tony&rodney

Every pitcher is slightly different in how they rebound from pitching. Many guys manage to bounce back (their arms) in a couple of days to make them available as relief pitchers. A few take 4 days of recovery after pitching. A few others have rubber arms and can throw often. Tonkin has made a career for himself, whatever you think of him, because he can provide innings on a regular basis. He also has had injuries. Without any knowledge of how guys like Abel, Bradley, and a host of others recover after throwing an inning or two we can't know if they would reasonably transition to the bullpen. Building a bullpen is possible with identification of arms suitable for the task. Some may be internal but others may arrive from waiver claims or trades. The immediate problem (maybe just for me) is whether there exists an eye or three within the organization to find those gems. An additional issue is the ongoing philosophy of the current front office regime. My personal thought is that the Twins are in trouble until such time as there is a change in leadership. As putrid, careless, and indifferent to baseball as the Pohlad family appears, they have nothing to do with the identification, accumulation, and compilation of the roster. In the meantime, we all seemingly work harder to think of ways to improve the team than those who are responsible for the task. I'm discouraged by the state of the team.

Plenty of work for the Twins to do. The pitching staff was once decent but is now a mess. Nobody should have surprised that the White Sox mauled the Twins. The White Sox roster better position players at DH, C, 1B, 3B, SS, LF, and RF and they are going to improve. Without substantial change and good fortune, next year could be a total loss for the Twins. The Pohlads don't care and Falvey has struggled in his job. I'm wondering how the team plans on selling season tickets after the "Total System Failure" of the last two years and the debacle of the ongoing ownership fiasco.

The White Sox have a better team and they are hungry to catch the Twins. Time favors the Twins though.

Most accurate statement on velocity that I have seen.

I would like to wish Kody Clemens all the best in his next career. He seems like a friendly fellow.

Looks like the Twins have their new catcher.

If you or anyone else has a clue to how the Twins work their players, let us know.

Have you watched Jenkins at AAA? I've seen most of his PA. He has hit numerous line drive outs at well over 100 mph. I don't see Walker having any problems hitting anywhere. He just needs to get acclimated. Jenkins and Gonzalez are easily the best players on the Saints roster.

Marco Raya was fantastic for 3 innings and 40 pitches. I wondered why he was pulled? Surely Raya could have thrown another inning. This must have been something designed pre-game to get Baker an inning. Morris made one bad pitch. He was good.

After watching pretty much all of Walker Jenkins plate appearances since he reached AAA and after watching him at AA a ton, I feel confident saying the Twins have not had a prospect anywhere close to Jenkins since Joe Mauer in terms of overall skills. Walker controls the zone and routinely hits the ball hard. If there is one player the Twins should seek out to sign to an extension, it is Walker Jenkins. Use Chourio as a base, go 8/$80-90M and add two options years at $25-30M each. By the end of next year those numbers will no longer be in play.

The Pohlads, led by St. Peter, have been as poor as one could ever possibly be at communicating to the public and building positive vibes for the franchise. They run the team like Trump ran casinos. That said, it is hard to believe that the Pohlads have any say whatsoever in player acquisition. The Pohlads set the budget. Since Falvey came aboard the Twins have spent more money than any of their ALC brethren or Milwaukee, our friendly neighbor. The roster and style of play must then be all Falvey. The team we watch is The Falvey Dream Team. Is that even remotely fair or is it right on? After 9 years of Falvey leadership I have zero idea what he has in his mind. This makes one wonder about Falvey's conceptual ideas. Does he have any real sense of baseball? Is the team we watch the best possible outcome for a Midwestern franchise? Is it even possible to lose money running a casino? Reality suggests that there are people in places of power who are incompetent. Do all failures of the Twins product fall squarely on the shoulders of the players on the roster who should be competing for a ALC title? Is it Baldelli? Is it Falvey? Each person has their own viewpoint. So it goes.

