Riverbrian

Nice bases clearing double today. Article timed out well for a response from Margot. @Matthew Taylor If you don't mind... write more articles like this about our players because you may have produced 3 runs for us with your keyboard. For more bang for the buck... Focus on the starters! If you don't mind. I'd appreciate a similar article aimed at Joe Ryan posted tomorrow morning before he takes the mound against the Jays. You may have the reverse jinx skills to make everyone forget about the power of the sausage.

1. Do we have to sign free agents or trade from other organizations to fill out our pitching staff? If not... you have yourself a real nice pipeline. 2. If So... If we need to acquire pitching from outside the organization... How much does the degree of outside help needed compare to other organizations. 3. Trades are not just outside help... they can work both ways. Gray was certainly not a pipeliner but it took someone in the pipeline in Chase Petty to acquire him. Maeda wasn't a pipeline production but Brusdar was. I look at the arms starting to come out of the system and it looks like we got some flow in the pipe.

I wasn't a fan of trading for Margot. I wasn't a fan of how the Polanco money was distributed in general. However... I don't believe that Margot will end up with a .464 OPS. His numbers are going to come up. It might take a while but he will have a stretch or two

They were in between two bodies of water.

I know... That is a tough call for any manager... and... and... on top of that... Who could possibly predict that the AB in the ninth would be more desperate or important than that AB in the 5th. Hindsight is 20/20.

I apologize to everyone for being a broken record on this but I think it's important for everyone to understand how the Twins set up the roster and why Margot would have been someone they went after. We came out of spring training healthy. The roster was clearly set with the balance necessary to platoon 3 spots. In order to platoon 3 spots... it requires 6 players and three of those players have to be designated short side players. With two catchers... That leaves 5 players who will not be platooned. 5 Players not Platooned Correa Buxton Lewis Kepler Santana (or Castro) Some Claim Santana was brought in for short side... if that's the case... Castro is the 5th guy. I personally don't think Castro was the planned 5th non-platoon player. 3 Platoon players - Long Side Julien Kirilloff Wallner 3 Platoon players - Short Side Farmer Margot Castro (or Santana) Catchers Jeffers Vazquez This roster looks pretty until the injuries happen. It all makes sense providing nobody ever gets hurt. Once the injuries happen... those short siders have to hit right handers. Injury's always happen. They wouldn't be short siders if they could hit right handers. Margot RH - 36 AB's LH - 28 AB's Farmer RH - 41 AB's LH - 23 AB's Castro RH - 93 AB's LH - 25 AB's And just in case Santana was brought in to be a short side dude... I don't think he was. Santana RH - 88 AB's LH - 28 AB's This is the first year that the Twins have gone ALL IN with this Right/Left thing. They used to just have an odd Garlick type guy hanging around. They over committed to it and now guys who don't hit right handers very well... will have to face them and it isn't even nightmare level. If we lose two left handed long side platoon guys at the same time... that's the nightmare scenerio. I don't think it was good strategy.

Agreed but here is the problem. Wasting a roster spot on a player whose problem is fixable by not playing them is a waste of a roster spot. Buxton and Lewis are on the Disabled List... Correa and Kepler have spent time on the disabled list. More will be hitting the disabled list in the future. I don't expect Margot to remain at these miserable levels all year... I expect him to be better but still not good enough when he does. As for limiting to him to left handed pitchers so the camera catches his better side when taking that photo. He currently has 36 AB's vs Right Handers and 28 vs Left Handers. That predictably ain't working so good.

Play to the Whistle. That goes to both Max Kepler and Ty France.

Like I said... I'm good with Castro. Castro can play premium defensive positions like SS and CF and that alone justifies his roster spot... His defense isn't lost on me along with he is fast and he is youngish and therefore a decent candidate for improvement. With the understanding... while I'm good with Castro. Below average is replaceable. Below average is not where you stop and say... we got our guy... once they get that inevitable full time playing time due to inevitable injury... those positive splits that give them a roster spot are no longer a positive. I don't want to think this way. Rocco and the front office leave me no choice but to think this way. It's how they operate.

