tony&rodney

Watching on milb.com yesterday, Lewis looks strong and that double seemed to get to the wall in a hurry. Festa pitches so quickly and simply overpowers batters at times. He is definitely a strong prospect with a bright future if he can harness 3-4 pitches. The Saints missed on a number of chances to score. Helman out with an injury hurts their lineup. Miranda and Garlick are searching for the ball. Always enjoy these reports on the minor league games. Thanks.

Those who have traveled and watched each of the consensus top five and seen many other players as well all suggest that the top five would all be good number one picks in most every other year in the last decade. I haven't personally seen any of these ballplayers, so I will take the word of scouts and the writers. I have seen several games and at bats watching via the internet: LSU, Tennessee, Florida, and a couple of others. The Twins cannot get cute with the #5 pick. They must choose the last of the five left for them. It is a win, win. I'm hoping it is Max Clark. Paul Skenes would be nice but it would be crazy if he was still available at #5. None of the other college pitchers are top ten picks.

The Twins have been putting together teams in hopes of competing for an AL Central crown during the Baldelli years with ownership spending much more money on the rosters in addition to the acquisition and signing of players to improve the team. There have been some disappointments to be sure but the Twins have not been in a rebuilding phase where younger players and prospects are given extended stretches to play. Thus, the young guys need to put their best foot forward and keep their performances at an expected standard that helps the team win games. The signing of Carlos Correa is the most noteworthy example of this trend. The Twins could have used Kyle Farmer as a hold at shortstop until either of Royce Lewis or Brooks Lee was ready to take the position. This makes it difficult for young players and bad luck can also be an impediment. Krilloff has been badly impaired by injuries for a couple of years and we can see the potential right now. Hopefully AK remains healthy in the front of the batting order. Trevor Larnach has also had some health setbacks and slumped lately. He has to make the final adjustments at the MLB level because AAA does not provide the challenge or repetitions that he needs against top off speed pitches. Larnach is in a tough place because he must prove he can recognize and react properly to breaking balls or he will lose at bats to someone else. Matt Wallner faces long odds because he just hunts fastballs. Currently he is working hard to learn at AAA, and he is doing well. Wallner will need to wait for an injury or trade before his name is called again. Similar in some ways to Eddy Julien, Wallner will need to crush AAA pitchers for a lengthy period of time as he waits for an opening. Jose Miranda presents a different scenario than the others. Miranda looked like he could be a fixture on future Twins teams last season. He just needed to work hard on his defense. Jose reported to camp in excellent condition and hit. Then .... the bat went sour and so did the glove. Miranda has not looked good (on milb.com) for the Saints. He may need a mini reset in Ft. Myers to work on his swing. The swing vacillates from at bat to at bat and Jose looks desperate to punish the first pitch. His sequences at the plate are out of sync. Miranda has really good hand eye coordination and can become a high average extra base MLB bat, but he needs to reset his mechanics and develop hitting plans that he adheres to at the plate on a consistent basis. Perhaps Miranda turns it around quickly. We hope so, but baseball is tough.

Turning Nelson Cruz into Joe Ryan stands out. The one curious move, which befuddled me at the time, was giving up on Nick Anderson.

Hard to make any comments on the season, team, or individuals if you haven't been watching the games. For example, I don't watch football at all, so I'm not going to suggest that the Vikings ......

Just my observation from watching the Wichita games on milb.com. Brooks Lee is not ready. He looks smooth at shortstop, so fielding is not a problem. Lee is swinging better versus fastballs. He has had some struggles against breaking balls and pitchers attack him. There isn't any reason to have Lee face MLB pitchers at this point. The guys who look the best at the minor league level are Julien, Larnach, and Helman. A host of others are having good days, but those three stand out.

If the Twins are counting on their pitching staff to keep opponents to a single run or two in every game, it is going to be a very long season. I wasn't in agreement with the pitch selection by Jax and felt that one inning from Alcala was enough, but nothing the bullpen does matters if the offense is good for four hits. I'm expecting some different approaches to at bats, but maybe that makes me insane. I'll expect more offense tomorrow. Relying on four or five pitchers to shut down the opposition is not realistic. I'm not sure who is available to exchange for Alcala from St. Paul. Henriquez was just optioned, Sands and Winder do not look good right now, and Headrick threw five solid innings tonight. That leaves Balazovic.

