insagt1

This is what happens when too many stats clutter the landscape. You get some real crazy results, and some just are not congruent. When you go to the games, do you enjoy watching him play...both defensively and at the plate? If so you are happy with what he contributes. If not, you are going to want him gone. Right? Are you excited when he comes to the plate? Are you giddy when the ball is hit in his direction? This is the kind of stuff that the fan who goes to games looks for. He doesn't spend inordinate amount of time talking launch angle, exit speed, WAR, peace, detente, whatever. When I went to games in Montreal and Vlad Sr was up, everything else stopped. You couldn't wait to see him hit. When Buck is healthy (hardly ever happens anymore) didn't you love watching him patrol CF..making all those plays. How does Kepler fit those criteria when watching him play? Is he helping the team win, or has he become a liability? For me then, I would say based on watching the Twins on TV only...I wouldn't cry if Kepler and Pagan were let go. They aren't guys I can't wait to see when I watch the Twins. Hate to say it but Buxton is starting to trend that way and I never ever thought I'd feel that way.

We are enjoying how the robo ump is doing this year in Rochester. During weekday games the robot is energized. A real ump still calls balls and strikes, but each team gets I believe 5 challenges if they think the ump blew it. They then refer to the robot and it tells them what the pitch was. Not positive on how many challenges you get, or what happens when you are wrong too many times. I think you just lose the right to challenge. Anyway it is being used at AAA with the idea that it will eventually be brought up to MLB. So far not too many missed calls.

Some of the oldies threw the ball pretty hard...Nolan Ryan, Bob Feller, Drysdale, Koufax, Pedro M, and of course many others. However lets agree that today all the starters seem to want to throw the ball thru a brick wall. Has that helped the game? Or the athlete? Is it necessary? Do the fans enjoy k after k after k? I'd sure like having starters go 8 and 9 innings again. Sidenote: when I was much younger a guy named Steve Dalkowsky pitched briefly for the Red Wings. Saw him throw a few games. His fastball was about 110 mph and nobody had a clue where it was going. Joe Altobelli was assigned to room with him on the road. He had a BUNCH of stories to tell. The guy was a legend but couldn't control his pitches.

I miss Arraez. Trading a current batting champ and then watching him try to hit .400 down in the anonymity of Miami hurts. The guy we got for him hasn't set the world on fire yet...hope he eventually does. Buxton apparently can't play CF anymore. His body just won't allow it. Worse, his offense is only mediocre at best as DH. He still fans too much and has too many long stretches where he gets zero hits. The bloom has gone off that rose. He is hurt all the time. Every season.

it was disappointing that our pitcher couldn't retire hitters 7 8 and 9 in that spot for sure. I think having watched baseball for over 60 years, that starting pitchers have devolved (or managers are afraid to use them like they used to) The complete game is gone gone gone. If a starter goes 6 innings anymore, thats news. Pitchers can't seem to get guys out anymore unless they are throwing 100 mph. No wonder you don't see relievers being able to pitch as much. The whole pitching dynamic has changed. I watched the O's 4 starters each win 20 games one season. They pitched a ton of innings. Bullpens weren't stressed as much when a starter completed 20-25 games. You rarely heard of a reliever being 'not available' to pitch in any game. Some pitchers (like hitters) thrive in high pressure situations. (I know the metrics folks will argue thats not true but I always use the eye test..works for me) Pagan just seems to 'find' spots where he doesn't succeed. Yesterday he really failed. When you blow a 6-1 lead people notice. Overall the Twins have battled incredible amounts of injuries this season. They really are nothing more than a .500 team and the Central Division hasn't caught up yet. But they will. And too many of the 'regulars' who do play are having poor seasons so far. When healthy, guys like Buxton, Correa, Gallo etc have to be better. Its a long season and so far Twins have gotten away with mediocrity. Chew on this one: the Brewers just got swept by the A's...who were 12-50 coming in. Think they will be mad as hornets taking on the Twins? Pagan aside, Twins have a lot of other issues to deal with. For me, the big one is trying to keep players off the IL. Then the 'k' problem, which is huge. Then what to do with Buxton, who is becoming just a less than stellar liability due to his fragile body. If the guys are still in 1st by the ASG, I'll be happy.

