tony&rodney

I'm a big fan of Nick Gordon, but he is the type of player who can be packaged with a couple of other guys to gain someone needed for the team. I would not release him even though he deserves to get a chance with another team.

My preference is for speed and athleticism when we compare relatively similarly skilled batters. I really think Miranda is going to be an excellent gap hitter who hits for a high average but if Steer is quite similar with better speed and defense, then it is an easy call. Let's find a way to entice Oakland into giving us Frankie Montas for a few talented blocked players. There seems to be a bit of a logjam coming to the 40 person roster.

Well, this will make you crazy .... Twins coulda signed Miguel Cabrera and drafted Mike Trout, etc. An IPA is a better choice.

Celestino?

Martin looks like he could be a really good hitter if he just stuck to slashing line drives for base hits instead of taking huge hacks in an attempt to add power to his game. Once on base he creates a little chaos which is an unused/seldom used portion of the MLB game. It is interesting to see that Witt from KC has speed that he uses as part of his game. Keep Martin away from shortstop because he is not comfortable there and lacks the tools to fill the position. I think he could be like Arraez as a major league player and there is value in high OBP bats.

Canterino looks really good on milb.com, but there is likely some deeper analysis from the Twins staff concerning whether he is ready or not for MLB bats. I think he would be best served as an opener which is mol the role for him thus far this season. One thing to consider is that Canterino has been hurt a few times by shoddy defense causing his pitch count to run higher in an inning than it ordinarily would, and the Twins put solid defenders behind their pitchers this year. I would like to see how he presents with the Twins as a 45-60 pitch reliever. He is old enough to move up.

Computers crash all the time and F*** up regularly. Joe Mauer? Easy HOF pick, no sweat.

Even when Duffey goes multiple outings without giving up a run he looks very uncomfortable to me. Duffey seems like the relief pitching twin of Jack Cave. They both seem like decent guys, they play hard, have some talent, but are doomed. Pitchers always seemed comfortable pitching to Cave and hitters seem very comfy versus Duffey.

"Today, MLB's Baseball Savant released a "Pitch Tempo Leaderboard", which measures the median time between pitches (release to release thrown to the same batter)." - When I watch minor league games (milb.com) the clock starts when the pitcher receives the ball back from the catcher and the clock stops when the pitcher enters their motion. This is based on those games where the clock is visible from the televised angle. I also noticed an umpire shake their head from side to side ( no ) when a pitcher asked for a new ball. I think there may be some discrepancies between how the clocks work in actual game action as well as a few additional other mitigating factors to account for the added time recorded. I'm not sure how this would affect the data and I'm not sure how the data is collected by MLB, except to read what was written in the quote from the article (info from Baseball Savant). I have used a stopwatch on a few hundred occasions this year to time pitchers from getting the ball in their glove to the beginning of the pitching motion. Most pitchers are quite prompt but there some complete outliers that routinely come in at 25-40 seconds (MLB only). I remain in favor of encouraging (allowing) the umpires to use the rules in the book to push the players forward toward getting in the batter's box (only a few really) and pitching the ball in a timely manner. Enforcement is bound to cause a few arguments and ejections initially but could become normal quite quickly. Of course, enforcement has NOT been the practice in MLB and I believe that is dictated from above. Perhaps we can all hope that Manfred wakes up this morning, issues an edict to the umpires that they must follow the rules, and also announces an end to the ghost runner Manfredball (arguably the worst practice ever put into play in MLB history). He could make this effective immediately.

Maybe one could add the use of pinch hitters in certain spots and the infrequent, but handy, use of sacrifice bunts. It seems like the Twins have been more open to situational thinking ( a mere observation). Finally, it also seems like the team defense is much improved, particularly at shortstop and in left field. Of course, Buxton playing this year boosts the team in CF. Yes, adding Correa was huge and the use of Arraez at first base gets him into the lineup and frees up DH for Sanchez. Giving innings to the young pitchers has also worked but that was the plan all along seemingly. I am not sure that Pagan is a better fit than Rogers. Rogers and Alcala were slated to be a pretty decent option for the late innings and in Spring Training it became clear that Duran was ready. Pagan has been fine though. My own opinion is that the Twins would look more solid with Rogers but your point of shifting closers is still valid and the team is pointed in the right direction. The All Star Game is always the time to check how a schedule and team has progressed because every team will have played enough different opponents to judge their strengths and weaknesses. So far, so good for the Twins.

