tony&rodney

This is not about money for the owners, it is about power. Any owner can produce a budget that reflects income minus costs to leave the bottom line reasonably close to their desired line. If certain owners feel that the business of baseball ownership is not worth their investment they could sell their position in a heartbeat. If the owners feel as a group that there needs to be some sharing of economic resources for a common purpose, they need to work those details out within their consortium of MLB owners. The PA has a concern for those players whose careers are still worthy due to production who are set aside for players working at the minimum salary. The idea of a franchise tanking does not sit well with the PA even as it offers economic benefits and a chance to regroup to an owner. The minimum wage players also offer a chance for improved production in the future, but this comes at a short term cost of less competitive baseball, in some views. Their other concerns are mostly undefined. A shortened time, perhaps small, before arbitration and a year less of control should create some movement in bargaining. I wonder if the PA might consider a significant raise in the initial three years of team control as a benefit for their members. A prolonged work stoppage and the interruption of the MLB season will cost both sides, but be particularly difficult for those players whose careers are short. The system currently in place cannot just be blown up and looking to other professional leagues is problematic at best. The PA should be focused on the average salary rising at a commensurate level with baseball's growth in revenues and owners should be focused on the growth of their investment through attendance and fan participation (media). Currently, it seems, both sides are looking past each other and seem short-sighted in regards to growing baseball as a product. As just one example, I would think that the PA would be interested in seeing MLB expand by two teams in the near future. Two additional markets would also benefit the owners. In any event, if the two sides are actually interested in a quick resolution there is ample time for discussion and a host of ideas to exchange to resolve the current chasm. The importance of peace seems particularly important in light of 2020 and the lost participation of fans due to Covid. Any significant further loss of games will find a wider public populace increasingly comfortable with their own summer activities that do not include MLB. It is much easier to find something to do on a beautiful summer evening than during the cold darkness of a January night.

Why does this sound like Baltimore and Pittsburgh? Not your comment but the plan to fail.

I used to imitate Dean Chance and Luis Tiant. When I did this in games opponents were (righfully?) irritated and I was hit a few times as a result when my turn at bat came around. One particular HBP hurt and i stopped the imitations in games. Dean Chance was a terrific pitcher but he made Bert Blyleven look like a good hitter.

Manfredball. Ghost runners on second base will be his legacy.

I guess I don’t see Miranda as that much of a miracle? I don't either, yet he struggled in 2019 because that is what young players often do. I am hopeful that Miranda can take the adjustments he made last season into MLB this year. Rortvedt is a catcher though and the bar is significantly lower, especially if they are good with a glove and Rortvedt has a good glove. If he can duplicate his St. Paul numbers or come close, he would be quite useful. Catchers need to be looked at differently. There simply isn't any other position in baseball similar to it.

The series of reports on minor league prospects, by Seth Stohs in these sets, have grown increasingly detailed throughout the past forty years since Baseball America was founded and largely replaced The Sporting News as a source for baseball information. Seth does a terrific job and places a wealth of information in the hands of the Twins fans. It is always interesting to read and follow the prospects mentioned in the articles. Thank you Seth for such a fine job of setting out a brief report on so many prospects.

I can wait until the season starts to evaluate whether Falvine were "coming to work" enough.

A miracle like Jose Miranda? Rortvedt did ok in St. Paul; he was competent there. He hasn't projected to hit but the exposure and experience gained last year was eye opening for him and like Miranda and others a simple adjustment applied may bring results. This will be an interesting year for both Rortvedt and Miranda.

? - I'll play. LF - Michael Conforto RF - Alex Kirilloff SS - Taylor Walls 1B - Jose Miranda Bc - Ben Rortvedt bat - Brent Rooker utif/of - Nick Gordon utif - Ehire Adrianza Mostly young guys.

Ben Rortvedt. I think he already used up his rookie status and may not be on any of these lists but he was used on the roster much the same as Celestino, meaning before his time. Rortvedt has shown himself to be a good catcher and has displayed his strength. Now he needs to forge his swing to the ball and not be concerned with power. He could develop quickly as a hitter once he looks to just hit line drives. Last year he gave up quite a few at bats swinging out of his shoes at a pitch that was hittable. MLB pitchers usually only give a batter one pitch and wild swings play into the pitcher's hand.

Agree totally. You hit is on the head when you mention the skills of Buxton, Polanco, and Donaldson and I want them to have a reason to play all year. I listened to the first Twins game in 1961 and it isn't likely for me to walk away but it would be really hard to be excited for a team sitting on such excellent players to stroll into the season with a bottom five rotation in all of baseball. It just isn't necessary. I don't get worked up about it really and still expect a free agent or two and a couple of trades to balance the team. I cannot understand those who see a rotation of Bundy, Dobnak, Pineda, Ryan, and Ober and then fold in the prospects as viable as it is too odd to comprehend. We will see what happens. One aspect that is seemingly ignored in the ongoing lockout is the mental preparation that goes into getting primed for a season. This is nearly impossible to quantify and will be equally distributed in any event. One example, in my opinion, was the affect on Lance Lynn of being left behind for too long. These guys are professionals but also people and the psychological side of the game has importance to final production. The money seems pretty good for both sides and there should be a reasonable path to a positive conclusion. Two birds commented on - oh well. Twins win in 2022.

