys you mention, as the other 3 don't improve Twins hitting enough to get my attention. I wouldn't consider them at all unless it is to competely replace Gallo, which I highly doubt this FO will do. They have $11M invested in him and will give him every at bat they can until the end of the season to prove they made the right decision signing him, even though to this point he has proved them wrong.

Lets see...... We got veteran Gallo, veteran Vazquez, veteran Correa, veteran Kepler, veteran Buxton, all of them who are holding this team back. If Polanco was healthy Julien wouldn't be in the lineup. Currently one of the teams best hitters. You think Goldschmidt who is nothing of the hitter he once was would be an improvement over Kirilloff? In addition, a player in his last contract year for a youngster finally getting the chance to prove himself, which he is doing? Why the obsession with veteran players who are NOT the players they once were? Only a fool would do this trade...... course only a fool would give Gallo $11M. Let's hope this doesn't happen.

Last night I watched a show where George Brett was interviewed on the facets of hitting. One of the first things he said was, analytics will not help you in an at bat. You have milliseconds to decide to swing and where. See the freakin ball and hit it. Are there any hitting coaches out there that can throw all of the analytical BS out the window and teach that? There should be at least a couple hundred. The philosophy needs to change and that will only happen with a whole new set of people in charge.

Those darn Francona's. It's bad enough that Terry will outmanage Rocco again down the stretch and lead Cleveland to another division title but now Tito is going to jinx the Twins from the grave. LOL!

No need to go out and get more veterans and it really isn't that complicated at all. You just need a Manager and FO willing to throw the deadwood into the fire. Solano-1B, Julien-2B, Farmer-SS, Castro-3B, Lewis-3B if/when he returns would handle the infield on a daily basis. Move Kirilloff and bring up Wallner to play the 2 corner spots. If Buxton can't play defense he goes to the IL and you stick with Taylor in CF. Jeffers back to full-time catcher with a day off only when a day game follows a night game. Gallo and Kepler get bench time unless they are needed for defensive purposes late in a game that you are leading. If they don't like that scenario, they get DFA'd. C4 to the bench for pinch hitting and late game defense as well. When he starts hitting, if ever again, then he gets slotted back into the lineup in the 8 or 9 hole where hopefully his penchant for hitting into a DP does the least amount of damage. Give Polanco the DH spot. He can't hit any worse than Buck and if you are going to try to protect someone from injury it should be someone who at least can hit. Isn't that what the DH guy is suppose to do? Buck has been a total failure there. Miranda, Vazquez and Larnach are the next set of bench players that must prove they can hit before being in the lineup. Fire Rocco and get a Manager that will set the same lineup more than 1 day in a row and give these guys consistant at bats on a daily basis and see if that doesn't help them. It sure as hell can't hurt. If at the end of the year the club isn't any better than it is now, fire the FO and everyone else in charge and start over. Currently, this FO should be totally embarrassed by what they have put together and it just not fun for anyone to watch.

Was an article on Twins Daily a few days ago that suggested the Twins had finally matched the Yankees in the offensive department. I replied that it should have read, the Yankees finally matched the Twins. Well, when you are that bad some clubs take action, which we have now seen the Yankees do. How long will it take the Twins? Really when it come right down to it, any action at this point would be better than accepting what we are seeing and continuing with this ineptitude. Common fans can see the changes that need to be made. Are the powers that be that blind or just too proud to admit they have made monumental mistakes? I think the latter, which is why they will continue with the crap we are seeing.

So tell me, faithful reader of Twins game recaps, no matter the result, what is your honest assessment of the club at the break? They stink. Can it get any worse? Yep. We are seeing signs of the ''great starting pitching" coming apart. Can it get any better? Not with the current Manager and Coaches in charge. Or is it where things are just about right and not ripe for change any time soon? That's up to ownership and the fans. Yeah, quit going to games and hit the Pohlads where it counts. It's the only way they'll notice.

Buyers or sellers I have no faith in this FO to do the right thing. Think they will cut or trade away the dead weight (Correa, Gallo, Buxton, Kepler) that has been choking them all season? No! That would reflect a mistake in their direction. They'd rather go down with the ship than solely take the blame. I laugh how most here think this pitching staff is really good. Sure, they can rock the Royals or Tigers or any other alsoran team but on any given day against the better teams they struggle like an average joe just to make it to the 6th inning. I'd like to see this organization make a full fledge committment to the young core of players, (Kirilloff, Larnach, Miranda, Lewis, Julien, Jeffers, Wallner). It's time to move on from the likes of Buxton, Kepler, Polanco and the others who have proven they don't have what it takes to take this team to the next level. As for Correa and Gallo, those are 2 mistakes that should have never happened to begin with.

Too bad the Twins can't play the lowly Royals every day. They actually make this team look good. Well, that series is over, back to reality.

Amazing! Gallo hits a HR and Kepler makes a great catch. Ummm.... isn't that what they are getting paid for? Let's celebrate what has been expected of them all season. On the other hand, an even better job by Ober who started the season in AAA and wasn't expected to be but a fill-in pitcher. Who do we thank for that? Mahle or the FO who went out and got damaged goods in the first place?

