insagt1

Garver is inexplicably unable to get untracked. Sano is a total mess...striking out at a very dangerously high rate....again. but overall, Twins offense is not clicking, at all. Especially after about the 4th inning, lately. Its not scientific, but for some reason many 'closers' don't do well in non-close situations. With Rogers, historically, you know right away when he's on and when he isn't. The Pirate loss and last night, Rogers was 'off' almost from the get-go. Oh well, long season....oh, wait..... Any reason to think Armegeddon is near? If the season ended today, the Orioles would be in the playoffs!! The Orioles....wow.

Even with the season starting in late July, Buxton still can't stay healthy. This I fear is his legacy. The guy just can't stay in or even get in the lineup. How much longer will they stick with him?

Fascinating discussion and many points well taken and thought out from both player and owner perspective. And if these were able to be taken in a bubble,I might even be able to muster sympathy or empathy for either side. But at the end of the day, for me, they are still merely millionaires and billionaires squabbling over how to cut the million and billion pie, while most of this country are trying to figure out how to divide their unemployment check, their stimulus check or keep their failing businesses afloat in order to pay their monthly bills and feed their families. Even MLB players making the 'mnimum' will make more than most Americans these days....if the games are played. I wonder what sacrifices the guy who signed the contract for $20Mil per year and now is being asked to live on a paltry $8Mil....for one season is going to survive? How many fewer BMW's will he have to live with...will that extra vacation home on the Riviera have to be scrapped? And the owners? Somehow they'll get by. If it turns out they just can't figure it out and no baseball is played...too bad. Given how many people will never see anything close to what they all haul in...even in the worst of times, this couldn't be a worse time to be airing this tired old crappy laundry. I don't think there is anything more pathetic than millionaires crying over how much money they aren't going to get. This rant is not meant to belittle any of the posts. Taken in context the arguments make sense. But in the real world of 2020, it just isn't going to garner much sympathy from the majority of the people who would still have to pay big money to watch these guys all get richer, while players and owners and greedy agents pee and moan about how unfair the other side is. We really don't need this right now.

I miss baseball like crazy. But I don't see any option being viable at the moment. I do think if they can play, at least a tlittle, I agree with the exhibition idea. Time to experiment all the rule changes they have kicked around and see how it plays out. Put a guy at 2nd to lead off an extra inning. They did it in AAA last year and it greatly shortened extra inning games...by a TON. I hated it because its not baseball...but if that was the goal...it worked...dammit. Try the 'clock'. Pitch clock and batter in the box clock. Violations get automatic ball or strike. had that too in AAA...and there were very few violations. Everyone got used to it quickly. Use the relief pitcher must face at least 3 batters except obviously when its not valid. Reduce time to change pitchers...give them only 4 to warm up. Why do they need 8? Reduce time between innings. Give pitchers 3 shots at picking off a runner. That would make them use those shots more meaningful. have some fun with this stuff and see what sticks. The games shouldn't count...in standings or statistically. Its a lost season. Playing before no fans just isn't sports. But I don't see how fans could possibly attend this year, barring some kind of miracle cure. The whole thing stinks...but lets not make a mockery out of the game by thinking that there is a scenario that would validate a 'true season'. thursday was to be the REd Wings home opener. I haven't missed an opener either in person or on radio since 1958. Its all very sad. But these are very tough times.

Precisely. There is no way to know just how good the Twins could be if Buxton could actually play a full season. He is so injury prone you walk on eggshells everytime he chases a fly ball. But....if he was to stay healthy.....would be a lot of fun to watch.

had a nice chat with Rochester Red Wings owner on the way back from Orlando Sunday. She said because of the great depth and success at A and AA levels last year, she believes the Wings are going to be very strong this season. Twins talent overall in the organization appears to be very strong. We are all excited to get the season going. (I'm betting that sports stores are going to have trouble moving Astros gear this year.)

hope springs eternal for those of us in Rochester, who are still waiting for that elusive championship that has passed us by since 1997. New manager Toby Gardenhire looks to give us a bit of a youthful burst of energy and enthusiasm that was totally missing during the past two years with Skinner. (not a favorite) the organization last year was very deep at the A and AA levels. Some of that talent should be ready for AAA this year, along with hopefully a few veterans to show them the way.

