tony&rodney

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.

It was just one series, an abysmal display, but only three games. More worrisome, the Twins looked intimidated on a number of instances. Their bats were pretty weak overall. One can only hope that the expectation within the clubhouse was less fearful than what we saw from the action and managing.

Tough game and the Twins are trending more towards a rebuild due to injuries and so forth than looking like they belong on the same field as Houston. Hopefully, the bats come alive and Winder pitches well this afternoon. It is a long season and the team will go in many directions at times during these months. On another somewhat related note, it is total b.s. that MLB teams can/do carry 14 pitchers and then resort to using a hitter as a pitcher. Baseball needs to return to 25 person rosters and set the days a player must stay down in the minor leagues at a minimum of 15 days.

Justin Verlander took advantage of his experience and the Twins inexperience tonight. Ryan had a rough time on the mound and when he doesn't have pinpoint control he is in trouble. Tomorrow will be a good chance to see how the Twins react to adversity against a good team. Archer needs to get through five innings or more.

Has Nick Gordon proven his worth? Yes.

This week shapes up to be quite a test for the Twins youth. Jeffers, Kirilloff, Miranda, Lewis, Gordon, and Celestino get to face some really good pitchers and Ryan, Winder, and the younger bullpen pitchers will face some excellent bats. The season is still young but the Twins should be excited to face the challenge of the Astros and Cleveland clubs.

This sounds pretty much to be the best explanation yet of why some people insist on stating that baseball is boring. Boredom is a personal choice protected only by one's mind, at least until the final definitive decision from on high is leaked to all. I can watch an entire baseball game standing up in my living room but haven'y watched more than a few minutes of NFL or NBA "action" in the last half century. This year I have been entertained by the Wild, but have turned off a number of games when the players resort to fighting, holding, interfering, or milling around the net for five minutes after a shot on goal. My mind tells me that I am bored but I have not yet resorted to suggesting to others that NFL, NBA, or NHL action is, in fact, boring. By the way, I looked out the window this morning and the grass is growing.

My position is that we have no idea about the clubhouse. Players are happier when they win. Even those famous Yankee and Oakland teams that got into fights with each other had loads of laughs as they won a ton of games. What is most evident right now is the improved ability of the pitchers to throw quality strikes and the big improvement by the defense. Despite some errors the past couple of games, the quality of defense is a big improvement over the last couple of years. The Twins lost last night but Gordon made a fine diving catch in left field. Larnach has also seemed much more confident in the field, running down a few fly balls and aggressively charging singles for throws to home plate. The defense is being led by Buxton, Correa, and Polanco up the middle and considerable growth from Jeffers behind the dish. There are so many games still to play but if the Twins can manage to play strong defense and throw pitches that avoid the whooping zone, I like their chances because they have some players that can hit the ball on offense. Players love to make and talk about great defense and winning brings smiles.

The title of this post says it all.

First base is not a concern for the Twins.