tony&rodney

Thought the Twins might look to speed, defense, and a possibly improved hitting by Whitefield when Cave went down. I hope he keeps improving and have to believe he was a better choice for a 4th OF than Refsnyder.

If Polanco has his wheels beneath him, he will be a good player. Bad ankles led to some habits which changed his swing and lately we have seen him return to a healthy base in his at bats. Jorge is the least of the Twins problems; he looks to be back to form.

Yes, Polanco has always been a better hitter from the left side and he is a really good player. No disrespect intended but this post is misinformed and off. It is true that Polanco played through significant injuries in the last two years because the Twins were short-handed and needed his position in play even with his diminished skills. It does seem like he developed some unfortunate side habits related to compensating for his injuries and he is now working through these inefficiencies. Polanco is a gamer though and while we are not exactly sure how he will look by this summer we do know that his past sacrifice for the team is worthy of a full look and the respect that acknowledges his efforts for the Twins. I expect Jorge will manage to correct his footwork and timing to return to a his prior performance before serious ankle injuries reduced his effectiveness at the plate and in the field. In my mind, Polanco has earned the right to work through these struggles and when he does the team will benefit from the patience.

The Tigers and Twins trail the field, but not by much. Every other team has at least eight losses or has won at least eight games. 93 wins always seemed like a big number for the Twins this year and 86 wins might gain a playoff spot. Teams are much more competitive in general than in 2019. Detroit could turn around and be a 75-80 win team. By July the Twins will have a good idea of their weaknesses and how, or if, they can adjust their personnel. Unless a team implodes with a losing streak of 15 games or runs off a 35-5 start like the Tigers did one year, we can find comfort in the notion that teams do start slowly some years. Yes, the Twins are struggling now but their 40 man roster does not seem likely to finish below .500 for the year.

Take a sip, but don't jump - it is still April. Bad baseball often happens in April. This year it was our turn. I'm still optimistic but there are some real concerns.

Of course, this is obvious. I meant the Twins can still turn it around. I am not real enamored with this team, the manager, or the management. Still, the Twins should rebound. Against the odds, I wanted to trade both Sano and Garver after 2019. I thought the team could get something important for them. Sano is my favorite Twin to watch because he hits the ball so hard and looks so ferocious at the plate, squeezing the bat. But the strikeouts and defense hurt. I really wanted the Twins to sign Realmuto and Hendriks this past offseason, but religiously watch or listen (more often recently) to my favorite nine most games. The catching position was a concern before the season and continues to be. Arraez should rotate through the infield and DH spots. His defense in LF is pretty bad. The announcers from the other teams keep commenting on this when Luis takes up a stance in LF. Buxton needs to be healthy and Kepler and Kirilloff need to hit. Put Larnach in RF and move Kepler to LF. Max is an athlete and could cover the ground out there and Larnach may be more suitable for RF. I like AK at first for now, although clearly Sano goes back to 1B when he returns. Hopefully something clicks soon. The predictable losses are not good to watch.

It's cold and rainy in Minnesota right now, but in a month the Earth will turn a bit and sunshine will bring 70 degrees and more. The Twins should be able to rebound as well. While one or two players may not ever return to near their 2019 seasons, it is hard to believe that all of the Twins core will continue to fail. Alex Kirilloff has a sweet swing and should be able to have a decent season despite his abysmal start. Trevor Larnach is also an option should Kepler or Sano not rebound from their April blues. I'm thinking that we can maintain some patience as April closes and May unfolds. The talent to win 90 games is there and summer will be a better barometer of this team. It is going to be difficult to make changes now because the minor leagues have not started yet and thus those players are all a few weeks behind in their development. However, at some point (drop 10-12 games below .500) critical evaluations could effect some roster moves beyond the current shuttling moves. Six or eight games below even is not a time to panic.

This will be a fun read for a fan who followed these teams very closely. The pitching and hitting from these teams was terrific and those battles with Baltimore so frustrating. Blair, Belanger, and Brooks Robinson seemed to steal a few runs with their gloves every game. It was a very turbulent period in U. S. history, but the Twins were excellent.

Rocco is fine, a decent manager and makes mistakes like everyone. People should relax a little. Perhaps Twins fans have become too used to the likes of Tom Kelly, Ron Gardenhire, and Paul Molitor, but in time Rocco will make a name for himself as well. There are two division banners already and this squad still has time to correct its early struggles. Marwin and Ehire were very special players and we miss them, but it is time to move forward because they are gone; those decisions are past. If the Twins can evade too many injuries their season will turn out fine and Rocco will keep us guessing.

While I'm not going to worry about the record in April because everything usually balances over 162 games, I am concerned by the number of swings that miss. The Boston team put hard level swings on the ball that left line drives distributed throughout the field. Too many Twins have serious pull tendencies with pretty drastic upper cuts. The talent should be there but putting the ball in play is still important.

Ehire Adrianza was underrated. Defense anywhere was good and bat played as a sub. He was inexpensive and worked everywhere for a low salary. I did not understand that decision at all. I guess Astudillo takes that spot but I'm pretty sure Adrianza would be a better catcher too.

Excellent article and appreciate the idea of an interview in a player's original language.

Thank you for the good work. i always loved following the minor leagues. Drove to Orlando once with my oldest daughter to watch Bo Jackson. What a treat. Bo stood outside the bus visiting and signing until the last kid left, thanking everyone one for coming. The capsules and minor league updates are my favorite part of this site. Thanks again.

