tony&rodney

Catch 22

We won't know for a couple of years how this pick goes. A couple of points that might make sense. Hitting .365 versus his competition in SoCal is like a .500 or better average in the Midwest. Weather affects bat speed, pitchers, basically everything. It is easy to think of Dave Winfield, but you will remember that Winfield was a full grown man who went right from the College World Series to being the starting right fielder for the San Diego Padres and never looked back on his way to a Hall of Fame career. Still, a guy with size, speed, and skills sounds exciting and I thought of that too.

The games are played to compete towards a World Series victory. Only one team wins it all. If a team gets in the playoffs, anything can happen. That includes setting records for consecutive losses. A Twins fan should welcome another playoff game despite past frustrations. If you watch/listen to the Twins games as a Twins fan you are hoping they do well, I hope. Bring on the playoffs.

Aside from Koufax, who suffered enormous pain and received numerous regular cortisone injections which would never be the practice today, I can't think of any pitcher retiring in their prime. The money is generational and Sonny Gray will be a free agent for the first time in his career. Gray will draw a ton of interest this offseason and there may be quite a bit of interest from teams right now just as a rental.

The post asks which outfielder (singular) goes, so in deference to defense and base running it is Gallo who goes.

Gray was likely reflecting on the grind of being a baseball player, always on the road with his family growing up without him. Salesmen and construction workers, among many other professions, also can be gone from home for periods of time. When you are newly married or have young children it can be difficult. I made a career change around 30 for that reason and never regretted missing out on the hit financially. Sonny Gray has a young family. Professional athletes at the highest level are incredibly driven. I read that article as just a comment on the struggles of being a baseball player. I would put money on Gray playing next year. He is quite likely to get a three year deal in the offseason (pure guess - 3/$60M). Only an injury will change the outcome. Gray has been a good pitcher.

Slim to no chance that the Twins have even inquired about either Goldy or Arenado. The Cardinals are not going to trade for any bats, which means any possible discussion starts with Ober or Ryan and others (Raya, Balazovic, etc.).

There may be some uncertainty or discomfort between the Pohlads and Falvine/Baldelli. I have no idea about this and we do know that the Pohlads are generally quite supportive and hands off with the management they put in place. I'm not expecting any changes, yet the lack of excitement toward the Twins is reflected in attendance to some degree. A large shift, such as selling off expiring contracts and veterans, seems quite unlikely given the large investment made for this season. The opposite is also unlikely. I do not expect a big trade to acquire a significant player. The Twins should be in contact with clubs and exchanging ideas frequently this month. We just don't know what Gray or Maeda could return. Some team may get crazy and offer some excellent prospects, in which case the Twins should act. For several years I have wanted the Twins to incorporate all strategies possible in their game. The big inning and swing out of your shoes approach simply doesn't work without a juiced ball and also leaves fans nodding off to sleep. There has been some small changes this season. The series with Atlanta should have been a lesson for the Twins, watching another team cut down on their swing with two strikes, go the other way, run the bases, etc. Bunting doesn't need to be used often but it can work and even be effective in the first inning. A double play ground ball that scores a run is always preferable to not scoring while swinging for the fences. Subtle changes need to occur. Lastly, it may be unfortunate but a couple of demotions are in order. That may be a hitting coach, which seems pretty crappy or trades/DFA of a veteran player. On the whole, Gallo has not been worth a roster spot. Kepler needs to play some centerfield or get moved. Falvey needs to make one move at least. A repeat of the first half won't please many people.

Jenkins was one of the top five, all judged to be the best prospects since Gerrit Cole and Harper. No draft pick in baseball is a guarantee, but this is the Twins best shot at a superstar since Buxton was drafted in 2012. Walker Jenkins is the most significant pick this front office has made. I'm satisfied that the Twins went with the scouting reports and did not get cute. We will need to wait for the results.

There any number of directions to go with Keuchel and the comments have pretty much already covered them all. Can he hit? That was a telling statement since it is the offense which has been offensive this season. Keuchel might return something worthwhile in a trade. Teams are looking for pitching all the time. Does he work as a the needed long relief pitcher? I'm not sure he fits in that role, but he might. The comments cover the options. The games coming out of the break will bring an answer. The Twins have 16 games before the trade deadline (Oakland, Seattle, White Sox, Royals). Ten games are on the road. I'm guessing that a .500 record means that Sonny Gray and/or Kenta Maeda are traded and possibly others as well, which opens a spot for Keuchel. If the Twins go 12-4, then Keuchel only gets an opportunity for the long relief job unless there is an injury or trade. The six person starting staff just weakens the team. The starting pitchers have been outstanding but the pitches per outing are under control and only Gray has faced multiple games of stressed innings (too many guys on base), and he has come through mostly in great shape. I'm still very optimistic about the pitching, including Louie Varland and Balazovic. The offense remains the problem. The stretch from now until July 31 will determine what role Keuchel plays for the Minnesota Twins.

