Brandon

This team has used 8 or 9 starting pitchers this year and none of them were bad. We're in it because of that depth. It'll be fun to watch and see who the heroes will be this year.

Similar to the Anderson kick of 98. All season all field goals in playoffs missed chip shot to loose game

Kansas City designated Frasor for assignment and could be an option

Pius Jefferson my thinking as while his offense is shy of Hall of Fame and his defense won him 9 gold gloves which only a few have won that many or more and even fewer have better career totals. so as an all round player he could be good enough as a bat alone no. but if he gets enough counting stats that can compare to some of the borderline cases does he have enough other stuff to get him in? other stuff being the gold gloves, awards, mvp votes, all star games. and what do you think he would need from here to make it in? I think if he gets to 1000 extra base hits and 1525+ RBIS he should be in. but that would put him in comparison with Fred McGriffs total. McGriff didn't get voted in but he did lead the league in HRs a few times and did get 1500 RBIs but did not have 9 gold gloves or the same relationship with the media (voters) Hunter does. And there are many who feel McGriff should be in. I think it will be fun to watch and your points are real good too.

I think most of the improvements for this year will come from the farm. I don't think the Twins should trade a lot of prospects for a run this year though a few couldn't hurt depending on which prospects and who they get. Suppose they trade for a SS or dominant set up guy using Duffey, Eades, or one of our reliever prospects? we have lots of pitching and I don't advocate giving up prospects giving up one or two in an area where we have an embarrassment of a surplus is alright with me.

Looking at Torii Hunters overall numbers he appears to be getting close to the career numbers a lot of Hall of famers have put up in their careers. There is also some distance from where he is now and some of those numbers meaning I think he will hit some but not all of them. So can Torii Hunter put up enough numbers to make the Hall of Fame? How many hits would he need? 3000 is the automatic number and he won't reach that but 2600 to 2800 is a possibility. he is at 2391 right now and could finish the season around 2500. most power hitters have at least 1000 career extra base hits. Torii is at 866 and could be approaching 900 by the end of the season. (I do believe if he hits this number the other metrics will take care of themselves but I have a hard time seeing him much over 950 if he plays all of next year) There are very few non Hall of Famers with more than 1525 RBIs. I think Hunter would have to hit this number regardless to get in. He is at 1349 and is on pace to be over 1390 at the end of the season. another 80-90 RBI season next year would have him around 50 RBI shy so he would need to be able to play 2 seasons beyond this one, with one of them full time and the other at least half time. He has 194 stolen bases and 200 is a nice round number. While I don't think the stolen bases matter that much, 200 is a nice round number that helps make the case of a complete 5 tool player. He has 9 gold gloves so this helps make up some ground for non elite but very good offensive numbers. So would the Twins making the World Series this year and him playing well in the playoffs but we cant account for that yet. He also has made a lot of friends amongst the voters by always being available for interviews. I think it is becoming obvious that Torii will play next year. the question is will he hit enough next year to be able to play one more season beyond that to get the counting stats needed to justify an induction. I think his individual numbers are not compelling enough as he is a career 10-15% above average and none of the numbers Hits, Runs, HR, RBI, stand out, but as a total package including his defense from earlier in his career and intangibles like dealing with the media make his case a fun one to watch as I can see him being on the ballot for close to 10 years before being voted in. I can see Torii finishing somewhere in the neighborhood of these numbers if he plays through the end of next season full time. Hits 2630 - 2650 2Bs 530 - 535 HR 370 -375 XBH 940 -950 RBI 1475 -1490 Runs Scored 1350 - 1360 SB 200 9 gold gloves 5 or 6 time all star 2 silver slugger awards 5 time MVP candidate including a 6th place vote (plus if he gets consideration this year) Does this get him in and if not what if anything would?

I think Varitek was drafted by Seattle and traded for Heathcliff Slocumb wasn't he?

When bonds hit the 46 HR you mentioned that is at the prime of his career. He also passed the eye test and wasn't bulked up. he may have been on something but it didn't have the effect as what he took in his mid 30's.

Bonds was into his mid 30's when he got on the roids. so I think we know what he would have done. I thinkhe should still make the hall of fame. I think he only did them to one up the ones using steroids. his crime is being a jerk more than the steroids.

This is the type of rotation the Twins strive to build for competing. 5 starters who are league average where 1 or 2 can step up with margin of error or injury. also through 180 to 200 innings. The bullpen is where they usually strive for the lower cost better than average production to bring the team era down from average to better than average. but now they are getting better than league average pitching from their rotation hence the winning record.

