Riverbrian

Yeah... it's the guy who makes out the lineup card.

Right now in a small sample size of 6 AB's... It's looking like the answer to this question will depend on how many balls are thrown low in the zone.

The Twins gave Grossman a roster spot out of spring training on purpose. They selected him and opted not to upgrade his spot on the roster. Not having options is not a valid excuse. It is the job of the front office to roster options. That in and of itself is an endorsement of Grossman from the organization as a capable replacement for an injury impacted DH who is performing poorly. Placing Morrison on the DL would also allow for a player (who plays a better OF defense than Grossman does) to be called up.

Kelly, I'm with you on this. I also hate it when players are called garbage like they are not human beings. It's a hard game under siege. The best players in the world are trying to get you out and prevent you from having a career. I believe that over my career of posts on TD, many times I have posted verification of this sentiment of mine. I am looking forward to Kohl Stewart today and hopeful that he starts what is a long career because I know what it means to him and his family. I don't blame the front office for signing Morrison. I don't blame him for getting hurt. I don't blame him for trying to play through pain.... But I do blame whoever put him in the lineup every day (I assume Molitor). I recognize the road ahead for him and the probability that his next contract is a minor league deal and I will not do jumping jacks over the end of anyone's career when I know the odds of just making a major league roster. I am however... applauding the temptation of having him in the lineup being removed as a possibility and I am applauding the door that is now open for Tyler Austin. I am also suggesting that while it is admirable to try and play through the pain and completely understandable that he just wants to produce and also understandable that he has his future career to consider and that is important. By playing through the pain, he hurt the club and by the manager allowing him to play through the pain while hurting the club, he also made it harder for a replacement player to carve out a career for himself. His presence in the lineup hurts the club and hurts others who should have replaced him. I am also quietly suggesting the possibility (without evidence) that it was Logan's agent acting on behalf of Logan, in the best interest of his client that may have led to the perfect timing of his surgery. And I am loudly suggesting (with a lot of evidence) that somebody should have been acting in the best interest of the Twins much much earlier if the pain was impacting his performance. My sights are on the guy who makes out the lineup card. So if I hear Molitor say that it impacted his performance this year... That's rope provided for a hanging.

You know me. I don't like the structure of a starting 9. I don't like the structure of players only playing one position. I don't like the structure of a traditional bullpen. No way I'm gonna structure that 5th AB for him... I'm just gonna be happy it's no longer a strike out.

Yeah it does but at the same time doesn't explain the unwavering reward of playing time.

I agree Here is what I don't want to hear from Molitor or Logan or anyone. I don't want to hear anyone say that the pain affected or effected Logan Morrison this year. It's already inexcusable how much playing time he got based on the production. The very second Molitor or Morrison or Falvey or Lavine mentions that the pain may have had something to do with that production. The inexcusableness immediately becomes synergistic in scope because now you have everyday playing time handed to a guy, who not only isn't producing but also playing through pain, which is now used as an excuse for not producing and this takes inexcusable to a whole new level. If anybody utters it... please post it.

You are tossing out the 8.5 from the Russian Judge and the 5.6 from the East German Judge.

4 to 6 months... Yep... that times out to spring training. That's about optimal timing for him... wouldn't you say? All I know is that his hip has been impinged upon. It's going to be surgery and that puts him on the shelf for the season. The other thing I know is that we will no longer be impinged upon.

I'm not the traditional closer role guy so I don't spend a lot of time worrying about who is in the 9th. If I had to choose, I like low WHIP guys in the 9th and Hildenberger used to be that prior to this deep funk he is in so I'm not completely in opposition to this being his role... I'm just more in opposition of the static role itself. Because sometimes you have a 3 run lead in the 9th where it makes sense to give Brandon Workman the ball and sometimes you have a 1 run lead in the 7th where it makes sense to give Craig Kimbrel the ball. Just pitching Kimbrel in the 9th exclusively if it's a 3 run lead or a 1 run lead is just another form of auto-pilot managing that I am a little sick of at the moment. I understand that as long as players are compensated for saves, the players will demand the role and this puts me firmly against the wind but I'm pointing this out to say that I don't care if Hildy is our closer. So with that said and knowing that Molitor doesn't share my thoughts on the subject and knowing that he is going to require a 9th inning guy. The selection of Hildenberger is interesting. Hildy is in a deep funk and Molitor went there anyway. Not surprising... Molitor is pretty consistent, he has his chosen guys and he is going with those guys come hell or high water.

Logan was quoted as saying that he has been fighting with it since spring training. Recovery time needs to be considered.. I don't know what the recovery time is but I'm sure he'd like to be at spring training on time for someone. He will need to be at full strength to prove he belongs in the major leagues again because I think he will have a road back to navigate. He may have a minor league deal on his horizon. This may have been Morrison's agent planning for 2019.

I don't remember his contributions from the last Mets World championship. I remember Bill Buckner helping a little.

Logan going on the DL for some reason makes me think of the scene in Moneyball where Brad Pitt trades Carlos Pena to Detroit so Philip Seymour Hoffman wouldn't play him anymore. I am happy, We got a guy who will produce more than what Logan Morrison produced for 6 million less and someone who has a chance of being on the 2019 roster. Will Tyler Austin produce enough? I don't know but lets find out.