"That possibility makes it more important for the Twins to invest in the 2022 team." Right on. Buxton is primed to party in 2022 and your Option 2 is still very doable and the most effective course of action for now and the next five years. First, the CBA needs some attention which requires a few humans to gather together in a room and talk with each other.

It was a real joy to read that the Twins and BB agreed on a contract. It seems fair all around. The only risk I see with Buxton's contract is the fear that the fo will see the contract as a ceiling for other contracts in the future.

Correct, This is one reason. The Twins do not have a single pitcher rated among the top 50 prospects. Pitching prospects fail at a very high rate, 70-80%. I still advocate for only trading two or three pitching prospects. The Twins need a minimum of two experienced pitchers to lead their youngsters and the staff. More importantly, the window for the lineup is pretty much now and waiting 3-5 years for the pitching prospects to develop leaves the team without Garver, Sano, Polanco, Donaldson, and Kepler. While some of these are replaceable, the loss of all of them would be a hit to the lineup. I'm ok with some trades because the team needs to be balanced in order to compete.

No personal argument and no offense intended. It seemed like your mention of Montas as having developed/ being ready to produce and then mentioned developing Winder and reaping a reward of top prospects when he reaches the status of Montas. FWIW, I am very high on Winder.

I think you inadvertantly made an argument to trade for Montas. He has experience, finished his struggles, and has arrived as a pitcher. Why would you develop a pitcher like Winder to then trade him for top prospects who then need time to develop in turn. Whatever one believes, the Twins need experienced pitching and I don't care how they get it. Without pitching, the team will struggle. If every hitter had career years they still could never match the 1977 Twins and without pitching the fight is all uphill.

The Twins are sitting on about fifteen pitching prospects and about four hitting prospects. The team needs at least two experienced starting pitchers. They have eschewed the free agents leaving the trade market to fill the holes. The post does a solid job of pointing out why Martin should be retained. Falvey should have received reports regarding the potential for Martin as a future player by now. His value does not appear as high as his potential as a batsman right now. I don't believe he has established himself enough to draw the attention from another club where the Twins clearly benefit. For example, the Reds would not trade Luis Castillo for Martin. Finally, my belief is that the team has other players that could be moved for the pitching capital needed; keep Martin.

Pitched about twenty times against Mike Marshall. He was a very complicated individual. He once claimed that if he had learned to throw a decent curveball before he retired, he would have won a pile of Cy Young awards. When I left Florida he was still pitching. Thank you for the nice memorial post. Each year we pause and remember those who came to the end of the line, many too soon.

Two inexperienced players who are candidates for 4th outfielder could spell Byron in the dozen games he misses next season: Nick Gordon and Gilberto Celestino. Buxton is the least of the worries for next season.

Kirilloff made his regular season debut in 2021. He made an appearance in the 2020 post season. Those are kept as separate categories. Simple misunderstanding that many might miss. The post was just for 2021 regular season debuts.

Grades are always odd entities. When a player's debut is RotY, Cy Young, MVP, or something akin to Bert Blyleven it almost seems heretical to pass out an A to anything that just exceeds our expectations and make us hopeful for future performance but is well below All Star status. The other end of the spectrum is a failing or low grade for a player forced into MLB play well before they are ready because there just isn't another body on the 40 person roster to put in uniform. Either way, judgments are made and the post is excellent with information. While I would not have handed out any A grades this year, I don't disagree with the analysis or judgments passed. I would have been too lenient on the lower end, so no fails. Ober, Ryan, and Kirilloff get S+; Moran, Barnes, Gordon, and Jax get an S; and Larnach, Celestino, and Rortvedt get an S-, which roughly corresponds to B, C, and C-. The player I expect to rise above all others is Kirilloff. I'm interested in watching how Ober and Moran develop as pitchers, and believe that Rortvedt could be much more than expected. Barnes was smart to take an opportunity to pitch in Korea because while I think he can be a decent pitcher in the big leagues, he wasn't going to get much of a chance. He can prove himself overseas and still make a living.

Nice write up of the 2021 debuts.

The Twins could potentially have a really good bullpen this year. Rogers is a key in my view. Thielbar and Moran are fair from the left side as is Duffey from the right side. Jorge Alcala is ready to blossom into a bonafide pitcher to be counted on in tough situations. That is five decent pitchers. From there, I expect some young arms to emerge, primarily Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and possibly Joe Ryan. It would be nice to see Ryan hold a starting role but he may be better in relief. I'm not worried about the Twins relief squad, but a poor recovery from Rogers changes plenty. The starting staff? ... oh boy.

Summarizing, the Twins have a young dynamic pitching coach that we like, three #5 starting pitchers prospects that we like, and a new FA acquisition to fill in as needed. The enthusiasm for our boys is understandable. The current lineup of starting pitchers rostered is the weakest in baseball, arguably. There is still time to build the team and that is where I would place my optimism.

Where is the link for 2022 prospects on Fangraphs? I missed it somehow.