bunsen82

I fully agree. The Twins now have 3 high ceiling young catchers. You have Tait (19) who has a swing that has the potential to be generational. A true power bat playing catcher. There is a few questions on hit hit tool, and more questions on his defense. You then have Jimenez (21) who is considered a strong defensive catcher with questionable power and hit tool . . . who suddenly morphs into a power hitting, great plate discipline middle of the order player in A ball (Twins can't develop anyone). Then you have the one most forget about Diaw. An extremely athletic player with a good bat - questionable D skills but who hit the cover off the ball at high A ball. He is also 21. He has a little more injury risk. During drafts I have continually stated that the Twins punt on Catcher either thinking they can take someone in the mid to late rounds and make them useable, or when they do spend decent capital on 1 (like Jeffers) they hit on them they just spend capital on the position very rarely. Here we spent a 3rd round pick on Diaw, Tait was a major piece in the Duran deal (the highest investment), and Jimenez you found as what was considered a flyer pick and that most on this board balked at as not enough and the Twins shouldn't have got money they should have gotten a better prospect. Other than Tait they have not spent or used a lot of assets to acquire this depth. It also takes a lot of risk off the Tait pick. If he flames out you still have 2 legit other option. For me Tait is a top 4 prospect, Jimenez I think I would slot right around Winokur 15-ish (if he replicates next year easily top 10), and Diaw is around 20 and that is primarily due to his injuries.

We really need a 40 man roster article. First look players who will be dropped - Cabrera, Davis, Misiewicz, Gasper, Miranda, Vazquez (IL) Players at risk: Tonkin, Ohl, Kriske, Hatch, Funderburk, Adams, Julien, Martin, McCusker, Outman, Keirsey Players who need to be added - Mendez, Rojas, Schobel, Gonzalez, Fedko, Priellip, Morris, Lewis, Olivar, Rosario, Culpepper Maybe Added - Sabato, Holland, Cardenas, Klein, Canterino, Nowlin, Lawyerson, Bowen, Jones At minimum you need 11 new spots from what I can see. Plus will need a few spots for new signees (1 to 2 RP and maybe a 1st baseman). This will be by far the toughest year on the 40 man. I think they can manage but we need to start trading a few of the 40 man eligible players consolidate for either better prospect, more time, or MLB players.

Dman - Ignoring the horrific start he has been a pretty solid. My baseline was ignoring the 1 month could he be above .250 BA. He has,. This month yes down a little on HR but only has 1/2 the walks he has averaged. Still think thats the law of small numbers. Honestly I am fine with either direction leave him in high A to start the year or send him up to AA. His numbers are so much better than Millers. I am fine with whichever direction they go. He still has a ton of upside and I expect power numbers to start to increase in the next year or two. This will all come down to can he make enough improvements on the contact side. a .286/.360/.481 slash line last month says yes to me even if it is a small sample size (keeping with the Miller comparison in 5 professional years he has never had a month as good as that one).

Rosario is going to force himself onto the 40 man roster. Not sure if the twins have long term plans, if not could definitely be a trade chip to help rebuild the bullpen. Wowzers on Jimenez. I know it’s A ball but the power looks legit and a great eye at the plate. For being a defensive backstop this offensive performance is drastically changing his outlook. Looks like we got a lot more back than a bag of balls for Paddack like some claimed.

Yes both teams traded underperforming assets hoping to turn them around. We got the younger version that is still a starter and 2 more years of control.

Griffin Jax is almost 31 has an ERA of 7 in 11 appearances for Tampa with multiple bad outings. Bradley at age 24 in 1 start has a 12.6 ERA. Both were traded by the other team that they could improve the performances. I will always take the younger pitcher with more years of control - for a player who requested to be traded.

Correct mistypo, meant bomba squad of 2019.

I completely agree with your take on the players. As to who could run an org, I really don’t think any of us are there. It’s like saying we could play better than current players. Most of us would run orgs into the ground.

If they have the second best odds they have a top 3 pick is higher than 60%. There is still a ton of variability on their slot. But now currently only looking at 5-7 teams who have a record low enough they could realistically flip with the Twins.

The argument could be made they fixed their draft philosophies for hitters in the 2022 draft. We will see if the higher contact rate hitters pays off. The initial returns on Keashall are good, Lee has been a mixed bag but improving.

