Riverbrian

Your 2nd sentence is just a good overall point. They won't get better unless they don't need to get better. Fans and all front offices need to stop using the term "Bench" or "Role Player". If you are one of the very few organizations that are loaded with talent 1 through 9. OK... maybe you can think about bench or role player but when I say "very few"... I may be actually saying nobody because all teams have disappointing performers that were expected to perform better... or injuries to contend with. When fans and front offices find themselves thinking that the performance of certain players doesn't matter because they are labelled bench or because they play a certain role and therefore won't see the field that often. They have simply reduced their options in the face of the baseball gods of health and performance and the team will live and die with the hope that Royce Lewis will turn it around, with the hope that Matt Wallner will turn it around, with the hope that Victor Caratini will turn it around. If they don't... we simply absorb the loss unnecessarily and let's be clear... that loss will be self inflicted. Even if they turn it around will it be enough to make up for what you lost waiting for that to happen. Your hopes and dreams also live and die with the actual performers staying healthy because if Buxton gets hurt. Then Erod gets called up (If he is healthy) and you are back to living and dying with one player because Outman is just a guy you use for pinch running and a late game defensive replacement. The 2026 Twins have to overcome what I believe is and will be a hard to trust bullpen. They will need to score more runs to overcome that. Being ranked 9th in runs scored is nice but it isn't going to be good enough if the bullpen is giving up 1.5 more runs per 9 innings. The team needs to constantly search for ways to get better and not wait too long for chosen pre-determined players to simply become better. We are approaching 100 AB's for some of our slumpers. It isn't hard to do... it isn't complicated. You utilize all your roster spots... you foster competition and the players will tell you through performance who plays more and who plays less. If you want to roster bench players and hope you don't need them. You better be right about the starters and you better hope they stay healthy. I simply don't see organizations being correct about players enough to be locked into pre-determination to the degree that they are.

I really hope he continues to play well. It would be wonderful for Brooks and his family and it would be not only wonderful for the Twins... It would be critical for the Twins because all eggs are in the Brooks Lee basket. His failure has the potential to set the franchise back. So Yeah... I'm cheering loudly for Brooks.

Just realized that I didn't post Sunday's game. Oops... I thought I had... I hadn't. So to catch up. May 10 - Gavin WIlliams (RH) - Win - 5 Runs Scored Lineup Composition: 4 RH - 3 Switch - 2 LH Season Record vs Right Handed Starters 13-12 Last game Right Handed Starter May 12 - Eury Perez - Win - 3 Runs Scored Lineup Composition: 5 RH - 2 Switch - 2 LH Season Record vs Right Handed Starters 14-12 Season Average Runs Scored vs Right Handed Starters 4.85 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Season Accumulated Stats vs Left Handed Starters Season Record vs Left Handed Starters - 5-11 Season Average runs scored vs Left Handed Starters - 4.44 Note: Last night was the third time that Shelton deployed every right handed hitter he has to take on a right handed pitcher. At just like the other two times... Eury Perez has reverse splits suggesting he is tougher on left handed hitters. I will also note that the Twins have won all three of those games when all 5 right handed hitters were deployed against a right handed hitter. 3-0 with this lineup composition doesn't say or mean anything... it's 3 games and can easily lose the next 3 games. I will say that reverse splits present a choice for the manager. Do you follow the pitchers split or the batters split? Shelton seems to be choosing the pitcher's split.

I don't worry about his public comments. I actually like players who speak honestly and transparently but the public tends to tear those statements apart and that's why we typically get watered down PR statements. In regards to the subject matter of his comments. He should be uncomfortable. He hasn't performed well enough to be comfortable. His 2025 numbers and 2026 numbers thus far are 504 At Bats of not being what we need him to be. That's 504 AB's out of his career 1109 AB's. How much down play should a team absorb? He isn't earning every day playing time but it's quite possible that the Twins front office failed to roster suitable competition and all eggs are in the Royce Lewis basket.

I agree. Will it work out? That remains to be seen but trading 60 to 80 innings a year for 150 to 200 inning a year is a move you make. You trade bullpen for starters when you get the chance. Quality of course being the key. Doesn't always work out but sometimes it does. The Twins acquired Abel, Tait, Mendez, Bradley, Rojas, Rodan and Outmann. It is now up to the Twins to turn these deals into winning deals. If the Twins fail to develop who they acquired... they will lose the deals in the end. We are nowhere near making that determination so this article is a little premature. I do disagree in regards to Stewart and Outman. I was OK with that deal at first but I'm now against it. If this is all Outman is going to be utilized for. This was basically giving Stewart away and I don't think of Stewart as a low value... just move him off the roster deal. You are correct about Stewart's injury history but with the state of our current bullpen. He should be on our injured list. If this is what we are doing with Outman... we should have traded Stewart for a 19 year old that is years from the 40 man. The Dodgers kept him through the off-season. The Dodgers like all teams have a ton of 40 man pressure. It's a tough 40 man to remain on. Stewart could have been booted off the 40 man roster this off-season but the Dodgers booted others off the 40 man instead including Banda. The Dodgers also could have booted Outman off the 40 man roster at any point during the time he was burning up his options. They also didn't... they kept Outman. If he has no value to other clubs... he would sail through the DFA process. I just don't think this was a deal of players that the teams didn't care about. I think both teams saw value and I think other teams saw value as well or they would have been DFA'd already. It's up to the Twins to make this trade a win and I don't believe they will.