Frankie Montas would look good in a Twins uniform. Otherwise, maybe Ian Kennedy or maybe not. No objection to Lopez but perhaps Canterino and a a couple of others like Moran or Minaya work well at various points this season. Alex Kirilloff and Royce Lewis can certainly return with positive results.

A big part of those in favor of the trade with San Diego focused on the future 2-5 years down the road and some were having positive thoughts about next year. The old argument of assets, etc. Some (transparency includes me) argued that Rogers held more value right now and as a trade chip should the Twins crash towards 100 losses in 2022. An expiring contract doesn't need to mean the end but many people felt Rogers was done as a Twin after this year. This has been covered repeatedly on other posts. The Twins gambled ... so it goes. Now Pagan has become the $11 million man and the PTBNL (Pena) gets an asterisk as the potential future savior of this trade. Life goes on. No worries.

The Twins have pretty much bet on their younger players. We can reasonably hope that LF is in good hands with Larnach, Celestino, and Gordon; 1B should be ok with Kirilloff, Arraez, and others filling in; 3B could be improved when Royce Lewis returns and plays their regularly; and it is still possible to pick up Frankie Montas to head the rotation. In any event, the Twins and their fans are in for a summer of experimentation until there is some clarity at the All Star break.

The players know the score. Buxton got the treatment too. Lewis needs to take care of himself first at all times, which also includes continuing to prove his worth as a baseball player.

The AL Central continues to be weak. Next year there is going to be a balanced schedule .... supposedly (one cannot predict Manfred and the dysfunctional MLB). It sure seems like the Twins should try to win some games while their younger players gain some experience. The moves made (or not made) by this front office are confusing. I'm a baseball fan and a Twins fan (since 1961) and that is not likely to change. One can look back and see many examples where playing for five years from now doesn't turn out so hot. I don't see Royce Lewis ever being as good as a Greg Gagne at shortstop but he is pretty good and can improve. There are other players who could push him off the position that we have not seen yet. No player is guaranteed a spot unless they play at an unbelievably high level. Correa has already pushed Lewis off of shortstop and he may (or may not) stay. I just wish the Twins would field a team with the best players in their system. Talent usually takes care of itself. Jorge Polanco is one example of a player just thrust onto the team quite early. He is the Twins most consistent performer currently.

Are many making a major assumption that Royce Lewis will be a shortstop for the next decade? He may be or perhaps he fits elsewhere. Let him play and show where he belongs in the game.

Lewis is not going to St. Paul if he is still hitting. If Lewis begins to struggle like Miranda then he will be sent down when Correa returns. Lewis is athletic enough to fit at either 3B or LF. There is always playing time for an athletic bat whose glove plays and whose feet are swift. He maintains a stroke, he stays with the Twins. Correa is a far superior shortstop and will play most games when healthy.

This is a sound provocative article. At first glance I thought this was a RandStuBall article until I noticed Nick Nelson as the writer. The post did successfully get a wide response. I had my own too. I have always liked Rocco. He stays calm, seems to mesh well with everyone, and avoids controversy. I also think he is still gaining experience. Although I'm not entertaining any conversation on the matter, I would not place his baseball acumen near the skills of Paul Molitor, a guy who really was disliked by many on Twins Daily and also won a Manager of the Year Award. The Twins have supported Baldelli pretty completely and they have spent more to acquire players than in the past. There have been clear differences in managing from ten years ago and there will be clear changes ten years from now. Rocco likely excels best in an area we have no knowledge about - the clubhouse. That is a mere hunch on my part due to the low key nature Baldelli seems to project and his age. I agree with a few of the examples from last night's game. Lifting Archer was the correct move. Archer looked pretty gassed. Using Cano for two innings was an example of learning after he was sent out for a third inning last time out clearly having lost his command and stuff. The bunt was a good example too. I'm not sure why everyone doesn't see the value of bunting in 2022 with so many low scoring games. Bunting doesn't make much sense when your team is going to hit 250-300 home runs, but this year scoring is way down so far and there are going to be occasions to bunt. Gordon needed to get Lewis to third with a grounder to the right side, a fly ball to right field, or a base hit the first time, but Lewis was still in scoring position at second base. There may be a time to bunt Lewis to third later in the game. The call for a bunt Gordon's next time up was right on. Lastly, I'm fully on board with the care taken with Buxton. There was some significant unknowns last week before the Twins explained the actual benefits and conditions of Buxton's knee and hip issues. It really helps that Gordon and Celestino are playing good baseball. Managers can pull all of the right strings but the players have to make the plays. It was nice to see Tyler Duffey finish out the game last night. He seems to really struggle though and from my view from the television, Duffey is running on fumes most of the time. I need to see him pitch in person to get a better idea what his ball is doing.

