tony&rodney

chpettit19 - To your first paragraph, I believe someone (Yogi) once said that baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical health.

I almost felt bad for the fielders. I wondered how much the team actually spends on fly ball and ground ball practice. It was an embarrassing display of baseball today. If you watched the game you know this one wasn't on the pitchers.

source?

I don't know how the Twins view Eeles but there are already 20 minor league players who have played in ST games and will never have a season like Eeles had last season at AA/AAA. Meanwhile Eeles has not even been on the roster. of course it is ST and so that alone means nothing. I do wonder that in the last two weeks there hasn't been a single note about him anywhere. I suppose he is just working in the minor league camp.

Not sure how you came up with that conclusion since Julien has received more negative comments than any other Twin since last season. The numbers and eye test comments have been nonstop all offseason. Maybe you were thinking about how the Twins see Julien. I don't know about that.

I do hope that Canterino shows enough to receive a call to MLB this summer. i just don't want him to be put on the team for an experience. Canterino has never pitched at the MLB level. He last pitched at AA in 2022. His experiences are limited. The Twins can keep him on the 40 person next offseason if they believe he has a reasonable chance to contribute in 2026. Michael Tonkin was kept in a similar vein of thinking.

The Twins depend on healthy productive seasons from Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa. Full stop. A host of other players can be important pieces to a successful season and one could even put them in whatever order opinion suggests based on personal preference. Based on Rocco's ST ideas it might be: Wallner, Lewis, Larnach, France, and Castro with some sprinkling of Miranda, Bader, Julien, and whomever. We do know that the Twins are counting on Vazquez and Jeffers to replay their last two seasons. Correa and Buxton drive the team. Everyone else sits several rows back.

Hoping the best for Canterino but it seems he has quite a ways to go before he is ready for MLB bats. It would be a Twins thing to elevate a relief pitcher who is not ready, but down on option, while holding back guys who are more than ready because they still have plenty of options left. I'm for letting him build up this year and gambling he is ready next year if his body is strong and his performance is decent. Canterino has so little experience. However, despite his initial outing we may see Canterino up at 97-100 and maybe he is ready. So I'm keeping an open mind but wanting him to gain some experience, gain strength, show his ability to pitch, and let him work through his repertoire before promoting him out of desperation.

The next person who states that Julien is strong defensively will be the first to do so. Julien has an awkward approach in the field. His fielding, transitions, and throws are too often an adventure. That said, he usually gets the job done. What needs to be fairly stated is that the other options are not any better. I'm going to suggest Julien has better (or equal) range than the others taking ground balls at second. . People are stretching the truth when they put any of the other guys above Julien by more than an unimportant notch. At that point it does come down to who hits. Hopefully the Twins can soon find someone who plays a strong second base and hits as well. I was hopeful that Payton Eeles could at least get a brief trial look but the Twins must have judged his AA/AAA work a mirage. Maybe someone will emerge in a couple of years. Maybe Julien returns to hitting like it is 2023 and April of 2024.

This is mol what I wonder about the plan from the Twins. Consider that there is likely to be quite a haul available if the Twins just decide right now to trade Jenkins, Rodriguez, and Julien. The Twins could fill some needs and free up their left-handed bats from a philosophy engineered to thwart their development. Or is it possible the Twins will shift on a dime suddenly? I do believe Julien can adapt if he manages the bat path consistently and is stronger on decisions regarding pitches to put in play. If Julien can get his own confidence back and really hone in on defeating the prior weaknesses, he becomes a key player for the Twins.

It's what we got.

Payton Eeles is a prisoner.

Counting on Julien and Lee as the keys to a successful season seems like a poor bet, but I too had similar thoughts a little while back. The offseason offered time for several moves, but here we are back with the old gang and I'm leaning on Julien and Lee to hold up enough for our pitchers to win.

No, I don't think Matt Canterino will play a positive role in the bullpen in 2025, but I do believe there is a decent chance that Canterino can be a factor in the 2026 bullpen.

Canterino has nearly gained mythological standards. We hope his health holds but he is strictly a reliever at this point and carefully monitored. His outing the other day had him mostly at 92-93 mph with control issues. Hopefully he comes around. Meanwhile the control artist Andrew Morris was mostly 95-96+ mph. Twins have some guys.

Honestly, I'm just frustrated at the reticence to use rookies and count on a couple of younger players in the plan (if there is indeed a plan). Yes, the Twins will move players through the minor leagues but then they just accumulate at AAA. At this point, for the sake of some of these guys, I wish the Twins would release a few guys (Keisey Jr.) or bundle some prospects for a trade for a Falvdelli type of guy. FO is pleased, prospects get a shot with another team who will play them, everyone is happy. I'll let the brains sort out who for who. But ..... not happening so back to patience. Changes are coming.

Not understanding any fuss about Woods Richardson as a starting pitcher for the Twins. If he hasn't earned anything I'm confused what people are looking for in a pitcher. The comment that Woods Richardson is only a back end of a rotation starter is also a little weird. Did anyone think Simeon was a candidate for the first three spots? Woods Richardson is a good option for the #5 starting pitcher. When Falvey or Baldelli state something as done i actually take their word. Paddack will be in the rotation just like Bundy before him. So speaking to the title of the article, we can expect David Festa and Zebby Matthews to sail into the picture at some point. I might want something different but Falvdelli make the calls.