Everyone needs to just enjoy the one or two good things that they are watching. We certainly hope that warmer weather will bring our favorite nine to improve in many areas. Might I suggest something to watch or consider concerning the catchers? I only umpired about 100 games where few threw much harder than mid to high 80s, but I did pitch a few hundred games and caught about 100 games. The catcher stealing strikes, as a concept, always confused me. The umpire pays zero attention to the mitt, except on foul tips which (as we saw the last two days) are difficult to see. When the catcher struggles to catch the ball and moves all over the place an umpire can be distracted in a negative fashion just as when a catcher rises up in front of an umpire, which rarely happens in mlb. When Jeffers is quiet he is a great target but I cannot understand the snatches and exaggerated glove movement. It makes no difference to an umpire, except his downward jerk with his glove cost a caught foul tip today. I would be interested in how umpires (likely by necessity off the record) view this trend. I watch way too much baseball but this is one current trend that does not make any sense to me. Good catchers have always received the ball in a quiet position and left umpires in a their favored position to call balls and strikes. The movement of the glove by many catchers in today's game is more for TV than the umpire. I don't bring this up as a discussion point unless someone has very specific information from an umpire, but thought it might be worth it for people to watch. A prime example is when a catcher sets up a target 3-6 inches off the plate with the umpire set over the catcher's left shoulder on the corner. The pitch hits the glove perfectly which the catcher holds and the umpire call a ball. The pitch was outside.

Lineups? Arraez Donaldson Buxton Cruz Polanco Sano Kepler Jeffers Left fielder/ Simmons when he returns I would like to slip Kirilloff between JD and Buck, but the Twins don't see AK as ready. Flipping JD and Buck is another alternative.

The Twins look pretty rough right now. Temperatures below 55 degrees are rugged but 30s is woof. We can relax until it is June 1. Stuff happens. If the team is 10-15 games below .500 ball after they play on Memorial Day, then it will be time to make some drastic changes. The Twins should be able to find their identity in the next six weeks. There is enough talent to put together a few strong positive streaks. Buxton and Cruz are the only consistent hitters right now, but that will change soon. It doesn't seem possible that all of Garver, Jeffers, Sano, Polanco, Kepler, and Cave have reached the end of their careers as productive hitters at the mlb level. I'm of the belief that this team has the talent to bounce back.

Relax folks - the ground is still frozen in some places. Wait until at least Memorial Day before such frantic cries for help. There are bound to be some really ugly games played and remember that we are back to playing 162. I think everyone has won at least three games and lost three (Dodgers lost 2). There is a ton of baseball in our future; try not to burn out before the ice all melts.

".... He was entitled as he rose ... " Wow! not a personal attack but that is rather egregious. Miguel Sano signed a rich contract that took him from abject poverty to wealth when he was 16. Entitled is not the case, not close. The maneuvers made on him and his family by professionals and the blatant racism he faced as a young kid under the eye of MLB was atrocious. Sano had to prove his age by agreeing to various tests that proved his age. It is amazing he managed himself through those experiences and years in my thinking. Certainly, I hoped Sano could hit .275 - .300 with 30-40 homeruns and a .900 OPS and so on, but he is still at least average. I loved K. Vargas and his style but there is a demonstrable difference between them as others have pointed out quite effectively. Lastly, I mentioned last year in a comment that Miguel Sano is one of the only hitters in baseball that strikes fear as he stands in the batter's box. As a former pitcher myself, Sano is the only Twin I would say that about. Sometimes I think umpires feel the same way because in a very non-scientific judgment I cannot ever recall seeing a hitter have more balls called strikes against him than we see when Sano is at the plate. Miguel has quite a way to go before he regains the fans and his long streaks of flailing are difficult for even the most faithful Twins fanatic. Still, we can relax and wait out his early season issues. Can't we?

Brandon is correct - let us all take a look after 200 at bats.

We need to check this on May 1; it is early. The big man is having some long at bats and a few quick ones.

Overall the Twins have looked pretty good. When you remember that 70 losses is a really good year you understand what a battle 162 games can be and the tactic of winning a series is always huge. Plenty of long at bats this series and players grinding through even when it results in outs. Polanco came up big. Nobody should worry about him if he can stay healthy.

To clarify my post above, I have no disagreement but am wondering if people think Berrios and/or Buxton would sign for the figured suggested.

My question in response is what it takes right now. Will either or both take a 6/$120 million offer? I think yes.

Feels like they are both playing it out, but offer 6/$120 to both. If you have to choose just one, Buxton is the better bet because he can morph into a gold glove corner outfielder with 40 hr pop. He hit for average coming up and seems to be progressing. We shall see. It's a long season and there isn't likely to be a quick, value signing with either of these two players. They and their agents are aware of the value each player possesses in the current game.

Slow pace to game with some credit to hitters for being tough outs. Kepler looked bad all day and had to get the ball in the air for a SF at least once. When Buxton hit his dribbler I thought Polanco should have held because the only play was at home. Detroit should be credited with two flawless plays at home though (poor JP). It's a long season and playing .600 baseball is a good thing. An unusual outing for Stashek, which will happen from time to time, but he is a cool customer; I like him in our bullpen. He throws darts most of the time. Eventually, leftfield will need to sort itself out as either a platoon or someone stepping forward. Rooker and Garlick look out of sorts right now, although it is really early in the year. I listened to the Tigers' feed on MLB.com. Kirk Gibson cracks me up.