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SOUL PATROL! SOUL PATROL!

Reading some articles lately about previous Twins players got me thinking... which Twins players do I miss the most? I am not talking stats or performance (who doesn't want a prime Mauer, Puckett, or Carew in the lineup), I am talking about the players themselves. Guys that had an impact on the Twins and Minnesota in general. For me, there are a couple of names that jump out: Jim Thome - How can you not love this guy? At the age he was playing for the Twins, the amount of hours he put into his body just to be able to swing the bat every day. The calmness and leadership he brought to the team. Leader in every sense of the word. Mickey Hatcher - The Mick. Trying to catch the dropped ball that went up through the Metrodome ceiling? Seeing him climb up into the stands after the last game of the season, basically stripping down to his underwear, giving everything to the fans, then sitting down and having a beer with them. Looked and acted like a total goofball. Pretty par for MN. The levity he would bring today would be fantastic. Kent Hrbek - Easy choice here, but for me not as much for on field accomplishments. A Minnesota Blue Blood, this guy once threatened to to quit baseball to become a masked wrestler under the name "Tyrannosaurus Rex". Kirby Puckett once sponsored a slow pitch softball team, Puckett and Hrbek would just show up at the diamond unannounced to watch them play. Turning down a huge (at that time) contract from the Tigers to stay in Minnesota. You don't see this type of player-fan relationships anymore... I would be interested to hear about who you miss and why. Let's have it!

As with any true 3 outcome player, the offensive value comes in how those three ratio's play out, The walk rate will be huge. Any drop in K % and any increase in BA over .200 should just be considered icing. The power is still there. People need to remember this was a 1 yr/$11m low end OF starter and contingency plan for Kiriloff, which has proven to be needed. We are going to see a lot of feast or famine. We all just hope to see more feast,

Context... My first post was specifically about this article. The response post was about the TD opinion as a whole. I respect your opinion, it is shared by the majority. I was a little more optimistic about the signing. But one game does not make a season. I would love to see it continue

I will not worry about strikeouts if Gallo ends up being a true 3 outcome player this year...

You said it was not representative of Twins Daily, not you personally. Anybody who reads Twins Daily and thinks that the large majority of opinions of the Joey Gallo signing were not negative (or borderline vitriolic) are being dishonest or do not read the site.

You are kidding right? This signing has been DESTROYED by 90% of the posters here since Day one! - He is washed up. - He is blocking the younger guys - His defense is good, but not enough to outweigh is sub .200 average Only since Kiriloff's injury was known to be worse than it is have people started to soften to the idea of him being here. The responses to this article are still more negative than positive. Then he has a monster game and the comments stop. Don't even try to spin this any other way. I am not a Gallo apologist. I liked the signing at the time because I liked his defense, his flexibility, and the fact he is still young enough to turn it around. I have never said he was the second coming, but the haters have either disappeared or done a complete 180.

Thank you for making my point. Passing judgement after a handful of games is terrible business.

OMG... I can't stop laughing... Three hours ago, everybody wanted Gallo's head. Two games in and he needed to go! Then today's game started and crickets... Thank you JD for bringing some reality to this situation.

Taylor - No leash. Buxton DHing in the first three games tells you Taylor's role here. Solano - Medium. Until injuries heal, there really is no proven body to fill his role Gray - No leash. Kind of dumb to say he has a leash. Mahle - Long, long leash. I believe the Twins think he is a long term piece. He will be given every opportunity to be successful. Gallo - I think Gallo's leash will be shorter than I would like. He may be the most replaceable on this list. If he can't show some level of improvement, he could be gone fairly soon. Maeda - As a starter, medium leash. As a Twin, they will give him a chance to be a BP guy. Too much respect here. Pagan - Medium. Forget his first few appearances, he showed flashes of success last year. Low expectations here, they will only move him into high leverage if needed

There is a story I believe is attributed to Leo Durocher. It goes something like this: Before the first game of the season, a reporter asked Durocher about the prospects of the Dodgers for the season. Durocher replied "Miserable. Last night I had a dream we went 0-154." The Dodgers went on to win their opening game. The following day, the same reporter followed up with Durocher: "Well, you won your first game. What do you think about your prospects now?" Durocher replied "Still terrible. Last night I dreamt we went 1-153."

So many moving pieces to this discussion: - Being a pro athlete does not erase your HIPAA rights - Deception is a huge part of the game. Misinformation and misdirection, even to the smallest degree, may help to give you an edge. Happens in every sport. - Athletes are not robots, injury recovery is both physical and mental. - Just because fans want to know doesn't mean they are entitled to it. - Assumptions everywhere about decisions of communicating internal items to the general public.

This.