Look I am not trying to be argumentative. I believe my point of comparing Ober and Ryan to Bradley and Abel is that both of the latter prospects had been ranked much higher on prospect lists. I don't remember saying Ober was just ok (other than in his current format with injuries and reduced velocity we may not get as much out of him). I had done a cursory look and thought everyone other than SWR had pitched at a higher age. Both Bradley and Abel have been pushed hard in their careers advancing levels when still very young. It leaves some obvious upside due to their age and they do have the ability to continue to improve from better coaching or strategy. Bradley seems to almost have a bit of the yips. Not having good control and really only having the fastball. There is quite a bit of variability. However he regains control and a good splitter, suddenly everything else works again and possibly better. Look you don't think this front office can get it done. My guess is Falvey stays and Baldelli stays. Baldelli is in a rockier position though. 2021 everything clicked. Since then we have misfired on certain areas even after nailing others. You have to give credit for Ryan and Gray and Lopez. Say what you will they have been able to accumalate and get great performances out of starting pitching. At this point I am going to sit back and watch. See if the improvements begin to show up. I will be more than willing to revisit this next season if you are. Right now neither one of us is going to change the others opinion.

To be fair Skenes blew up his senior year when he transferred to LSU. I am fairly confident there will be at least 1 pitcher that is considered a top 5 prospect. Dollander was considered the #1 prospect in January he had a rougher year and fell in the draft.

We went 1-2 against Toronto with a heartbreaking loss yesterday. The kids are playing hard, we are just running out of pitching. We are getting very close to the 2nd best odds for the draft at 20%. I still think we go on a run at some point - the offense is definitely improving (even with spurts and starts and stops). Lee continues to grind higher with more power. Keaschall looking solid.

He beat WAR on 2 years as I stated. 2021 and 2023. Yes so Far Bradley hasn't matched it with the Rays. You could say Ryan needed the Twins to help unlock his full potential which lets be real has been a bit of a roller coaster. Amazing starts of the season followed by struggles in the second half (yes I am one of the biggest Joe Ryan supporters stating he is a #1 pitcher and defending that statement in May and June). As to USAChief lets just say we had a gentlemens agreement to ignore each others posts. So much for that. You should ask him about Draft Capital. he keeps bringing it up in the game threads.

Mendez should have been co hitter of the day. 3-3 and 2 BB, 2 runs 2 rbis. Yes Rosario did damage but that’s a perfect day.

Glad you aren’t in charge of the Twins org.

He was 1,7 WAR last year. Better than a couple of Ryan’s years. Guess he is mid rotation.

I’m counting g end of 23, all of 24 and April and May of 25. You dislike him. Read my posts I haven’t changed any goal posts. I’ve been very clear mid to back end starter since the deadline. I’m done arguing with you.

What is wrong with you? Taj had a very solid year last year , started off well before falling apart this summer. He had nearly 2 years of being a mid to backend starter.

His BB rate has materially improved. The approach is better. SSS doesn’t negate the eye test or that he is +.7 since the deadline. It’s better than the alternative. So you are stating your opinion is the realistic opinion? Look I could be optimistic, at least I do have a reason to support it.

Bailey Ober was 25 when he came up to MLB. Joe Ryan was 25 Abel is 23 and Bradley is 24. Both were rated much higher than either Ryan or Ober. Yes in a SSS for Abel he has underperformed. Bradley has performed like a mid rotation arm in the MLB for 2 years. Now the Twins think they can improve his stuff with the splitter. At the very least give them the offseason. Other than SWR both of these pitchers pitched in the MLB at a younger age. Their stuff is also considered better than most of the people you are discussing as well. In either case the proof will be in the pudding. I am optimistic you and others can be negative. I don't think it helps emotionally just being a fan (who wants to be miserable as a fan) - or it appears that whether intentional or not it almost seems like there are those who want to ignore the great games Abel had in AAA and state how poorly he did in 1 MLB start, almost rooting against him because you are upset with the front office and Ownership. So yes I can be realistic some of these will fail. Nicks article is implying all of them will fail based on a few MLB games. It cuts both ways. Is Philly throwing Duran under the bus because 1 blown save? Is Tampa Bay fans upset because Jax has struggled for multiple outings? Is Toronto upset because Varland has a 5 ERA since he was traded? They may be disappointed but its also an extremely small sample size. I am willing to bet both Abel and Bradley have better starts than their last 2 starts. So all in all I see no point in continue to bemoan what occurred. We can't change ownership, and they are the ones that would change the front office. So we can either deal with the situation as it is. Walk away either for a short period or a longer period from our fandom - or continue to piss and moan. I would rather cheer for the players. Go Twins.