I love the confidence. Thats half the battle! If these guys expect to win, they'll make it happen. My only sadness is the taint on this entire season so far. The Astros cheating scandal has cast a real pall on things. Never used to feel this way, but I'm beginning to think unless their 2017 championship is revoked, nothing is going to heal or get fixed. If the punishment is that severe, maybe it will be a deterrent. Right now, its still a mess and the Astros will be a target in every city. Thats just not good for the game. Clearly not enough has been done to make it all go away. The Olympics take away medals. MLB I believe has to take stronger measures. Harsh? Well, they cheated. So maybe not. Did others? Maybe, but they didn't win the WS. They must be held accountable so this won't fester and ruin the season. My thoughts.

here in Rochester we welcome Toby Gardenhire as our 45th manager of the Red Wings. Toby played here several years ago and even coached under Mike Quade for half a season. Glad to have him aboard. He will be a welcome replacement for cardboard cutout Joel Skinner, who left no footprint on the team or the city. The entire coaching staff has been replaced and honestly, I don't recognize a single name. But I embrace the changes. Toby is 37...and will bring lots of energy to the Wings. (While we all hold out hope that someday Tommy Watkins manages us...we are happy for him in Minnesota...he was, and is wildly popular in Rochester)

Detroit signs both Cron and Schoop. Can't say I'm too impressed with the Twins offseason activities. They have been very quiet, while other teams in the division seem to try to be improving. Wonder what they have up their sleeve.

great post...totally agree. MLB, the owners , the agents....all of them have become uber-greedy and eventually it will all come home to roost.

As anyone knows, losing your favorite team hurts a lot. There is never 'another next year'. Loria was part of a seditious 3 headed monster...Loria, Selig and then Expos owner Claude Brochu. Brochu was given finances to help keep the team afloat and he pocketed them. Loria came to Montreal with the intention of moving them (a true snake) and Selig did his level best to discourage Montreal from ever remaining in MLB. He had his sights set on DC for a long time. When he allowed the 1994 season to go down the drain, it actually suited his purposes greatly. The team played in a horrible stadium (we all call it The Big Owe) and the hard surface nearly ruined many careers. The Canadian dollar was failing badly in the years leading to Expos demise. Soon Loria had no English radio or TV and the fans soured, not on baseball, but on the way things were run. Crowds got very small. Some forget how good they were in the early years and up to 1994. Attending games there was a complete riot. There hasn't been another team that played its final game that drew such a huge crowd as the Expos did, to say goodbye. The place was packed. It was very sad. What really stinks is Loria goes down to Florida and gets a WC for the Marlins...and wins a WS. There is no justice! Yes, it was awful. I hope MOntreal gets a new stadium and a new team again. It could happen. It would be good for baseball.

I guess if his thumb is healed, I have no issues with keeping him for one more season. Rooker is not ready for prime time yet. I wouldn't totally sell Wade or Astudillo short just yet. they both have very good plate discipline...something any lineup would love to have in abundance. Wade is young and learning. And he can run. Turtle is great insurance as a utility guy. He is not a throwaway. My opinion...Cave is the throwaway. I think Twins will give Sano one more full year at 3rd base and hope he's healthy.

excellent article...and timely. This is one of most boneheaded ideas to come down the pike. With the cost of going to a MLB game getting out of reach for many average wage earners, and at a time when baseball is in a bit of decline in popularity....eliminating the opportunity for fans all across the nation to watch pro ball at reasonable prices on a nice summer evening is just about as selfish, selfless, and downright ignorant an idea as they can conjure up. It had better fail. As was stated, the minors.,,.all levels,..are the pipeline. Imposing more rules about how the stadiums must look, and all the other crap they are saying deserves to give MLB one huge black eye. Also, as one who was a charter member of the Montreal Expos fanclub (I lived in MTL when the team formed and followed it religiously until its doom) the 1994 strike actually hurt the Expos more than the Twins. Mtl had the best record by a lot, when Butt Selig and his band of accomplices didn't have the guts to save the season. Losing their 1st legitimate shot at a WS...the team's finances went poof the following year and within a few seasons, the fans, disgusted with being told every year they were going to be moved, coupled with the selling off of all their talent..just said 'we quit'. Most baseball people I hang with are convinced baseball would still be in Montreal if not for 1994. There is a lot more to the story...too much to relate here...except to say, the info that tricked down to folks in the States was not an accurate picture of what was really going on in Quebec in those days (having lived there I can say this with assurance)

I have thick skin, and also years of perception. Sometimes you just know when you are being brushed off. And I also have to wonder (as many do) whether accepting the 'changing game' is really such a good thing? Its a question, not a value judgment. Some changes are good and some maybe not IMO. I believe the reliance on too many 'stats' takes a lot of fun out of the 'game' itself. I also think baseball is losing fans by the week because the game has slowed to a crawl and doesn't fit the 'modern metric'. In AAA we have found the pitch clock to be extremely valuable..as well as the rules on cutting down on time between innings and for pitcher changes. Making a reliever face at least 3 hitters will eliminate what I have always felt was over-managing. The number of times bringing in pitcher (wasting a pitcher) to face one hitter doesn't work enough to make it palatable. The pitch clock also greatly eliminates the totally unnecessary stepping out of the box after every pitch. Anyone here remember the time when a batter stepped into the box...and STAYED THERE Remember when a pitcher actually wanted a CG?. The emergence of batting gloves was a major culprit. And the 'closer' mentality killed CG's. An AAA game is now being played in 2:30 to 2:45 on average. Thats doable. None of these changes ruin the essence of the game itself. OK and to be fair, perhaps you could explain to me what some of the 4-letter + stats actually mean!! Thank you!!