No matter who you compare this Twins offense to, I will not celebrate it. The headline should read "The Yankees have Finally Matched the Twins Offensively"

Kremer for Baltimore is hardly a measuring stick for this offense. He was trending in the right direction but lapses occur and he had a game that isn't out of normal for him. 11 K's does not indicate to me anything different than what we haven't seen before. 3 HR's that lead to a win isn't anything that we haven't seen before. A 1 or 2 game offensive outburst isn't anything we haven't seen before. Let's see them sustain a productive offense for a month before we get all giddy.

Looking at his 8 year career to date, Correa has been an All-Star 2 times and has 1 Gold Glove. If anyone thinks he's a superstar and is worthy of superstar money, which he got, they are fools. Buxton is even worse with only 1 All-Star appearance and 1 Gold Glove, How about Kepler, NONE. Gallo? 2 time All-Star and 2 Gold Gloves. Polanco? 1 time All-Star. Thus lies the problem. Expecting your main core of players to play like All-Stars when they very seldom if ever have been one is beyond foolish. The FO got exactly what these players are... over-rated, and they are the ones guilty of turning a blind eye to what they really are. Here's the picture we were painted by the FO and the Twins organization, Correa will lead the team since he is the best SS in all of MLB. We got a steal when the Giants and Mets backed out. Buxton will be healthy and Taylor was signed to be a backup, just in case he got injured, even though they had no intention of playing Buxton there. Then we were told using him in the DH spot will keep him in the lineup the entire season even though his last 2 injuries were not from playing defense. Ha Ha! With the shift being banned Kepler will hit better since more ground balls will make it through the right side of the infield, since Kepler doesn't know how to hit the ball to all fields. Gallo will regain his form from his successful Texas seasons. He'll provide super defense at 1st base and in the outfield and his strikeouts won't hurt the team since he can hit an occasional monster HR. Polanco will recover from his injury and will be in the lineup shortly after the start of the season. He's now been a non-factor for half the year. Vazquez will be the primary catcher pushing Jeffers to part-time duty and guess what, now we've got the better hitting catcher not playing due to Vazquez being the veteran. How has Rocco handled all of these situations? Has he held any of these guys accountable before his rant after the Braves series? He was quoted as saying "That's not good baseball". Has he finally opened his eyes? Is he finally seeing what we the fans have seen for the last 2 plus years? Waiting for 2 plus years to start holding the players accountable for poor play is terrible leadership. How does a player get confidence when his Manager doesn't play him everyday? Or pulls him for a pinch hitter every time an analytical number says something different? Right now, Correa, Buxton, Kepler, Vazquez and Gallo all should be on the bench or DFA'd for anyone who can play better. Otherwise all the ranting in the world by the incapable Manager doesn't mean crap.

Unfortunately, he's never been much more than a slightly above average hitter. Great Glove = Yes). The FO has ignored offensive numbers in almost everyone they have spent big money on and it shows. Correa was a DP machine last season too, and the FO ignored that as well. Most times you get exactly what a player is and that's not the same as something you want him to be. The biggest part of the lineup, Correa, Kepler, Gallo, Buxton, Vazquez, Taylor have NOT been productive and outside of Vazquez the other 5 have never really been that good offensively except for a season or two in their entire careers. I said at the beginning of the season this team would need to win a lot of low scoring games to be successful. Many believed the bullpen was over-looked during the off season. The offense, after trading away Arraez became the weakest part of the team.

I believe it was Ted Williams that said, see the ball, hit the ball. How's that for simple?

The big 4 (Correa, Buxton, Gallo, Kepler) didn't get a hit today and the Twins won. I think this means they can win without them, or that they really aren't that important to this team and should be traded/DFA'd, or they aren't worth what they are being paid, or it's better if the other guys get more at bats, or the other team gave the game away, or they got lucky, or.........ALL OF THE ABOVE!

This is huge and explains how this FO does not see the entire picture but only what they WANT to see. How many seasons for each have been productive? Gallo: 2.5 (2017, 2018. and 1/2 of 2019) Kepler : 1 (2019) Buxton: 2 (2017, 1/2 of 2019, 1/2 of 2021) All 3 have 25 seasons combined under their belts and have been productive in 5 or 6 of them total, but this FO thinks they are going to lead the team to the playoffs and beyond. Who looks like a fool?

The Joey Gallo Reclamation Project Has Been a Failure LOL! Big surprise there! In 2019 he hit .253 in 70 Games. Not even half a season. What was going on in 2019? A juiced ball. In 2021 in 95 Games for Texas he managed to hit .223. Is that really worth $11M? Or the 40 HR's he hit in 2017 and 2018 when he barely hit .200? That's been 5 and 6 years ago. Hardly worth expecting him to be able to hit at that level again. It's impossible for me to see an upside in signing this type of player at this point in his career. 8 years in, his career BA is below .200. Didn't the Twins let Sano go because he was the same type of hitter? A power threat that striked out a ton. The failure was signing him in the first place. I say keep using him as much as possible so the Twins FO can see how much of a mistake they made. Maybe it will force a change in the FO, or at the least it will get ingrained into their heads how stupid a move like that is. Outside of playing 1stbase defensively Wallner would have been the much better option. Could he be hitting any worse? I doubt it and he wouldn't be at a cost of $11M. Not matter how you look at it, before he even played 1 game for the Twins, this was a terrible move. Why is it the Twins think they can resurrect someones career? Most of them regress once they come to the Twins and their own players usually perform better after they leave the Twins.