Baseball 101,,game on the line two outs in 9th tying run at 3rd...you just cannot get called out on strikes on a close pitch. You have to be prepared to swing. thats the lousiest way to end a game and Twins are striking out far too much. I wonder when Gallo comes back what they plan to do with him. He is Sano's clone. HR or k..with mostly k. At least Sano did hit over .200 most the time. Gallo has been below the Mendoza Line in several seasons. I can't see him helping the team like this.

honest--as soon as I heard Pagan was coming in I immediately switched this game from W to L. His track record as a Twin is just horrifying overall. Bad loss. Real bad loss.

Pagan is useless. He was useless last year and he is useless again this year. Why the Twins still see value in this guy is way beyond me. A simply miserable performance.

Think Twins are missing Arraez right about now? The guy is flirting with .400. Anyone surprised at this? So far the guy they got for him isn't exactly lighting the league on fire. May be too soon to evaluate, but its always a big risk trading away a batting champion for someone who can only go out there every 5th day and for, in todays world, maybe 5 or 6 innings. I'm sure Twins were hoping someone would replace Arraez's bat, but that hasn't happened. Still a long ways to go and the AL Central is a dumpster fire, but watching these guys now is painful.

no one is performing to potential anymore. No one is hitting, even a little. So many are or have been injured. Are Twins now learning what the Mets and Giants feared about Correa? He has been terrible. Buxton has gone from a 5 tool superstar to a liability. The man tries, but he just can't avoid injuries. DH experiment has failed and as soon as you put him CF, he will break, sprain, twist something and that will be that, guaranteed. If we wanted a guy who will hit a few monster HR's and strike out 200 times, we could have kept Sano...Gallo is that guy. Really kind of useless. No point in going thru the whole roster. Its wash, rinse, repeat. I'm amazed they are playing .500 ball at the moment. But over the past week it has been butt ugly watching them flail away accomplishing nothing. They have big problems.

Baseball is indeed broken beyond repair. These outrageously long contracts are just plain ridiculous. But the rich keep doing them. I think Correa played the Twins..trying to look good while leaving town. I think he honestly had zero intent on staying in Minnesota no matter how much money they threw at him. If he is indeed injured in some way then twins dodged what could have been a mess like the Os deal with Chris Davis. Based on the scene of MLB the Mets are the logical landing spot given that he pretty much held all the cards. We weren't ever going to sign him.

Maybe all these contracts are smoke and mirrors. 13 years is totally ridiculous unrealistic and any other descriptor. Try trading this guy in 6 or 7 years when he can't produce anymore with all those payments still due..allegedly. guess teams don't care anymore. Sports contracts are way out of line and cost to attend events also way beyond reasonable. Do we learn anything from all this? Nah. These things never change. It's usually the exception when the big fish lands in the small pond. Guess what we'll never know is whether Carlos/Boras simply played the Twins from the get-go. Time to move along

Cave is now the Orioles problem. He will end up in Norfolk as an emergency callup probably. They must have seen some value because the O's are on the upswing

I wish he would stay but clearly there are too many other teams with big bucks that will fatten his wallet. Twins can't compete so he's gone. Next.

If the Twins wanted him that badly, the deal would have been done by now. That he has now opted out means, he isn't coming back, despite everyone 'saying all the right things publicly'. As for the now too cliche-ridden statement about having to take care of family...yeah, its not a good look. How many millions and millions are needed to achieve that in the real world? I would be happier if these guys would just be honest and say...I'm chasing the biggest contract any owner (fool) is willing to pay for my services.

As an O's fan along with the Twins, I was mildly amused at their claiming of Jake Cave. I suspect he was merely a depth signing for Norfolk. Jake was an honest warrior, who played hard despite minimum major league skills. Defensively he was actually pretty decent, but as a hitter, he just couldn't measure up. Enjoyed watching him play briefly in Rochester. He had no future in Minnesota and only played there this season at all due to the incredible number of injuries that really gutted the team. I wish him well. Doubtful he will ever play in Baltimore.

Twins won't be a major player in Correa's search for the big contract. They don't want to spend the money. Lewis may or may not be the replacement. Hope he can come back healthy.