Yes I know that, but Solano would be taking for Buxton to run. Byron had a huge jump. Situational. It doesn't really mater because the offense was stalled tonight.

Smyly gets by on opposing batters salivating to hit the long ball. We saw big swings, line drives foul, and hacks at high pitches. I am amazed that Smyly gets away those pitches.

Taylor and Buxton running was the right move. Pinch hitting Gallo was not, because Solano will take several pitches. The offense continues to struggle but tomorrow they get another chance. The pitching continues to be good. Gray is having a fine year. Alcala struggles after 20 pitches. I thought Jax could have frozen a few guys with his fastball because they were clearly sitting on the slider. Moran is an enigma from pitch to pitch. No matter the six runs the pitching is not a concern at this time.

"It does not matter, it's in the past." I'm interested to see how Falvey approaches the trade deadline this year. Bold is the way to go even if it hurts sometimes.

The Twins got really lucky drawing the #5 pick. Every team always needs pitching but with four outfielders among the top five expected draft choices, the Twins are going to get an excellent athlete. Having only seen video of the top outfielders, i don't see a bad choice. Most people expect both Crews and Skenes to be gone by the time the Twins pick leaving three outstanding outfielders. My initial thoughts were to choose Max Clark because his swing is short to the ball, he is fast, has a big arm, and is uber competitive. The pick could immediately become the Twins #1 prospect.

Excellent post. Count me as one who simply cannot understand people who find some joy in being mean. There is a saying, "Mean people suck." Why pull yourself down to a base level by booing the player who is currently the face of the team or really anyone for a physical error. Melissa writes a far better argument than me, but fans need to consider whether they are contributing to positive entertainment or attempting to make a strong negative statement of disagreement of a player as a member of the game. The booing at Yankee Stadium always bothered me. There may be a time for booing but it seems like most every athlete is harder on themselves than is necessary already. The piling on by fans at home does nothing to motivate or make one feel better. The booing and harassment of opposing players is simply a mirror of the character of the voice. I wish people would just enjoy the setting, the company of others, and the displays of expertise within competitions.

Mahle out of the picture means the rotation will feature guys we hoped would develop, particularly Ober and Varland. We may see a trade for a pitcher in late July but the pitching has been impressive thus far. Mahle was a stretch as a #3 and us fans hoped he would be healthy and prove himself a decent #3. He is a part of the past now. So it goes.

The Twins took two out of three from the team favored to win the World Series this year. San Diego has a good ball club. It has been fun to watch the starters keep the Twins in nearly every game. I know the bullpen appreciates those six and seven inning outings too, as the relievers have done a really good job too. The Cubs have been playing well and getting good pitching, so another tough series begins tomorrow. I think we will see the Twins break out the bats.

The Twins made a trade for Mahle in hopes he would be a difference both last year and this season. Mahle made his living with a variety of pitches located in the right place. While not strictly a finesse pitcher .Mahle never was a power arm. His return will come with hiccups as he must learn to harness his stuff in a slow process. I wish him luck, but there is no reason to spend more money on that shoulder and elbow. Trades are a part of baseball and if a team never takes those opportunities, the organization is handicapped. We all loved Arraez but right now Pablo Lopez is more than a good return as he heads our rotation. Turn the page and look for the next opportunity for a trade.

Buxton taking some walks is a positive. Byron still needs to have a check system to remind himself to lay off the high fastball. He can hit the pitch fully in the strike zone at the top but is toast on any pitch 2+ inches up out of the zone. In other words, Buck cannot hit the high ones and needs to let them go. I'm appreciating his improved control of at bats thus far this season.

I believe a few players (or more) are pressing and trying too hard. Gallo's throw was a little rushed for no good reason, but he has played a good left field. Correa has been great at shortstop but he over estimated the runner and hurried his multiple bounce throw which took a bad last hop or Kirilloff catches it for the out. Correa was barely out at the plate on the hardest throw from the outfiled this season in MLB. Tatis charged the ball and made a fantastic throw. Oh, Correa would likely have been thrown out at third base if he had hustled out of the box. Still the players should run out every play. We saw Polanco nabbed at second base when he thought he had hit a home run. Polanco really hustled on his last double. The pitching has been excellent overall and the bats will come around again. Imagine the concerns that San Diego fans have about Soto and then see how he has found something the last couple of days. It is a long season.