On the surface this is a damning statement which seemingly ignores the long hours of work put in by the players to be major league baseball athletes. My usual reaction is to think that fans are way too quick to criticize their team or individual players, especially in baseball where a long season brings series of low points for any team and player. However, .... This Twins team has had some lengthy lulls that fairly point to a "lack of professional at bats". Look for the number of hacktastic swings that ignore all situational aspects in hopes of hitting a home run. Look for how often a player swings at the first pitch after a pitcher has thrown something like 6-9 consecutive balls or there is a runner on base who might look to steal. Look for a player getting lost because an umpire made a poor call on the first pitch. Look for a ball middle away fully in the strike zone that a batter attempts to pull. Look at the number of swings at pitches more than 8 inches out of the strike zone. The Twins have had stretches of games where good at bats still resulted in outs and games that ended with a loss, yet there have been way too many stretches where individuals have gone to the batter's box aimlessly, which is actually somewhat unfair to say or type. The simple fact is that the Twins need to have a much more disciplined approach at the plate, one that is aware of the aspects of the game (pitcher, count, weather, defense, inning, score, runners, etc.). The Twins could also vary their strategies. If a batter leads off with a double in the first half of a low scoring (less than 4 runs) game, move that runner over. Fans should not expect a team to suddenly never strike out, but the pace of strike outs is indicative of an approach. Earlier in the season (May), the Giants were right with the Twins in strike outs and they have made very modest improvements which have resulted in an improved record. We saw the Braves cut down on their swing with two strikes all up and down the lineup and often on the first pitch when given a pitch to drive the other way with runners on base. I'm not privy to what effect the hitting coaches have on at bats, so can not call for a change in dugout management. Falvey, however, should be able to recognize at this point that there needs to be at least a couple of player personal moves. It is his job. More of the same will not bring a positive result. Beginning in Oakland and sustained throughout the remainder of the schedule, the Twins needs to be continually focus on game situations and the offense will need to have consistent professional at bats.

This.

A utility infielder at #5 saves money, but we have heard for some time that the top five are the best prospects since Harper and Cole. Only time will tell.

I'm still for Clark or surely one of the top five, but Arjun Nimmala is more interesting than Teel, Dollander, or Gonzalez.

If Clark is the last of the top five available, The Twins should run to the podium to announce their selection - The Minnesota Twins choose Max Clark.

This is exactly correct. I see no similarity between the swings of Gallo and Rodriguez. They are different players who share high strike out rates. Gallo has had some success at the MLB level, but E-Rod has a long way to go. I like his chances though right now. All minor league players must learn how to play professional baseball. The separation between amateur and pro ball is huge, and the adjustment to playing every day is very challenging.

Agree with the previous post that Emmanuel has much to offer but needs time to develop as a player. I have watched quite a few of his at bats (milb.com) this year and he has shown an ability to adapt. One possible weakness may be his desire to go yard with runners on base, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. He takes some long swings at times. I'm hoping he can learn when to just drive the ball with contact versus his occasional attempts to hit it over 400 feet. The future is still really bright for him and he will benefit from the ABS umpires too because he seems to have an excellent eye at the plate.

Why would anyone ever compare anything Joey Gallo does to Harmon Killebrew? Harmon retired as the all time American League leader in home runs for a right handed batter. Yes, he struck out quite a bit but his rate was significantly lower and he hit in the middle of the order for a reason. HK had 77 SF in his career. Gallo? Three (3). Gallo has worked hard for the Twins this year, but he is what he is, a one dimensional player. Please think before making comparisons between players.

Pitching is really fun when one can just enjoy the competition and make good decisions about your pitch choices. When doubt and indecision take away the enjoyment, the commitment to any pitch declines. The edge is a fine line. A pitcher needs total command and control to find success. Dallas knows what good outings feel like and could contribute to the Twins. For now it has to be fun for him to be pitching for the Saints, especially with the way that the St. Paul team is banging the baseballs around the yard in support of their pitchers.

I see Gallo as a player who is straining and working very hard to contribute as a Twins. He works the counts, dives for fly balls, and hustles on the bases. The effort by Gallo thus far has been laudable. I also don't believe the Twins are best served with Gallo in the lineup on a regular basis. His defense and base running may be due to an injury, and his bat has a big hole in it. Still Joey has worked hard and I appreciate his efforts.

Lowder is a strong prospect with a bright future. The Twins should be ecstatic if they get any of Drews, Skenes, Langford, or Clark. Passing on these guys would be an unwise choice. I'm hoping for Max Clark.

In the moment all of the roster moves, except Gallo, made sense in an effort to improve the team through depth. Hindsight would open a whole set of other moves that could of/ would of/ should of .... The additions still look reasonable, although it remains surprising that the Twins splashed for Correa. Plenty of baseball is yet to be played this season and further moves of players may happen in the next month. It is difficult to remember a time when the Twins has such good pitching but the bats will hopefully bloom in these last three months.

Stats are all relative. Anyone can find some data to support whatever argument. If you played baseball for a long time and watched a pile of games across decades, you have seen the various trends move and if you are still following in a the next decade you will see additional numbers become the rage. Folks can argue the current set of data and players are better all day and then hear the same from more voices down the road. Despite Manfred making his best attempts to uck the game, baseball remains a relatively timeless game of adjustments between pitcher and batter and the data is just peripheral.

Much more accurate than the stat currently in use. I used similar data points decades ago to measure the quality of an at bat. The goal is to square the ball up, hit into fair territory. The severe upper cut is quite dependent on the pitcher throwing the ball to the path of the swing as opposed to the batter meeting the ball where it is pitched. The best hitters remove the element of luck as much as possible. BTW, Byron took several flatter cuts yesterday, putting the ball in play. I have no idea if that was purposeful or accidental or coincidental.

This is actually true. Life is like that: connections, where one event can influence or precipitate another event. Opportunity is always right in front of us and the correct or lucky choice creates fortune while the decision which seems so smart craters all too quickly. Accidents happen. The second guessing and interminable rehashing of why (coulda, woulda shoulda) only creates a sour taste. The Twins can still turn the corner.