If you bring up Buxton, Hunter will not loose playing time. He may DH a little more often but Hicks would become the 4th OF with an extra start or so in RF or go back to AAA to play everyday while Buxton is getting the starts in CF.

If Mauer's OBP is .330 or better there is your number 2 hitter he can handle that spot in the lineup. I do think Vargas deserves another chance and the club should have kept him up in Minnesota. They did get the OF situated properly for now so I am not going to quibble out there. They do need to do something with Stauffer though. I can see a trip to AAA for him if not released. Deunsing I can see getting a longer leash through June into July cause he has been here 6 seasons now. I do think Santana should have been moved to the OF. with the way he is going at SS that might be where he needs to be. At the end of the day these are not big issues leaving a declining hitter in a run producers spot, leaving your number 5 hitter n AAA for a month, and keeping a guy as the 8th man in the pen an extra week or 2 for an extra appearance or 2 to show anything will not hurt the team too much provided the extra loss or two these cause the momentum to change to a loosing streak. Right now the offense needs a jolt so something should be done on that front.

Nolasco has been pretty solid the last month so I doubt demoting him is an option.

I think the thought process is more pitchers at this time. we keep both pitchers by sending Tonkin down giving us more options throughout the season. after a month or 2 of more games we wont need as many options and the fat will be trimmed.

If it makes you all happy Worely was sent to the Pirates pen.

I think Torii will be back. if he keeps hitting next season similar to this one his career totals will be approaching Hall of Fame Territory. 1500 RBI, 550 2Bs, 200 SB, 9 gold gloves, 1400 Runs, 370 HR I think those numbers are very borderline for inductees but he also has a great relationships with the voters and could even go one more season part time to pad them up a little bit more. Plus the Twins will likely be better next year so if the Twins do not win the World Series this year they will be competitive and have a chance next.

Does Lee move up to AA in a corresponding move as well?

He had a glitch and as soon as he said they think they figured it out and corrected it the streak began. I don't think he will have a 2. era at the end of the season but I do think he will continue to be a valuable member. you have to like it when we discover a gold nugget like this.

I had them at 82 to 85 wins before the Santana suspension. They have a deeper staff that will allow more wins from the bottom of the rotation which was the Twins biggest weakness last year was 3,4, and 5th starter especially 4 and 5. This year we have 6 ready now not counting Santana and another 1 or 3 starters who cold be deserving of a chance before the end of the season so I am not even concerned if anyone not named Hughes gets hurt. Of course last year I had the Twins as an 80-82 win team and Nolasco as an 12-15 game winner as well as I am very optimistic this time of year.

I agree. If Mauer isn't going to hit over .300 with lots of 2Bs since he wont hit many HRs he may be the odd man out and moved to bench, DH, PH role.

the Twins offered 45 million to the Angels 90 Million guarantee. That is a no brainer. yes 3 year 15 per year vs 18 million for 5 but there was no guarantee Hunter would get much after the 3 years from the Twins. and besides Hunter was looking for a 4 year guarantee back then to guarantee he would play in target field. The Twins didn't bite and Hunter left.

Could the Twins resign Pelfy this offseason if he keeps this up? Interesting debate. If they do Nolasco is gone for sure. Though Nolasco needs to show something soon.

I think a week would be a good time to send Rosario back to the minors too as he may be close to being ready for the show but I think continued success at AAA for a while for him is a good idea.

Plus their rotation is a solid 6 deep. While Millone isn't a great starter by any means he is definitely a capable starter and the odd man out. So while we don't have top end of the rotation we do have a deep one. that counts for something over 162 games. And that's not even counting Santana at this point making us 7 deep before you go to the minors at pull up top prospects....

I am very confident in our front office. I think outside the Stauffer signing we had a flawless offseason though I did want to see us sign Neshek again. I did think Bloyer as a minor league signing was a good idea and he has rattled off 9.33 scoreless innings to bring his ERA down to an acceptable level. I think the injuries derailed minor league development and the suspension hurts the value of the Santana signing. but I do believe we have an 80-85 win team if the offense gets back moving again. Also I think TR was planning on having pitchers rotate in throughout the year and begin to establish themselves both in the rotation and bullpen so that by the end of the season we would have traded for more prospects and developed some young pitchers in the majors much like they did on offense last year. We have soo many prospects that they cant all possibly make our team in the future. so with that it will be pretty hard not to be at least competitive.