The first 4-5 games is as much about usage than anything. Getting everybody in, getting a start, etc. On top of that you need time for the roles to flesh out. Nobody expects Duran to be a one inning closer this year. We can probably really start looking for trends around game 15 or so...

This lineup does not meet my seal of approval. I demand that the manager and front office be fired and that all team decisions henceforth be made by fan polling on Twins Daily. This is where the real experts are...

You asked for proof, I gave you proof, and yet you argue still... There is no cherry picking, the numbers are what the numbers are. The question you need to need to ask yourself is this: You need two innings pitched in the middle of the game. Who do you choose: Pitcher A: 6.50 ERA Pitcher B: 3.50 ERA We all know the answer here. Yes, sometimes pitcher A will get the call. But wow, what a huge roll of the dice when you have better options. I understand what I am saying here doesn't fit your narrative, but using analytics didn't just start yesterday. Managers have been using analytics for decades. What has changed is the types of analytics being used. Where do you think LOOGYs came from or pinch hitting a RH batter to go against a LH pitcher? How come nobody complains about analytics being used to derive the defensive shift or launch angle or spin rate? How about the decision to shade outfielders a certain direction? Sorry, but this is still all analytics, just of a different sort. Using analytics gives your team a better chance to be successful. Otherwise they would not be used. I think we will just have to agree to disagree.

I would agree that someone like Joe Ryan should be given the opportunity to pitch later into games. You need to know what you have. But came up through the Twins system, he knows where the limits are. Someone like Sonny Gray, who has an extensive history of not pitching well 3rd time through does not really deserve that opportunity. Or, at the very least, should have the shortest of short leashes

They rely too much on analytics! They don't let the players play! Their manager stinks! They don't know how to keep the team healthy! They don't know how to groom prospects! They don't sign quality FA! (They got lucky on Correa) They aren't honest with the fans! They wear ugly shoes! Falvey's hair looks like.... Sorry, got a little sidetracked there...

Sample size being relative because of how little usage he had in that regard last year... I have been using the quote of 10+ ERA 3rd time through the order. I can't find that source and I look to be incorrect. However, I did find this article from last year: https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/twins/sonny-gray-makes-it-clear-that-he-wants-to-pitch-deeper-into-games Quoting from the article: 2016: 8.66 ERA third time through an order 2017: 5.66 ERA 2018: 3.27 ERA 2019: 6.12 ERA 2020: 6.30 ERA 2021: 7.25 ERA The ERA may not be 10, but it is still ugly. Dude has no business pitching the third time through the order. He should be happy the Twins recognize this. By protecting him and pulling him out early, he is staying effective and will generate a bigger contract next year.

I would have to dig to find it, but this was a huge talking point when Gray complained last summer. The Twins and the Reds before us all kept his starts short because the numbers backed it up. I wouldn't be surprised if the OPS was down last year, but we are talking about a very small sample size,

Fans do not care how many innings a starter goes. Fans care about wins. If the Twins thought they could win with 9 pitchers throwing 1 inning every game, they would do that. People forget that SP going 4 innings last year had the Twins in first place in September. Poor Sonny Gray needs to realize that him pitching the 3rd time through the lineup is a nuclear disaster to the tune of a plus 10 ERA. Numbers show that. Everyone knows it, including him. Do what you are being asked to do.

Boldness ratings on your predictions (out of 5) Duran: B Possibly the least bold prediction you could make for the Twins this year Gallo: BB To me this is all about ABs. Right now the Twins look like they are going to give him a whole bunch. Ryan: BBB Seen a few places that have Joe Ryan as a Cy Young dark horse this year. If this happens... whew. Buxton: BB (115 games played) Buxton: BBBBBBBBBBBB (115 games played in the OF) Buxton is quickly becoming the next Edgar Martinez

I put very little stock in pitching stat lines for ST. The first half of ST is about getting the feel for your pitches, working on command, trying a different pitch. They aren't necessarily pitching to win or put up big numbers.

I would agree with assessment of Baldelli. Pitchers that show they can be effective 3rd time through, or after x pitches will be given some latitude. I am curious to know if the numbers back up the longer innings. An ERA of 5.00 for Lopez 3rd time through the order might be acceptable for a terrible Marlins team, but that will not help the Twins. If Lopez starts getting pulled earlier, the TD mob will go bananas.

Nick, The Twitter post in your article about Lopez pitching into the 7th inning 11 times feels incomplete. Miami was absolutely dreadful last year. How much of Lopez pitching so deep was due to him being good or him just being better than the bullpen alternatives? Is there any data about how he did later in games relative to earlier and relative to the Miami bullpen? We know exactly why Twins SP did not go long, I am not sure we can say with conviction the same about Lopez.