tony&rodney

Top 20 is still pretty high and supposes some good outcomes. The back half of top 100 lists see a fair amount of deviation in results but the top guys usually have serious talent.

The loss of Gimenez may hurt at second base and the starting rotation seems to have questions. However, there is a fair amount of talent on the roster. The younger players could take major steps forward this season, even with DeLauter out for 12+ weeks. While it may be difficult to project any of the AL Central teams, Cleveland nearly always plays fundamental baseball and despite the thoughts from some folks that these don't amount to much it makes sense to me that Cleveland is the favorite to win the division in some quarters.

Jhoan Duran is a really good valuable late inning relief pitcher. Really believed that Duran could have been packaged with one or two others to bring back a noteworthy player. Apparently I was wrong.

I guess I have to know how many times you have seen either Walker Jenkins or Emmanuel Rodriguez play. What specifically did you SEE across a minimum of 2 dozen games that makes you "lower" on those two? I'm curious. Naturally I have my own thoughts on players too but I want to know what you have seen.

The entire line about a lack of financial commitment/ spending is confusing to me. A large number of comments have included versions of this in their thoughts. Who was going to be added the last two years? A large chorus of people called for the Twins to sign Jordan Montgomery and Rhys Hoskins for the 2024 team. What were the targets this past winter? From my couch it seems like the Twins front office put together exactly the roster they desired for this coming season. It may not have been what I desired but Falvey gets what Falvey wants. The Twins added Coulombe, Bader, France, and Gasper. They also decided to hold Paddack, Castro, Vazquez, and the rest. Next week we shall see how the team begins their campaign and how the Twins plan unfolds. That is about our only choice. Go Twins.

Personally, I had poor luck when I attended Twins games last season. It wasn't the wins and losses. It was the slow plodding on the bases mixed in with outfielders missing the cutoff man, throwing the ball to the wrong base, and heaving throws to the backstop when the opposing runner just cruised across home plate. The infielders were pretty good on balls hit directly at them but struggled going in directions. When October arrived, I was aware that several Twins had seen their value drop due to less than stellar results, but it seemed like the front office would be proactive in the trade market. I was prepared for a roster budget of $100-120 million and believed anything higher than that would be bonus cash. The payroll limit was a total nonissue for me. Looking around the league it felt there were opportunities for some change, specifically to upgrade the defensive talent and roster players who could run a little bit. Turns out that wasn't the plan. I was wrong - dead wrong. As a Twins fan this is a time to reset and recover. It is time to swallow whatever hopes loomed during the offseason and accept the present roster, to cough up some optimism for the campaign ahead. I'm hoping Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton have their best years yet and hoping that some other players emerge as complimentary pieces to support them. I'm hopeful the Twins pitchers stay healthy and productive and focus on what they can do and not to worry about those events out of their control, like the issues of other's gloves. I'm hopeful the Twins uncover playing time for a couple of young talented players and win the division. The Twins are going to win the World Series.

No comparison between these two guys. Castino was Lewis-like athletic with a lithe body. He hit triples, could run, and his defense was on a different level than Lee. Castino did have to retire due to back issues and had to have his spine fused. Castino moved on to a regular life outside of baseball. The extent of Lee's back problems have not entered the serious zone yet.

Sure seems like a pile of guys all qualified to be a DH. Brooks Lee does ok at shortstop, he has always projected at third base, but is a little short on range for second base. Willi Castro is pretty much strictly a utility player. He has played often this March and his swing looks weak. The gloves are a problem and that was before Lewis went down. The Twins are going to play the guys who hit. That's the way they roll. My stress is low about who plays where because I cannot see a difference and neither can the Twins. If they could, the decisions would have already been stated.

Softball.

Feels like more than a thumbs up is needed to your response. I agree with you wholeheartedly and I didn't necessarily need all of the supportive data to place Brad Radke as among the all time great Twins pitchers. In fairness I have followed and examined WAR from the start. I'm not sure what people missed or why Radke did not get the respect he deserved. He got (gets) it from me. I appreciate you putting the numbers forth to shine the light on Brad Radke.

Starting pitchers work forward on their pitch counts beginning at an inning or around 20 pitches. The progression then goes more or less forward by 15-20 pitches. Pablo Lopez indicated in an interview during the game that he was working on a couple of things and wanted to push past the scheduled pitch mark. Lopez is an experienced pitcher and Baldelli will pull him at points where he is off and ineffective during the season but the pitch count this week simply reflects what Lopez was working towards. I wouldn't say this is too unusual or noteworthy. Skenes was up to 85 pitches yesterday in his last start before Opening Day as well.

John Castino comes to mind when players with talent are injured and forced out of baseball. Castino was ROY, but out of baseball at 29 years of age due to debilitating back injuries. Royce Lewis hasn't yet accumulated a season of games at the MLB level but he was knighted a cornerstone and key player by media and fans due to his draft position and promise. We watched Lewis flash his bat on a few precious occasions and it seems those highlights will carry him until he either learns the game and performs or injuries thwart the hope. We can only hope that Lewis somehow escapes further injury but his troubles highlight the incredible difficulty of playing professional sports.

