Pulled some 2019 numbers out of curiousity: Maeda - 53 BB, 169 SO in 153.2 IP Odorizzi - 53 BB, 178 SO in 159 IP Berrios - 51 BB, 195 SO in 200.1 IP Price - 32BB, 128 SO in 107.1 IP Cole - 48 BB, 326 (!) SO in 212.1 IP Wheeler - 50 BB, 195 SO in 195.1 IP
The operative word here is "if." Maeda is a known quantity at the ML level, Graterol is not. These are the dice that get rolled when dealing prospects for established players. The Twins now have a competent staff to go with a world-beating batting order, and a reliable bullpen to back both up. I'm looking into flights and tickets for a big September.
The post-season lessons on the value of a strong rotation continue to accumulate. The current Twins lineup is not of that caliber, and does not augur to reach it without adding at least one top-class arm. While we're at it: Do rhetorical questions make good headlines? Talk amongst yourselves...
A (NY!) friend answered my expression of ambivalence, "He got to playoffs w/team not rated to contend. Nobody in April expected Twins to play that well all season." The counter is that October is part of that season, and when we got to the Division series we saw that Baldelli and his on-field brain trust (as well as the FO) was outclassed. Maybe time and a better 2020 performance will soften my opinion...
This list - largely bookended by the M&M boys and the 2019 lineup - shows how thin the roster was for most of the past ten years. 23rd in the majors is no surprise. Good news is that the 2019 team holds a great deal more promise for the next three to four years than their 2009 predecessors (and I was a believer in 2009).
Trade 100 or 150 points of SLG for batters with 50 more points of OBP. What matters more than an extra base hit is not making an out - there are only 27 of those in a game and they can never be recovered. While clearing the bases can be emotionally satisfying, keeping the rally alive for the next batter matters more. After all, the pitcher and the defense have only three bases on which to put runners.
A player who has twice demonstrated grave errors in judgement and left his teammates in the lurch is not a good risk. Add a clause that he has to report to camp 20 pounds lighter or he gets paid less.
27 outs between the Twins and the end of the season: Strike first; strike hard; no mercy*Leaven aggression with patienceScrap for every opportunity; don't relinquish anything without a fightThrow hard inside * Sorry, Miyagi-sensei
My 1987 Homer Hanky sits neatly folded on the coffee table. The Yankees pitching staff was better briefed and coached for Twins batters. Rowson and Hernandez have not been prepared with an answer, and they need to find one. They should have been hard at work after yesterday's weak 4-run performance. Whatever they came up with overnight was not apparent. Safe bet that a lot of "rewind," "play" and "slow" buttons will be worn out between now and Monday night. Enough has been said about Twins pitching. Hopefully anyone who has been spouting the idea that the value of postseason pitching is overrated has been fully disabused of that notion based upon what has been happening in Yankee Stadium and at other ballparks. The Twins front office and dugout management are demonstrating that they are not ready to play post season baseball. This is humiliating. The talent and desire are there - blame for this poor performance lies chiefly with the leadership.
Then that team should be called "Twinkies" and they should just go home right now. But they're not, they are a professional ball club with people who know how to win and have the ability to do so. Winning begins with thinking about how to solve the problem. Perhaps we will see them do this tomorrow.
We could dispute whether Berrios should have had a chance in the 5th to show if he learned anything. You may be right that he didn't, and you are certainly right that his second time through the order was a big contributing factor to the loss. The list of homework items for Mr. Baldelli, his staff and his bosses is found in comment #4. Hope they review it carefully. 8^p