Buxton gets a spot, for sure. Wallner is purely a DH. If the Twins use Big Matt in the outfield this is the signal they are shooting for a high draft pick. Wallner can be a beast as a DH in a positive fashion. He gives up more hits and runs than he provides if he has a glove on in the field. Wallner is also a prime candidate to trade. The corners should be some combination of Jenkins, Fedko, Gonzalez, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Roden. That is a pile - five guys for two spots. It is also possible that the Twins trade for an accomplished outfielder. We can check back though in February to sort all of this out. Agreed, the outfield positions should be really intriguing.

Does anyone else question how the stats for defense are gathered? Do errors count? The idea that there is a way to judge balls in play fairly across so many venues seems ludicrous to me. When I attend a game in person I can note/chart where a defender is playing, note/chart the speed of the ball in play, and note/chart the play of a defender. No matter how this is done, there will still be a fair amount of subjectivity in any judgment. If AI could be applied universally there might be a more objective record but no video exists that is identical between ballparks. The system used for Gold Gloves in the past favored offense to a certain degree, but most of the obvious defensive stars were still GG winners (Ozzie Smith, Mark Belanger). Currently some stats are used (25%) but it is still the votes of managers and coaches (75%) that decide who earns a GG. I'm not sure there will ever be a system capable of measuring the gray areas of fielding. I watch games without the sound on most occasions. When I have the sound on it is common to hear the announcers praise the work of all of our Twins defenders. Buxton is routinely referred to as the Platinum Glove premier centerfielder in baseball. Byron is a good outfielder (at least average) and did win a Platinum Glove in the past. He isn't the best at his position at this time. Most teams can live with one or two average to below average defenders and still keep harmony with their pitching staffs. The past players on the list are the equal or better than a number of currently rostered Twins players. How many poor gloves can be used in any one lineup seems important. I'm waiting for the Twins to find a way to replicate the Orioles and A's of the late 1960s and into the 1970s.

Lewis becoming a star or even a serviceable regular would be good. I really hope that happens. I never saw him as a can't miss player. In fact I felt his value was prime trade material after 2023. Again after 2024, I suggested moving Lewis. I'm not sure what value other teams place on Lewis at this time. You may have a point about players (like Walker Jenkins) being reluctant to sign with the Twins given their current regime. I don't have any feel or knowledge for that situation.

When I read the first post, that was my question. Sands, Funderburk, Adams, Prielipp, and Raya seem like a start for a bullpen. Rojas looks very raw right now. Morris could be in the rotation or bullpen. I'm higher on him than most. We might be better able to flesh out the pitching by January after the organization does whatever shaking they plan to do. The roster is far from set, seemingly. I also hope the Twins do not fill the bullpen with veteran losers. Sign reliable solid relievers or use what is available in house. There should be funds for a few bullpen fellows.

There have been a thousand articles about Royce Lewis. He is a darling of Twins Daily and many Twins fans. That is fine. I don't believe there are many comparisons to make between the two ballplayers other than being drafted highly. Walker is pretty smooth and has a picturesque swing, which we all hope grows into more power. An 8/$80-88M contract with 2 option years would be a sound move and one that Jenkins likely sees as a good decision. Both sides could benefit. The money is not a killer for the franchise and Jenkins is a free agent as a 30 year old. If it is something Jenkins is open to discussing, waiting is not prudent from the organization's side.

I totally agree that these guys are the hope for the Twins future. I like each of them. It is just a bit of a stretch to hope they all are successful, so there is that concern. However in the meantime, because it is all we have, I'm hoping these players all bust out together. Is next year too soon or am I being greedy? Hey, maybe a few trades bring even more help.

I'm hoping the Twins win tomorrow behind Zebby. I'm also thinking that nobody should be surprised by how the games are going in the last month, or for most of the year for that matter. This is Falvey's Dream Team after all. Not everyone sees life or baseball in the same light. We see what see. Falvey? I don't know what he sees. It is what it is.

What is done is done. I'm hoping for miracles.