I want to know what generation is generating all these fake AI videos that are infecting my social media feeds.

AI generated.

It's always fun to try and predict but what I've learned over the years is that a lot of things have to go the way it is supposed to go and too much stuff doesn't go the way it's supposed to. It wasn't long ago that all of us at Twindaily were trying to lay out the future for Miranda because of the presence of Lewis and Kirilloff.

Whenever I accidentally trip and fall into one of those greatest of all time questions. I always say... I don't know but whoever he is. He's playing right now. Babe Ruth would have never seen a 90 MPH Slider. The game has indeed dialed up.

Brooks Lee is doing just fine. Right now he's helping us win ball games. Or helping us try to win ball games. We are a little over a year in his service time. Who knows what his future is. Is he a 2B, 3B SS or 1B in the future? I don't know but he is top of the depth chart at the SS position with this 2026 squad. The eggs are in his basket. I'm pulling for him.

Last Game Right Handed Starter May 9 - Tanner Bibee - Win - 2 Runs Scored (Yeah I know... 11 innings only Two Hits) Lineup Composition: 3 RH - 3 Switch - 3 LH Record vs Right Handed Starters - 12 - 12 Season Average Run Scored vs RH Starters - 4.92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Season Accumulated Stats vs Left Handed Starters Season Record vs Left Handed Starters - 5-11 Season Average runs scored vs Left Handed Starters - 4.44

Last Game Left Handed Starter May 8 - Parker Messick - Loss - 4 Runs Scored Lineup Composition 5 RH - 3 Switch - 1 LH Season Record vs LH Starter 5 - 11 Season Average Runs Scored vs Left Handed Starters 4.44 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Season Accumulated Stats vs Right Handed Starters Season Record vs Right Handed Starter 11-12 Season Average Runs Scored vs Right Handed Starters 5.04 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: The 26 man roster composition has comprised of 5 right handed hitters, 5 left handed hitters and 3 switch hitters all season. This composition has remained the same through the entire season... When Lewis went on the IL he was replaced by right handed hitting Kriedler. I point this out to point the obvious. With that roster the most we can cram into the right handed batters box is 8. Starting all 5 right handed hitters and 3 switch hitters. 8 is the maximum. Last night was our 16th game against a lefty starter. Shelton has crammed all 8 into the Right Handed Batters box 12 times out of the 16. It's the closest thing we have to a set lineup. We crammed the maximum we can cram into the right handed batters box. That number is 8

I think you are correct as usual. I would have done things different and have said so multiple times... That doesn't matter anymore. They took the path they took. I would have less faith in the front office if they abandoned the path they chose 38 games into the season to all of sudden say... You know that Riverbrian WAS right. We should have traded Joe Ryan in the off-season at his peak value and then immediately changed course. I wouldn't want my front office that wishy washy. Nobody should want their front office that wishy washy. No matter what our opinions are of the current competitive state of our Twins. Technically... We are only 3.5 games out of the AL Central lead and even more importantly... we are only 38 games in with 124 games to go. Injuries are going to change the context many many times throughout the year. Sometimes injuries will improve the team. Multiple Hot Streaks, Cold Streaks and medium streaks are yet to happen for the Twins and the other 29 teams.

Last Game Right Handed Starter May 7 - Jake Irvin - Loss - 5 Runs Scored Lineup Composition 4 RH - 1 Switch - LH Season Record vs RH Starter 11-12 Season Average Runs Scored vs RH Starters 5.04 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Season Accumulated Stats vs LH Starters Season Record vs LH Starters 5-10 Season Average Runs Scored vs Left Handed Starters 4.47

I understand that many of the folks on Twinsdaily are not excited about Tristan Gray on the roster and I understand that many consider him to be bench and would rather not see him in the lineup. I understand that there is pretty much no expectation for Tristan today or in the future especially in consideration of his advanced age of 30. I frequently talk about the need for 26 players who can play. I frequently talk about competition... I frequently talk about pre-determination. Royce Lewis is why. Forget about future expectations. Tristan Gray has been a better baseball player than Royce Lewis. Over 89 PA's for Royce and 64 for Tristan. Will he remain a better baseball player as the season progresses... We will find out. As for right now... Royce sitting for two days... I have no problem with that.