For Sano to be a league MVP he will have to hit for a better average. His 'k' ratio projected over an entire season if healthy is too high...even in his second half, he had a few stretches where he would 'k' almost every AB. For me, I'd love to see 40HR's, 115 RBI, and OBP over .300 and and a BA of at least .240. That would be fine with me. Like Buxton, 2020 will be a pivotal year.

I think the general consensus here is that we are all pulling for him to be all he can be, because that will only make the Twins better as a team, I used to say in defense of the sluggers who hit .200 with a ton of HR's and k's...its not how many hits you get but its when you get them. If Sano k's his first 4 times up, but slams a game winner in the 9th in his 5th AB...and does this enough, it's hard to really complain. Some hitters just seem to be able to rise to occasion. Many say statistically, there is no such thing as a 'clutch hitter' over 600 AB's...yet your eyes will tell you that some guys just thrive on the pressure of the situation while others fail miserably. Example from 'my day': Warren Cromartie of the Expos was usually very close to being a .300 hitter....yet when Expos needed a hit, he would hit into DP's. It was the 'softest' .300 in the business. His bat turned to sawdust with men on base. I'm sure you all can think of other examples. Last year Sano got a lot of big hits in among his k's. He fell apart in the playoffs, but he wasn't alone there.

I will stick my neck out as an oldtimer and ask what the heck do all those new 'stats' mean? I don't like that baseball has been reduced to all these metrics which make everything so mechanical. I can't remember the last time I attended a game where someone hit a big HR and the fans all got giddy and buzzed...wow, what launch angle...what exit velocity. Its a new world.... I also think voicing this on this site will make me very unpopular, but its an opinion and I have noticed that newcomers comments here are not embraced with much friendliness. Thats too bad too. As for Sano--he still needs to cut down on the k's. No question he did get several very big hits during the season and he was a much improved hitter. Still a work in progress. Is he ultimately going to be a 1Bman? Probably.

was kind of surprised Boone was runner up instead of Cash.

Telis has been re-signed and he had an excellent season in Rochester. He should be given a decent look in ST. If not, I would welcome him back to AAA with open arms.

So to be fair, I did a bit more reading up on how San Diego and Machado himself viewed his season. And actually Padres were a teeny touch better this year than last. Still, like Baltimore's slight improvement..thats irrelevant. Manny hated his season. One beat writer did his best to spin it all positively, while admitting it wasn't Manny's best season. I don't blame him for that...Padres are spending $300 mil. Another assessment was he wasn't great but its only one year so they expect better. Also the team's farm is strong and they expect to contend in 2020. Guess we'll be watching!

what exactly don't you get? Machado got a contract the Padres will never fully benefit from. Their signings I 'm pretty sure were not to basically have a rebuilding 2019 season. Machado has talent, but he didn't contribute much. Remains to be seen how he does in the future.

first para, very true. Padres overspent by a TON for a couple of FA's last year and instead of improving, they actually got worse. They will live to regret giving Machado such a ridiculous contract. After the ASG, he totally lost interest and the results bear this out.

Rendon has said he would like to play near home, in Texas. He might even end up in Houston..which would be something wouldn't it? I doubt Twins would be on his list unless they overpaid to the max...which won't happen. Twins won't get Cole either...unless their whole economic protocol changes drastically. But I think everyone agrees, they need some arms. First.

too many stats. Way too many. Is this baseball or a doctors clinic? OK--old school. I don't need exit velocity, launch angle, E=MCsquared and eLMNOP+ or whatever to enjoy watching the game. Clearly others absolutely are in love with all this new stuff. To each his own. I won;t judge. The Rosario thing is a rerun of the Tony Batista flap in the Expos final year. Batista led the team in HR's and RBI and got murdered for it because of where he batted in the lineup. The argument was he failed more than nearly everyone. 'anyone could have driven in those runs if they had batted cleanup' it was trumpeted. Problem with that is 'could have'. Who knows whether they 'could have' taken advantage of the opportunities when put in that situation? We'll never know. Once you remove the 'human factor' from the game and rely solely on all those statistics, you strip the game of its enjoyment and intrigue. Rosario has always been a loose canon. Is he still valuable to the Twins? Comparing his value to Jake Cave is foolish, Cave just isn't very good. What he is, is cheap, agreed. But is cheap going to help the Twins get additional help, to compensate for Cave's poor production and 'd'? Guess we'd have to see. Cave tore up the IL this season, but did not carry that forward to the Twins. He is very replaceable. Eddie can be very aggravating. In much the same way as Puig can be. Twins have to determine how much his contribution to the team outweighs the aggravation. Many players have more value to their present teams than they do in trade value. Rosario may be one of those.