Whatever MLB decides it seems like Manfred will want to control it and the decision might not be in the best interest of the game. FWIW, I don't like the challenge system because there is the likelihood, perhaps slim, of an umpire being wrong numerous times before the challenges run out which could result in an unhappy umpire making a crappy call late in the game. My choice is ABS all the time or let the umpires call it and financially reward the best umpires while holding those umpires with low grades feet to the fire (confidential reprimands, required workshop training, or even demotion).

Sure hope Matt Canterino has successful surgery and a full recovery. He receives a ton of love for a guy who has pitched so little and only at the lower levels. That is the deal with a dynamic arm though. I'm not sure his body likes throwing a baseball, although he clearly loves the game based on going through the lengthy rehabs. Good luck to the young man.

People could keep track on an Excel or Word doc of all the injuries to salve their curiosity about the frequency and type of injuries that occur this year. Once upon a time I was at a tournament and saw the most athletic player tear his hamstring running down the first base line. It totally ripped and rolled up the back of his leg. Gross. Also, across the years more than a few players succumbed to plantar fasciitis. I'm not sure days off help either. It seems rather pointless to pick a type of player that gets injured often too. Marcus Semien has basically played every day except for 1 year since he signed and he is a quick twitch athlete. Paul Molitor was called injury prone because an entire trove of serious injuries stole a couple of years from his career, yet he played over 2600 games with over 10,000 at bats. I'm hoping both Buxton and Correa stay in the lineup a ton this year because they are the guys who need to lead this team. If players get injured, another guy gets an opportunity. I'm not going to blame the condition of anyone or the trainers or coaches. S**t happens.

Not at all. Huge difference in personnel from last year to now. You are correct that winning is not as big a focus, even at AAA. I'm a big fan of milb.com and didn't watch as many AAA as AA and A+.

Gasper can play all 9 positions about equally as well. The Twins will keep him if they believe he will make a big difference with his bat.

The changes surprised me. I watched a couple of his outings and it was obvious that he was working on new pitches and a new start from the stretch and not necessarily worried about getting outs or making a team. David must have had numerous conversations with coaches, other players, and advisors about his repertoire after last season. Remember, Festa was excellent after his first two outings last year. Apparently the decision made involved a new approach (no windup) at the start and adding pitches. Unsurprisingly, these changes take some time and the hope is that refinement and command boosts him to a top to mid rotation pitcher. The Twins made a decision that Chris Paddack was entrenched in their rotation just as Lopez, Ryan, and Ober. Perhaps Festa knew that decision last October and sought a means to stick out at some point this season. Hopefully the changes make him a better pitcher and more equipped to successfully navigate through MLB lineups 3-4 times by July. Festa, Matthews, and Morris all seem capable of success at the MLB level and more experience refining command and pitches can only help them. Is it possible that the Saints games will be more entertaining than the Twins this summer?

I'm just teasing those who get all wound up about Julien. He is what he is and he had one good swing and two crappy swings thus far. Julien doesn't bother me at all.

Willi Castro looking a little rough at the plate. I'm hoping he is used as a utility player this season. Castro would love to have a regular position, but he really fits as a utility player.

Shock alert - Julien turns DP and makes routine play behind second base to end innings two and three.

Will Jac Caglianone jump all the way to Kansas City? The Royals do lack depth and their outfield remains weak. However, Kansas City has a good infield led by a top 5 MLB star and Salvy showing the way how to play the game. I'm not going to underestimate KC.

There are counseling services available online if there aren't any offices/clinics in your area.

Interesting to see people believe in Gasper. There are a ton of guesses or thoughts on injuries. Max effort and playing year around may be culprits. Although there may be isolated incidents here and there, misuse of arms by coaches would be exceedingly rare at the high school level. I'm not aware of any. In fact, going back three decades i can say coaches did not use their main arms more than scheduled, even in the state tournament. Years ago, I pulled a pitcher who had a perfect game because he had reached his pre-designated pitch count. He knew he was done, didn't complain, and is still a big arm for a town ball team decades later. Some people get hurt. Fans overthink the injuries and have a sense that toughness is a factor. That is simply not a thing. Hopefully, we see fewer injuries this year but history suggests stuff will happen.

I'm hoping Miranda is the DH, although Jose is a better first baseman than Ty France. However, France looks like Baldelli's dream. Because Brooks Lee is slow he fits better at third base. Julien has the worst glove and his throws are always a mystery but he does have the best, still not good, range of the choices at second base. Of course, people have serious PTSD reading the name "Julien". The apoplectic responses do not change the reality. We can be certain of one thing though. What Falvey and Baldelli come up with is often a total surprise that elicits a huh. We get to watch.