And I'll ad that his speed is plus on a team that overall isn't plus speed. With the rule changes... speed has becomes a bigger factor than recent years past. And I'll also ad that he is young and therefore has the potential to get better against Right Handed Pitchers as opposed to Santana, Margot and Farmer. I like Castro... He's a good baseball player. He's welcome on the team but the reality of his splits needs to be pointed out when you have a manager/front office that utilizes splits to it's fullest capacity. Teams face right handers at a 3 out of 4 ratio.

Castro has done a nice job for us. I'm glad he's on the roster. I certainly don't want to diminish his accomplishments this season. I'm happy he is on the roster. However, Lets look at his numbers in regards to how Rocco runs his roster which we should all know by now is heavily influenced by the left/right split. Thus Far in 2024 (Small Sample Size Alert): VS RH Pitchers: 93 AB's - .204 AVG .612 OPS VS LH Pitchers: 25 AB's - .408 AVG . 1,279 OPS 78% of his AB's have been against Right Handed Pitchers. Career (Large Sample Size Alert): VS RH Pitchers: 1053 AB's - .238 AVG .688 OPS VS LH Pitchers: 430 AB's - .277 AVG .724 OPS 71% of his career AB's have been against Right Handed Pitchers. He is below league average against Right Handers but is deployed every day against them due to necessity caused by injury. Again... He's done a nice job for us in his every day role with the club but he has been below league average against Right Handers thus far this year and throughout his career. This is the price you pay when you commit roster spots to short side platoon specialists. Injuries are always going to change everything. We spent 3 roster spots on the short side to the tune of 13.35 Million Dollars in 2024. Injuries happen and they become the guys who have to face right handers and they struggle at doing that. Our injuries thus far this year have been to Right Handed hitters... when left handed hitters get hurt and they will... the situation becomes worse. Again... I don't have a problem with Castro on the roster. I'm a fan but the reality needs to be pointed out.

I wasn't able to watch the game so I'm hesitant to comment based on my reviewing of box scores. The only thing that I can assume was that Duran was warmed up. Rocco might have gotten him up to rescue Jax. It's nice to have multiple relievers who can be called on to pitch the ninth and it's nice to have the opportunity to deploy your biggest gun in other innings... not just the ninth.

I think it's very important to pay attention to who typed what. If you don't... that's how you end up with the impression of some sort of collective opinion amongst a bunch of individual opinions.

Makes sense but I assume there has to be a breach of contract first. Assumptions that I can only make without knowing when the payments are due.

Diamond Sports Group is having this issue with 12 different teams to varying degrees of Comcast percentages of households. What happens with the advertising contracts? They all have a different value now and decrease in value the longer this drags out. When the Twins go to the mail box looking for the check... It can't be good news but I don't know how this Bankruptcy stuff works. Hopefully someone can shed some light.

They need total control of their product if they want to expand the reach and increase the number of consumers of their product.

They signed a one year deal with a media company/regional sports network that COULDN'T GAURENTEE REGIONAL coverage because of an expiring deal with the largest cable television provider in that limited REGION... also a company under bankruptcy proceedings using an outdated delivery system that demands exclusivity to restrict access.

Post All-Star Break in 2023. He was statistically one of the best players in baseball.

If he continues at this pace in 2024. He'd would be in pretty rare company. I would expect a QO if an extension can't be reached. I can't really comment on Kepler though. I would have cut him last June.

One of the top hitting catchers in baseball. Am I over rating him or under rating him?

Willi Castro has started 18 straight games.

The 7 snobbiest cities in Minnesota got into my news feed. I didn’t click on it. The 10 best pizza joints in Minnesota got into my news feed. I didnt read it. I read this article from Cody Christie and by clicking on it. I probably doomed my algorithm.

I don't know... So I will ask. How much does the bankruptcy proceedings influence the negotiation between Comcast and Diamond? On the surface... you'd think that Comcast held the cards because this has to be a huge revenue hit for Diamond but, with the shadow of bankruptcy hanging over them... isn't there a possibility that the Twins will not see a penny of this thing? In a nutshell.. Considering everything and the games to be played. Forget about the Twins and Comcast for a moment... What does Diamond want to accomplish here.