tony&rodney

If Buxton remains healthy he will be the Minnesota Twins representative in the All Star Game. Having Byron in the lineup and playing excellent baseball has been a joy. He may not be the centerfielder he once was but he is still a decent defender out there. I'm loving have him at the top of the lineup.

I flip back and forth between minor league games quite a bit (watching 4 days a week on average) on the small screen (computer), with the Twins on the big screen (sound off). Because I have watched so many games there are pretty obvious strengths and weaknesses observed as well as improvements made and players deficiencies being exposed. I would agree that watching via milb.com, which I do, is a poor substitute for those who may go to several dozen games in person. Thus I would definitively say that I'm not an expert on the players, just another hack. I do listen to the minor league announcers a fair amount. Only one position player from the organization has drawn consistent positive comments from these announcers and this guy has had his weaknesses noted as well: Brandon Winokur. Winokur is a unicorn and I don't know if he will ever make it to the major leagues. He makes plays in the infield and in the outfield that no other player in the organization is capable of completing and has an incredible arm. The athleticism is off the charts. He has 10 home runs (some lasers and others total bombs) and 20 stolen bases. He has trouble with his swing but is pitched to more carefully than one would expect for a player only at the A+ level. I wouldn't put Winokur among the Twins top prospects because there are so many variables, but he is fun to watch. Maybe Winokur manages to conquer all of his hand and lever variables by March of 2028.

This is a simple question to answer if one has watched the Twins play their games. The fundamental philosophy of the front office is flawed. A roster of DH types does not have the talent to support their pitchers by playing defense. Our announcers, management, and fans find various means to wiggle around how slow of a team and how poor our position players react in the field. The hope was for the team to bash the ball. As of today, the Twins have 82 home runs which is in the middle. The team doesn't run, hit triples, or walk. Whatever your favorite statistic may be, the Twins are below average at the plate. The front office has proved beyond doubt that they can put together a roster of position players who can win somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 games. Anything more is hopeful. The talent just doesn't exist. Those who believe the owners could make any decisions on spending which would alter the approach are deluding themselves. Ownership may have many faults but I cannot believe that the Pohlads are engaged in the roster decisions.

Sabato is to be lauded for his persistence and hard work. If he ever gets to wear a Twins uniform he will fit in with all of the other DH's. The work ethic of Sabato can be respected and commended at the same time as one recognizes that here is another slow-footed, defensively challenged draft choice. Earl Weaver's famous line about waiting for the 3 run home run as his primary strategy was repeated as a point of humor. He knew his team was built on pitching and defense first and the Orioles also used all aspects of small ball when the situation fit. Meanwhile the Twins roster has been built with the sole focus for position players to mash without the talent to complete the task. Hopefully the next front office and management group will be aware of how Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, and Cleveland approach putting together a roster. In the meantime I wish Sabato well and hope he reaches his dreams.

Stay inside, turn the ac to 60 F, and sit in your barcalounger with your feet up and your MAGA hat on.

Whatever. Having lived in places where it does get hot and having worked outside 60 hours per week into my late 20s in Minnesota, That is my take. Please tell me the last time it was 100 degrees F at 10 pm in Minnesota, much less 90 F. DAC.

K. Culpepper is getting better and better at shortstop. He is athletic and clearly works at his craft. I'm hoping he can play for Wichita from July onward. Winokur is a freak athlete and it is going to be several years before it is apparent what he can or cannot do. Right now he swings and misses quite a bit but he is well above average anywhere he has played with the glove. The Twins are putting him at CF because they are developing Culpeper at SS. Winokur can play both at a high level. He also has awesome power and is fast. Home runs and stolen bases are his thing. A very slow start has vanished and Winokur is doing well. I believe he may need a year at each level. Andrew Morris was really good last night. The walks were unfortunate but broken bats bloop hits hit him too. Only one ball was squared up. Morris continues to work on all his pitches. He made Matt Vierling, on a rehab assignment fro Detroit, look pretty confused in several at bats. At times Morris looks better than Matthews did last season. Morris does need to be more consistent and efficient with his pitches and continue to refine his pitch sequencing.

As good as Ryan? I guess we shall find out.

It doesn't get hot in Minnesota. It does get cold.

I remember Tyler Jay. Having not watched the young pitcher, I have no opinion on him. I'm also cognizant that NCAA D1 baseball is FCL level, so the hike up the levels is huge. Nevertheless, the best players are really good and progress rapidly. We have seen the Angels and A's bring up players with success after less than a year in the minor leagues. Best player available is the key. If that player is a bat, then we also need to require said guy to own a glove. The Twins are completely flush with DH types.

The Twins will need to develop their own players in any event because the odds of adding a Kyle Tucker or Dylan Cease is near zero. Additionally, Falvey has been very risk adverse since the deadline deals a few years ago. The big deals for the Twins will continue to trades for Gasper or signing France. My expectation is that the team may sell in a few years and then we shall see wholesale changes. Until then, perhaps the Twins improve in their draft position and get lucky with a couple of choices. The A's have been a woeful franchise but adding Jacob Wilson at #6 in 2023 and Nick Kurtz at #4 in 2024 were golden touches. Both of those players have great bats and they both can play average to above defense. The Twins need the same. Until that time we have a roster of mostly DH guys.

Perhaps you missed that a couple of my suggestions were for pre-arb players. In fact, I have never advocated for signing bottom of the barrel veterans. It is what the Twins will do though-add a veteran.