To be fair Keaschall has a 1.4 WAR so far. (I am even accounting for some regression LOL). As to Lee - yes I am much more positive than most and I have been watching him closely every game since the deadline. Don't ask me why but he seems to play better when he is at 3rd or SS (thats where he played most of his minor league games). He also has a much better approach at the plate than he did in July and the first week of August. Notable improvement and the numbers show it. He was -.7 WAR prior to the trade. This is massive positive improvement. But go ahead and say its small sample size and I am being overly optimistic. Maybe I am. I would much rather be positive than negative.

Joe Ryan had a .4 WAR and a 4ERA for us in 2021. Not bad but nothing great either. He was a low 90's fastball pitcher with an unorthodox motion. Effectively a mid to back end starter. Here are 2 articles. https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/07/23/nelson-cruz-tampa-bay-rays-trade-grade https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2724557/2021/07/23/bowden-grading-the-nelson-cruz-trade-for-the-rays-and-twins/ If you knew he was going to be a #1 to #2 type pitcher back in 2021 I give you all the credit in the world. Abel on each move up in the minors has struggled in his 1st taste then become dominant the next year. He appears to be one who continues to work on his stuff just like Ryan. I guess if we can get a similar player that continues to get better that already has pretty decent stuff - worst case goes the reliever route, I can handle that. I have much more faith in Abel of the 2 pitchers. Roden was not the key of the Toronto trade. As of now a better defensive outfielder with similar numbers to Larnach is what I am envisioning if it comes to fruition. Bradley is a wild card. The issue is so was Jax. Can they fix him. Other than Bradley and Abel, the majority of the value is minor league prospects. Personally I view both Bradley and Abel as mid to back end rotation starters. We will see if they can solidfy that in the next couple of starts. Bradley success will come down to 2 things - can he throw the splitter and can not throw as many non competitive pitches as he did in the 1st outing. My guess is yes. I think you are asking is what are the examples that the Twins have that they have improved a player past their 1st few Games. Ryan is a perfect example. He has continued to get better each year. Ryan Jeffers improved after a couple years of seasoning. Buxton hit .225 in 2016. Bailey Ober was ok in 21 and 22 before a very good 23 and 24. Prior to this year I like Ober better than Ryan before the injuries and I think most here would have agreed with me. Louis Varland, struggled for multiple years before settling into the bullpen. Griffin Jax was rough in 2021. -1.1 WAR. Jorge Polanco was meh in 2016. I know this doesn't fit your view of the organization right now, but the Twins have had ample players improve during their tenures with the Twins. To be fair recently it has been more on the pitching side than the hitting side. With the success the Twins have had of improving pitchers on the pitching side it does lead credence that they can improve things especially this offseason for both Abel and Bradley. We will see.

Keaschall at 3-5 WAR Buxton at 3 WAR and Lee at 2 WAR you can build an offense around. You have solid starters in Ryan, Lopez and Ober plus 5 other starters to fill the last 2 spots. This isn't a 90 or 100 loss team. You can't be running Martin, Julien and Gasper out there regularly (even with Gaspers 3 hit night).

Nick I think you are in the depression stage of the 7 stages of grief. Abel had 2-3 great performance in AAA. Anything at the MLB level is a work in progress. I think Lee is closer to a .260 to .270 hitter as he figures things out but lets look at August. He has a .238/.326/.413 slash line for a .739 OPS. Is there room for improvement. Absolutely. Is that a massive improvement on what we have see absolutely. He is a +.7 War since the trade deadline. He is not someone I am giving up at all on. His approach is so much better. He is learning weak contact is bad contact, and walks are just as good as a hit and he is having so great at bats. 10 or 11 pitches on an at bat with the White Sox the other day. Lee, Keaschall and Buxton is your core moving forward. Lewis we need to find out what he gives us. There is a lot of hope out there, currently you just don't want to see it. Its understandable.