So, I'm real bullish on the Twins pitching staff at this time. It goes Lopez, Ober, Ryan, Festa, Woods Richardson, Morris, Paddack, C. Lewis, and Raya for now. Folks can quibble plenty over who goes where, but there are some arms that plan on making themselves known. I like to listen to the broadcast of other teams. The Pittsburgh announcers were talking about the depth of their pitching pipeline and they also mentioned that Tampa Bay always has a deep pitching pipeline. The Atlanta talking heads jabbered on about their pitching pipeline. Everyone has mentioned that last year was a brief pause in the Cleveland pitching pipeline which is expected to return with a vengeance this year. And so it goes. Seems like every team has a pitching pipeline except for the Dodgers. They have a vault. Two things can be true. We can love our pitching and still not subscribe to a pitching pipeline ..... because there is no such thing as too much pitching.

If I had to state my #1 concern for the Minnesota Twins, it is the above. My simple question - Do the Twins have people capable of determining who moves when based on their talent? I would not say no or yes because I'm not certain of the answer. It seems like a fair question though.

When I read the story this morning on The Athletic, that was my thought too. That and these kids who go from college to the pros are burnt out by the end of their season. Hard to tell what happened but whatever it was reflected youthful rash ignorance; it happens. You want to see bad baseball, go to a A ball game at the end of the season where one or both teams are very low in the standings. After reading your article, Tom, I wondered if Payton Eeles' statement was frowned on by the Twins. I don't believe what Eeles said was anything outrageous, being just supportive of a former teammate. Hard to read any intention of undermining the Twins with his comment. Very weird however that Eeles, one of the best AAA Saints players from last season, hasn't been listed as an available player yet. I'm assuming injury of some kind though. We did hear that Emmanuel Rodriguez was injured (ankle).

Where did I suggest Luke Keaschall as the starting second baseman? I merely pointed out what statistical evidence supports, the Twins do not use rookies until failure or injury occurs elsewhere. This isn't controversial and applies to many players who are or were once rookies. There are teams who "take a chance" on rookies. The Yankees are a big market team who promoted Anthony Volpe. Volpe is decent but not exactly an All Star. There are many other examples. My point is that Twins fans need to be patient due to the current practices of building a roster. So I'm realistic, can identify the practice, and remain patient. I do wonder if Walker Jenkins might challenge that corporate ideology.

At this point we pretty much must acknowledge that the Twins won't (or at least don't) put a rookie into the lineup until such time as that player has torched minor league pitchers for a predetermined number of at bats and an injury has opened a spot that no one else can claim. We hope for prodigious success at AAA (AA isn't sufficient apparently) and an injury, which feels a little odd as a fan. Patience, patience.

Fine article Jamie, pointing out how Keaschall has taken his strengths and worked to improve. As far as comparisons to others, there are distinct differences between Brooks Lee and Luke Keaschall. They don't really compare along many lines. Lee is stronger defensively and comes as a high (#8) first round draft choice expected to play as a regular due to consistent approach. Keaschall is quite a bit more athletic in speed, quickness, and strength while carrying a rep as needing a position due to less than stellar glove work in college. Twins fans hope both succeed. My bet is on Luke. The Twins have a large number of good coaches across their system. We can be confident that the players within the organization receive solid information and guidelines as they work to improve themselves to a level that is possible. That said, this is pretty much true across baseball. There just aren't secrets held solely by this coach or that organization. The variable is almost always the individual player and how said player receives information and then processes it in a manner that shows in results. Change is really difficult for some people and that is also true with some athletes. In sum, while Luke Keaschall receives solid ideas and feedback aimed at developing him as a baseball player, it is Luke Keaschall who is largely responsible for his success. Any coach recognizes that.

Well, I sure hope something works out because the options are either Miranda hits a ton or the Twins are below mediocre at first base. First base is down the defensive spectrum precisely because arm, level of range, and expected athleticism is less necessary. However, footwork and good hands along with quick decision making is important. Yesterday we saw a play that may be reflective of how the Twins run cutoffs or just a mistake. A base hit to left field with the runner coming home. On the play the third baseman immediately went to a cut position as opposed to the first baseman getting there. It looked intentional. There was no way for the shortstop to beat the runner to third base and get in position to take a throw so the left fielder threw to the plate and both runners moved up. Looks like a gaff by LF but I'm marking that down to the 3B/1B decision. Can't throw to third when no one is there. An experienced good outfielder just lobs it in to second base. The Twins are pretty specific in their designs and choose their players, thus the apparent weakness at first base seems like a natural conclusion. Miranda could save the day by hitting .300.

The increase in facilities has changed youth baseball in major ways in the last 25 years. While kids in warm weather states could play baseball year around, young kids in cold climates were stuck in their house. The average time someone spends outside in the winter as compared to the summer in Minnesota is staggering. If one goes cross-county skiing, snowshoeing, and takse a walk it might consume as much as 4-5 hours on a sunny January day. In the summer I'm rarely outside less than 12 hours a day. The kids are locked in too in winter. There are indoor winter options today but that is still far from playing outside. The facilities and opportunities vary from state to state. In my experience normal Florida schools had no weight rooms or training facilities but their teams played year around. This has a direct effect on foot speed, arm strength, and how one swings a bat. Minnesota schools have specific weight programs for every sport and athletes benefit. However, time outside is limited due to the weather. Some years the high school season in MN is compacted into a single month and two months of decent weather just doesn't happen. A kid like Dasan Hill played a ton of baseball in Texas. His former high school team likely has a game today. It isn't surprising to see a bunch of kids throw hard in warm weather states because they throw all the time. I wouldn't get too worked up over declines or increases in velocity in general because different places use different guns and numbers get hyped. Remember that at one time MLB pitchers could be recorded as throwing 95 at one stadium and at 89 in another. A body like Hill's with a strong arm attached is a gold mine to develop because weight training and nutrition can increase his velocity and strength to allow his body to handle the change. The biggest transition will remain the same as it has for a century. Can Hill master his pitches; command and control. Can't wait to see him this summer.