Now the pitching needs to hold the line. Last night Baltimore scored 8 runs in the 2nd inning and were held without a hit or walk and 1 HBP the rest of the game. Down 0-8, Tampa Bay ran the bases furiously and scored 12 unanswered runs. Their pitchers held the line. We need the Twins pitchers to click back into keeping teams down. Great to see the bats swinging today. They are in Holiday mode.

Happy Juneteenth to you also.

Almost forgot .... Happy Holiday to all.

Injuries happen in sports. Baseball has a long season which can be unfriendly to some body types. Teams have always lost valued prospects and players. Look back at the lost of John Castino, a brilliant defensive player who was a very good base-runner, and had an excellent bat to boot. It's part of the game. Byron Buxton has shown, for now, that a player can heal and retain most of their skills to play baseball and succeed. Lewis has a long road back to full health, but it is possible at times.

He does, If Carlos waived his contract the Twins would need to pay three-fourths of it just to get someone to take him without a return. Correa is a good shortstop but he is way off his normal production at the plate.

Hey now, the season is long and hope springs eternal. Right?

This is an interesting take. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding but you seem to say that the Twins have failed to develop catchers and should suffer the consequences of that failure rather than make moves to acquire catchers because they will cost the organization prospects. The Twins have been among the most fortunate teams in baseball regarding the health of their catchers in the past two plus years. Vazquez is on an expiring contract and is unlikely to return at a bargain price. The Twins may pay that price. Jeffers has worked hard behind the plate but struggles defensively and would seemingly suffer if his workload increased. Without a competent catcher the team will suffer. The Twins are unlikely to make a major trade in any event for any position player so the entire conversation may be pointless, but I will propose it is very difficult to have a AAA catcher who cannot catch or hit or throw behind the plate. I'm not understanding how suffering an incompetent catcher works. San Francisco and Boston or Boston and the Chicago White Sox have shown that big trades can be completed. The unknown is whether any team will consider moving a player for a big return. For example, if a team wants Walker Jenkins, Lopez, Ober, or Ryan from the Twins, is there any player or combination of players that would induce Falvey to complete a transaction? Hypothetically would the West Sacramento A's trade Nick Kurtz for Joe Ryan? Catching? Would Milwaukee even listen if the Twins offer Brooks Lee, Marco Raya, and Gabriel Gonzalez for Jeferson Quero? Or are trades too costly and not worth the cost in players or prospects? Are you ok with Mickey Gasper and Jeffers next year and Jair Camargo somewhere in there? FWIW, Falvey believes he has the infielders and outfielders the team needs to compete.

FWIW, Walker Jenkins looked pretty good tonight playing for Wichita.

Play at full speed on every play, hit the ball, catch the ball, throw the ball accurately a large percentage of the time, and run the bases aggressively. Jenkins was the #5 pick in a very strong draft. The bar should be set high. He should absolutely be himself. The projections were quite high. Many so called experts, people who have seen him play a bunch, have predicted Walker to be the top prospect in the game by this October after clearing the current list of those who graduated because they are now major leaguers. Merely staying healthy and playing baseball is a low minimum. I'm feeling positive about Walker Jenkins and expect that he is currently fully ready to go play baseball. I'm not thinking there is any reason to be cautious as the experience with Royce Lewis may have scared people. Lewis came back at half health and the results may have linked to that condition. I'm keeping Lewis and Jenkins totally separate.

Agree. It is almost as if the official scorers are not familiar with the game .... and yet they are and know the game. I am perplexed why and how these errors are and are not handed out in the modern game.

The ship has sailed on Rortvedt. He began to take his hitting woes behind the plate which ultimately resulted in his being dumped. Not sure if there is any possible hope left in Ben. Khadim Diaw is looking pretty good when I watch him play, but he is at least 2 years minimum (2027) away from wearing a big league uniform. Mickey Gasper is well below average behind the plate but works really hard and could serve as a 3rd catcher if the Twins are ready to trade him for Jonah Bride. Bride had a hit last night though so the Twins may be happy with him. All catchers will fetch a dear price. My argument is that the team shoot really high and offer an outrageous price in order to close a deal. The real issue is if teams simply say no to any offer or are unwilling to engage in any conversations regarding their catchers. This may be true.

Totally agree that management has not been proactive on filling the catching position. Trading Garver was a very good move because he was/is unplayable behind the plate. Vazquez was spendy but he does a decent job and the Twins needed a catcher (rock and a hard place). Martin Maldonado and a host of other veteran catchers were available including Narvaez. I believe it must be difficult to trade for a catcher, whether veteran or prospect, but the game always starts with a pitcher and catcher and today's game with the preponderance of strikeouts it is even more imperative than ever to have a good catcher. A number one catcher still needs a back up to catch 40-50 games but an organization must be aggressive towards accumulating those gloves. We have discussed numerous prospects (Rushing, Basallo, Ford, etc.) as potential acquisition. Some may be off limits, maybe all of them. Nevertheless, it is worth a shot. I'm offering Milwaukee Brooks Lee, Marco Raya, and Yasser Mercedes for Jeferson Quero. I'm also calling Seattle about Harry Ford and Colorado. Nothing comes to fruition without trying, which may have already occurred on multiple occasions for all we know. The cost will be high, that is sure. Food too, but still we buy it all the time. Can't play baseball without a catcher.

While I agree with that thought, it is really tough to blame a pitcher for striking out a guy on a pitch down the middle and not getting an out or watching a well hit ball that should be caught fall in the outfield. Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, and others relied on their defense to convert balls in play into outs and for the catchers to catch the ball. Stuff happens though.