Royce Lewis will determine whether he plays MLB or gets sent down when Correa returns from the IL. If he hits line drives, takes some walks, and limits the strikeouts, he will stay in the lineup. Lewis is too athletic to sit. Correa is a vastly superior shortstop. Lewis has done just fine but he will also adjust easily to third base. He has prior experience there and is pretty quick. Urshela has done a fair job at 3B and he fits in a platoon with Arraez at 1B. A number of players can also rotate through the DH position. DH doesn't need to be a catcher. Whoever is hot fits. LF becomes a little tricky, depending on how Trevor Larnach returns from the IL. Celestino has shown steady improvement and proven that he can adapt to better pitching. While I much prefer superior defense in the field, there are going to be times when the Twins roll with a hitter with less range in LF and at 1B. The Twins can live with Larnach in LF and Arraez at 1B as long as they can hit and consistently provide good at bats. I echo the comment by Wabene - Polanco just plays and plays and plays; he is the rock of the team.

What Lewis can do in Oakland will go a long way toward deciding the roster. Line drives > pop ups or lazy fly balls to the outfield. If Royce can stay disciplined and make consistent hard contact through the trips to Oakland and Kansas City, he should still be in the lineup for the next home stand.

Jax looks good. He needs more work. With his slider, good command (most of the time) and emerging fastball, I think Jax should be among the top 3-4 pitchers called upon. Last night he gets the double play but then sits for a very long time before coming back out and he had also not pitched in a week. What the Twins need to find out is if Jax can be a two inning pitcher every third or fourth day, but maybe they know this already. Every pitchers' arm responds differently, some need several days and others can bounce back (rubber arm). I'm referring to relief stints of less than 30 pitches. Right now Jax is being used in long relief only, it seems.

I don't see Pagan on the team next year, which will be disappointing for those who claimed Pagan would be an asset going forward. I'm hopeful he can survive this year.

Canterino is old enough to get some time in AAA or the Twins bullpen. I'm fine with the 50-60 pitch limits for him but it might as well be against slightly stronger competition. Great to start Canterino at Wichita but the weather is fine in St. Paul right now.

Same as it ever was, same as it ever was .... If the Twins are so constrained with their payroll each year that $130-150 million budgets in an odd year or two are unrealistic, the organization will need to win with rookies and players in their first 3-5 years of MLB. That usually results in looking for magic. I hope they find it but building to win in the vague future will get repetitive. Instead of complaining about individual moves, I want to see the Twins become a very athletic team. Plodding defensive players should be reserved for DH and occasional 1B playing time. Correa, Buxton, Polanco, Kepler, Celestino, Gordon, and Lewis qualify at this time. Larnach, Kirilloff, and Miranda could be exemptions and claim a position if they hit at least .280 with power. The Astros have demonstrated a model for winning with their swing hard first and then adjust for contact approach at the plate, run the bases aggressively, and catch the ball to support a pitching staff built largely from within throwing strikes to a very superior defensive catcher. I'm still thinking that a few Twins could move forward this summer and help them be competitive against good teams. We will find out in June and July.

The report card can wait until the All Star game in July. Some players will get opportunities and others will look for jobs with another team down the road.