I agree Major League Players have no reason to care about Minor League Acquisitions. Unless they are about to take their job. Jhoan Duran means nothing to him, he has no reason to check the Cedar Rapids box scores. Escobar on the other hand had a locker near by and picked up a few of his grounders over the years.

Tyler Austin MLB Career Strikeout percentage is 39.6% His Season Strikeout percentage is 40.1% His strikeout percentage from last night's game was 40.0% Instead of 2 out of 5... If he could make that 1 out of 4.

Tyler's debut: He got one pitch to hit and boy did he hit it. However... He got one pitch to hit and he swung at the other ones. Dear Tyler, Work on that.

Players often resemble yo-yo's from season to season. Just when you think a guy is toast... he goes nuts the following year. Injuries could explain it but it sure happens a lot. That might be why I love Baseball.

MONDAY Wife: How was work today Honey? Husband: I had a blast. Josh was digging through his desk and found some bottle rockets from like 3 years ago. We went out back and shot them off at lunch. They were so old and unpredictable. Some of them didn't explode and some of them went off immediately after lighting it. I hit a squirrel with one of them. Wife: You did that at work? Husband: Yes... Umm... At lunch. Wife: What were you thinking... Did your boss know? Husband: We told him about it... he was wondering why we were laughing. Wife: Oh that's great. How Stupid can you be? Husband: He didn't care... We are OK... Everyone is OK... Besides the squirrel... he kinda limped off. Wife: You gotta quit being so stupid. Be a professional... Care what people think of you!!! God you are an idiot. TUESDAY Wife: How was work today Honey? Husband: We wrapped up the Brunswick Bowling Ball Account... High Five!!!. I'm getting a nice commission check on that one... Looks like we can afford that trip to Jamaica. Wife: That's fantastic. Husband: Yeah... I worked for a month on that account. I must have had about 15 lunches and meetings with Andrea just to get that one closed. Wife: Who's Andrea? Husband: She the director of Wife: What does she look like? Husband: She's umm... I don't know... She's Wife: Yeah I bet she is. WEDNESDAY Wife: Hi Honey... How was work today. Husband: Fine Wife: Are you reading from a piece of paper. Husband: Yeah... I got this from the new PR guy that I hired to help me with the answers to your questions. Wife: What? Husband: Yeah... I used the money from the commission check and hired a PR guy. You are always getting mad at me. Wife: That money was for Jamaica! Husband: Hold on... He gave me an answer for that one. Hold on... I might have left it in the car. I'll be right back.

Odd Morrison started last night Austin was called up before that Austin became the third 1B/DH guy on the roster at the time of his call up. It's like they knew.

The front office just acquired more players this year at the trade deadline in one season then the Terry Ryan led front office from 2012 to 2016. The totals are not even close and those were seller years as we all remember. I have no idea if the players will pan out or not but we just got more ball players to pour into the filter. This has me encouraged about the front office. Now they just got to work on removing all the clogs out of the filter.

I've heard rumors but no way of knowing. Regardless. Tough. Hit the Ball Let the bat be the form of influence.

His unpredictability became kind of predictable. If Dozier comes back to Target Field with a new contract... I would welcome him back, with the following condition. A different manager managing him. I will not be able to stomach the same riding the three month slump until he stops slumping game plan in 2019. Same goes for Sano and Buxton and Kepler. Morrison I simply don't want back.

Exactly

Bird, You know that I respect you. I think you are very intelligent and you have earned that respect. I also respect Tom, and a large percentage of posters here for the same reasons. But... How perfect do you want your ball players to be? We Most of us want them to be elite baseball players competing against the best baseball players in the world and if they are not we call for their dismissal. But even that isn't good enough. On top of that, they need to be accomplished at interviews, they can't make a mistake answering with no preparation for the upcoming question because the guy with the microphone, just thought to ask it. Nuance will never be possible, when the demand is to be concise and that means words must be chosen carefully, and I mean carefully without hesitation once the interviewer stops asking the question. They are asked their opinions on big picture subjects even though they are not invited into the big picture room, and in a lot of cases they are asked to be flawless in what is a 2nd language, while the majority of them are under the age of 30 and less worldly-wise than you and I. We Most of us demand that they are fierce competitors on the field but immediately composed afterwards. Ervin can't express disappointment, when he probably wants to win worse than Chief wants him to win. And, If you stuck a microphone in Chief's face, I wonder if he would consult his PR handbook first. They can't tweet when they are 15 years old, without some hypocrite dragging it out to set the masses off. They need to give back to the community by starting charities. They have to shake hands and kiss all the babies. We Most of us have all worked with people (perhaps a majority of the people we work with) who don't care about the big picture while they are complaining because someone next to them got a new stapler. That's the real world and I like to imagine that baseball players are also human just like the stapler complainers. All I can do is ask the question. How perfect do you want them to be? And how perfect would you be under the same circumstances. I would fail miserably and I'm a great guy!

I have thought about it quite a bit. I make no such assumptions. I'll be careful next time to type "Others and I" instead of "We" for perfect clarity. Some people just want to watch the world burn. http://twinsdaily.com/topic/30721-does-the-front-office-owe-us-an-explanation/