Gallo is an accomplished outfielder and pretty athletic too. Farmer is a solid defender and makes every play look routine. Kirilloff is the best first baseman in the organization and is smooth around the bag. Larnach is a fair left fielder, Gallo plays a real decent first base, and Miranda has had some issues at third base even if those were overstated on this board. Yes, the defense is better at those three positions, which is good. It was all in play tonight

The pitching has been really good day after day and Pablo Lopez was tremendous tonight against an excellent lineup. I was a little surprised that San Diego chose to walk Correa because Kirilloff has looked locked in at the plate, but it does make sense when you factor in reputation and the way Carlos drove the ball deep earlier in the game. The lack of runs is concerning for both teams right now, but you can see individuals working their way back to their game. Soto looks pretty good despite the average and we see some patience from Buxton. Good win for the Twins and Alex Kirilloff wants to play every day. He looks like he is swinging without any concerns which bodes well for the middle of the Twins lineup.

I understand the article as a discussion point but batting coaches are rarely dismissed during the season. The general frustration from a difficult stretch right now by the batters is part of the game. A look around baseball will inform one that the Twins may be struggling but they are both above .500 and in first place. Most folks picked the Twins to win around 85 games. I guessed a AL Central title based on head to head wins with both Cleveland and Minnesota finishing with 84 victories. Despite some head scratching from the odd at bats, I'm actually thinking the Twins will surpass my initial thinking. Kirilloff won't finish the year with an OBP of .555, but neither will Correa hit .200. I am encouraged by Buxton taking walks. Right now a few players are fighting themselves and trying to force the action. Better at bats are coming and likely a few changes too. Along the way, somewhere down the line, Julien and Lewis should help the offense. The batting coach can detect flaws and make suggestions but only the player goes to the plate. I doubt Popkins advises guys to swing at head high fastballs. Basically, the coach just needs to keep low key and keep positive while offering minimal words in the cage.

The jury is still out on whether Alex Kirilloff will hit like we hope he does in MLB. Thus far this year, he looks really good, taking walks after good at bats and hitting line drives. His glove is good, superior to any other option. If AK hits like we expect he might, then first base is only open 10-20 times per season. Miranda was brutal at first base: not understanding the footwork, struggling with receiving throws, and not knowing where to go when due to inexperience. If Miranda still has a bum shoulder and it affects his hitting and/or fielding, then it is time for an IL stint to get healed.

Agree wholeheartedly.

This was a mantra of mine during this past offseason. The fans will embrace a team that plays with flavor and some personality. The system, if there actually is one, is not in tune with the times. To be fair, there have been a few attempts at moving runners and Michael A. Taylor has a few stolen bases. Correa and some others are in horrible slumps. There isn't any harm in bunting runners over with nobody out. It puts some pressure on the pitcher in a close game to have a runner on third base with one out. I don't think having Arraez would change anything at all. We need every player in the lineup to be a more difficult out. On a positive note, Alex Kirilloff looked decent today. He worked hard: a couple of walks and a line drive.

Correa faces and accepts the criticisms. He is in the lineup and still playing very good defense. No doubt he is in a bad slump right now. We are not seeing much of his opposite field approach. I'm not sure that mentioning his salary is somehow important though. Correa, Gallo, Kepler, Miranda, Vasquez, ... actually the entire team is struggling to hit. The team as a whole is not performing at the plate. There were a few good at bats but this was not sustained; frustrating. Louie Varland pitched well. I was disappointed that Polanco didn't make some contact with the hard hit single that scored a run. It seemed like a less than full effort from a player I mostly feel plays hard. The error by Kirilloff will likely become a hit tomorrow. The throw was not great but Jax had his legs all mixed up and reached awkwardly for the ball and missed the bag as a result. Who knows what got into Vasquez on his terrible throw to second base on a steal and then a pointless attempt to pick off Tatis who was basically next to the bag when the ball glanced off of him. When scoring runs is difficult, the team needs to emphasize contact and moving runners. Bunting will not work with Machado playing third base but the players need to alter their swings to a situation. Finally, lay off the high pitches. Let the umpire call you out but swinging at pitches 4+ inches above the zone is a sure fire recipe for failure. Yogi Berra could hit the high pitch. There is not a single current Twin who can, thus there is zero reason to swing at that pitch. The sun will come up tomorrow.