Luis gets his hit and comes out....the AL batting champ for 2022. A tiny silver lining to the lousy season. He finishes .316 and Judge can't catch him now even if he entered the game in the middle innings, which won't happen.Maybe they will give him a cameo pinch hitting chance. Well, Carlos has stated pretty clearly, he will follow the money. If the Twins want him back, they will have to sign him to an extension. Do they want him back? I think they do. Lewis still has a ways to go to get healthy. Can the Twins continue to place their hopes and dreams on so many players that have missed so many games? They've already got Buxton and Kirilloff...and a stable full of pitchers in various stages of hurt. So make him an offer. A decent one, not an overbloated one.

The bunt: some managers always hated it...Earl Weaver for one. However he also had a lineup that had no problems producing runs. Twins OTOH, blow chance after chance because they can't even deliver a 'productive out'. A good bunt, as has been already stated, changes the entire strategy. It turns a routine single into a run scoring chance with another single. It eliminates the GIDP,It also throws the 'd' off. It is a way to beat the shift (that will go away next season) It can also get a slumping lineup out of a rut. Its a great tool, when used properly. Imagine for a moment--Buxton leading off with a single. He gets bunted over to 2nd...he steals 3rd and scores on a sac fly. One hit, two productive outs. Nobody k's or hits into a bang-bang DP. When you're down by 4, its a different situation, but when you need 1 run and you just haven't been able to get one, try a different strategy. It actually works.

Pretty brutal. Watching these guys play lately is like watching the Nats. You just want to close your eyes and hold your nose and put Dead Skunk In The Middle of the Road on the turntable

I'm not (ever) a fan of the overuse of analytics. Its not baseball. Its video gaming. I wish starters could go longer. I wish that when Twins struggle to score runs, they WOULD try something different, like stealing a base, laying one down, or going the other way when half the field has no one defending. I wish Buxton would steal bases again. He may be the fastest player in the AL. (problem is he is so fragile that may never happen again, but it should) Twins were fundamentally un-sound most the season. How much of this was on the manager, and how much was on all the injuries. One thing for sure, the 'talent' on the field in September was hardly major league calibre. And the true major leaguers didn't get the job done. (maybe Correa did) I agree with many of the posters who said there probably isn't anything wrong with Rocco that winning wouldn't fix. It was a real tough year. And the way its finishing is simply awful.

This game as well as the end of the Twins season has been one huge embarrassment. Anyone can disagree but the lack of anything worthwhile in the past couple weeks has been aggravating. the team is totally dead. Hard to believe that on Labor Day these guys were still in serious contention. Then it all fell apart in a big way. Arraez toughs out one hit and currently leads Judge by 5 points. I think his batting title is safe. Judge may not play tomorrow and even if he does, thats a lot to make up in one game. So premature congrats to Arraez....maybe the one thing Twins fans can be proud of in this forgettable season. I'm sure they will find all kinds of positives, but right now I'm really in no mood for them.

Good analysis! My take would simply be...what went wrong? Everything. (and I doubt Sano would have made any difference at all)

I liked the illustration of Ted Williams in 1941. If ever there was a need for co-MVP's it was 1941. Two guys performing feats that will never be repeated. Joe D won the award because 1)he was a Yankee and 2) Williams had a terrible relationship with the press. It will always be debated which 'feat' was harder or more pressure packed. Arraez has sat out the last 2 games, but he needs to play all 3 of the Twins final games. Go out and WIN the title; don't sit back and hope someone else loses it. This has been such a sorry season for the Twins overall, they need something positive to look forward to in these final 3 games.

Another lousy series loss to a basement team. Team is lifeless (eye test...can't crawl into their heads before people complain about this) Twins couldn't even muster enough juice to beat a bad team again. Judge went hitless yesterday, which almost assures Arraez the title, barring a couple of huge games from Judge in Texas, and Arraez either not playing anymore, or going hitless. Its his title to lose. Based on Twins-2022...I wouldn't be betting he gets it done...but I hope he does. A small victory in a useless season. So Correa has pretty much taken his stand. He'll stay if the Twins pay him. So, should they? Prediction: Twins will either get swept by the Sox, or they might possibly win 1 game...and no one will care. I don't know that playing Jeffers is accomplishing anything worthwhile.