What stands out from the article and from watching these guys play is the continued disdain for defense. More DH types and we are hoping they can learn a position. I'm hoping too, but that's different. I'm a fan and I hope the the players within the organization learn skills needed at the highest level and fit somewhere in the field. If the Twins cannot manage to get players to become skilled at all phases of the game, we can expect a long series of losing seasons. But some of these guys will hit. The comment on passing on higher upside players is perplexing. So Falvey prefers lesser talent that is more polished now. I have watched a number of these guys, including Kendry Rojas tonight versus Nashville. Rojas has a nice arm and is young. He looks athletic. His pitches do not look too polished. He didn't get out of the first inning. Jenkins, on the other hand, is a higher upside kid. He went 3 for 5 and his two outs were rockets to the warning track. I'm screaming into the wind wanting higher upside talent and now we have a comment from Falvey that answers why the Twins have the team they roster. These players are Falvey's dream team.

Not more than a few PA and an inning here and there. No thoughts on him at this time. FWIW, Tait was not good at the plate but good behind it tonight. He handled his chores very well tonight for his pitcher. The path to MLB is long.

There should be a ton of chatter in November and December onwards. I'm hoping for change. The deadline was a bit much and seemed hurried. Hopefully the design is solid in the next flurry. Lewis - trade him. Maybe the Twins can add a guy like Charlee Soto and Alan Roden to get Tyler Soderstrom. Jeffers - trade him .... but better get a catcher or two first. Would Boston deal Franklin Arias for Jeffers? Wallner - call Pittsburgh and see if they will send Jared Jones in an exchange. Pablo - keep him unless the offer is great. Ryan - I wish he could be extended but it seems very unlikely. I think he is gone. There should be some great options and offers if Jow finished the year on a strong note. Heck, call the Tigers and see if a Max Clark deal works. We have zero idea of the value other teams place on Twins players and their propsects and we also have no idea what lengths they will go to to acquire a player. There should be a few simple change of scenery transactions but it is nearly impossible to guess. So we spit into the wind.

I'm not sure what you are saying. I said I'm going to be patient, which is why people should keep their expectations down for now as I mentioned. I like Tait. I watch him play most of the time. You can too and any differences of opinion are not really important because time always sorts out things. As far as polish goes, you might be surprised how good some young catchers are, but the better defenders are often very poor with a bat in their hands. This is the difficulty of development. Cedar Rapids plays a very good Quad Cities team at 6:30 pm CDT. tonight.

There are couple of factors to consider when looking at the Duran trade. First, the Twins did not have to trade Duran. More to reality is the type of player Falvey seeks, which has been repeated over and over. Tait is going to hit (imo). Falvey loves the power. There is a good chance he is moved to 1B or DH because he needs quite a bit of work behind the plate. He certainly could improve though. Abel can blow away minor league players but if he cannot show good command with his breaking and off speed pitches he will get crushed in MLB. We have already seen this and it was previously known. So Falvey chose those two. There were reports and comments out of Seattle which indicate that the two mentioned were being offered. Harry Ford is more of a skill player and projects to be very good behind the plate and hit for average in the batter's box. He has shown his abilities through AAA and was called up yesterday. Ford is an athlete. The switch pitcher has a high ceiling. Cijntje has looked very talented in the few times I have watched him pitch. The Twins prospect (K. Rosario) hit a HR off of him, but otherwise Wichita had a tough time with Cijntje's pitches. The podcastors prefer the Philly guys. I would have preferred the Mariner's offer. Pitcher love good catchers and guys who can play defense. It is all just guessing though so no worries about different viewpoints.

If you are interested and have the time you can watch every game via milb.com. Tait takes a healthy hack at the plate. Thus far he has neither embarrassed himself nor shown any real skills behind the plate. He is only in A+ ball with Cedar Rapids so people should not expect anything at this time. Tait does not project well as a catcher (he is rough now), but I'm willing to be patient. He could be a part time player by 2028.