Sherry Cerny

I am WAY excited for SWR, I really want him to stay. He's been working hard and I really think he is ready, but against these teams is one thing, his resilience will show in May.

Right!?!?! That's my hope! I am praying I didn't dog down on the Sox too much that they actually get a win against us lol

The Minnesota Twins' miserable start is understandable. Only the Tampa Bay Rays have been more burdened by injury trouble this spring. Unlike the Rays, though, the Twins have turned things around--and they're about to start getting healthy. Image courtesy of © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports The Twins suffered major blows with injuries early in the season, especially in the forms of Max Kepler, Royce Lewis, and Carlos Correa. The club started the season against some of the better teams in the league, and playing shorthanded left them sitting ducks. The injuries sucked the life out of the team: the bats died, and they fell into a spiral not only in the Central, but in the American League. Briefly, the Twins were in the cellar, alongside the Astros(?!), White Sox, and Athletics, looking at a dismal, long season. After the first series against the Kansas City Royals, the Twins plunged to a sub-.200 batting average and roughly a .300 winning percentage over the next three weeks. Nothing they could do at the plate made any difference. Their timing was off, their approach was worse, and if guys finally got on base, no one would get them home. Offensively, the guys were a mess. After being swept by Baltimore, with only a few days left in the month, the Twins headed home to play host to the Tigers and White Sox. They weren't able to get right against the upstart Detroiters, and things began to look truly grim. Leading up to the White Sox series, the team's batting average was .179, and the pitching was unable to conjure wins with no run support. Byron Buxton, Edouard Julien, Carlos Santana and Willi Castro looked like they were on a high-school team. The newest acquisitions, Manuel Margot and Santana, were utterly lost at the plate and the only one producing was Austin Martin. The questions of what was wrong were everywhere, but there was no answer. There was something wrong with the bats, and the only way to get better, was to use the White Sox to get their groove back and at least win the series. The Twins did that and then some. They dug deep and plowed right through four games against the White Sox with their first sweep of the season, one featuring both blowouts and big comebacks. The White Sox have never been great. For over a decade and a half, they have been the team you beat when you need to bring your averages up, but only talented and resilient teams actually convert on the opportunity that series presented. The Twins proved themselves to be such a team. It was on to Anaheim next. The Angels aren't a much better team than the White Sox, but they are more dangerous, so if Minnesota wanted to win this series, the bats would have to keep working. The Angels, recently taken over by Ron Washington, are essentially in a rebuild mode, but they still have dangerous hitters. Luckily, their pitching was not nearly as intact as their hitting, and the defense was lacking. The Twins took every advantage they could to expose all the gaps, and ran up the scores. Kyle Farmer, the lone player who had seemed not to shake things loose against the White Sox, got in on the action, getting two runs and two RBIs to help the club fly past the Angels for a three-game sweep. That makes seven wins in a row, back-to-back sweeps, and a record on the right side of .500. The injuries remain a headline for the Twins. Only the Rays (who just got swept on a visit to the South Side this weekend, leaving the White Sox with a bit of newfound confidence as the Twins come to town) have been notably more depleted by the injured list than have the Twins so far. Both Carlos Correa and Jhoan Durán are nearing returns, though, so by the end of this week, opponents will have to deal with a more representative version of the 2023 AL Central champs. In the meantime, they just need to keep Chicago down. The White Sox are the least relevant team in the league, except in that they gave the Twins the capability to start their climb out of the hole they have been in since their home opener against the Guardians. The White Sox and the Angels were simply a means to an end, and now that the team is nearer full strength, they should be able to keep rolling. With a fully healthy roster, April will seem like just a bad dream; the Twins will have everything they need to be in a postseason hunt. View full article

yep! We have editors. :)

Lol, I will let him know :)

lol okay. Some things are also changed by my editor.

It was edited :)

I never said trading polanco was the key to securing the position. it just worked out that way. period.

Okay Brian, we get it. lol. calm down. it's just an article.

Yeah, that wasn't my original sentence. I don't think we got a haul either. In my original I noted that we got those players, but that they haven't worked out quite yet, but that's not the focus of the article. I would LOVE to see him stay in against lefties!!! it's been fun watching him make contact and work

Maybe it was a promotional article. Maybe it was to help people find something good about this team with everything going on. But, it was about baseball, it was about a baseball player. Just because it wasn't stacked with numbers and stats, doesn't mean it's not a baseball article. It's an op piece stating why Julien is a good - or even better - replacement for Polanco.

A larger sample is always better - but if we waited for a larger sample - we wouldn't have any articles in the beginning of the season ;)

THANK YOU!!!!!

No, I don't think he is one of the best two way players because of injury. I am saying that he is making his mark and learning not only quickly, but his defense is one of the best on the team. he's not the best, I don't know if he ever will be considering the players we have - but considering Lewis and Correa are hurt, he's doing a hell of a job and that's thanks to the leadership on the team. I never said his place wasn't secure, what I said was that in POLANCO'S ABSENCE. I never said Polanco had to be the one to get traded, I said it made sense and Julien is stepping up. You are clearly reading too far into it, With everything that is going wrong with the team, it's nice to see that Julien is giving his best and then some. You don't have to agree, I am simply pointing out why Julien is defensively better than Polanco.

That’s okay! You can disagree. I see things totally different. I’m not worried about his speed considering he is one of two players who have actually stolen a base, when Buxton and Castro haven’t. There is also an argument for his last three games and I think it only gets better for him.

The Twins fan base felt a twinge of pain when the club traded second baseman Jorge Polanco to Seattle on Jan. 29. The team got quite a haul from the Mariners, but already, we've seen some reminders this spring that the primary reason for making the move was a player they already had. Image courtesy of © Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Jorge Polanco again battled durability issues in 2023, missing significant time due to ankle, knee, and hamstring injuries, but he did register a .789 OPS with 14 home runs across 80 games. Even though he was clutch at the plate and what some call “the glue” in the clubhouse, his creeping physical limitations and struggles to play defense showed. He only appeared in 58 games at second base, and another 15 at third, late in the campaign. He spent as much time as a DH and pinch-hitter as he did at the hot corner. After coming up as a shortstop, Polanco had to move to second base in 2021, and even there, he quickly became a bit of a liability. While his bat was clutch at times, and his presence was a boost in the clubhouse, that doesn’t keep a player at the top of a good team's depth chart forever. This season, the Twins have a real chance to make it further into the postseason, and changes had to be made. In his 2023 rookie season with the Twins, Edouard Julien played two positions, some in Polanco's absence and even upon his return. He played second base for 535 innings and first base for a paltry 17. In addition to making huge strides in terms of range and arm utility, he made only two errors between the two positions all season. Defensive Glow-Up Julien is no Mookie Betts. Still, his increasing effectiveness at second base far outweighed that of Polanco in the last few seasons, with Polanco missing time due to mounting injuries and ineffectiveness. Julien’s defense last season (and thus far this season) has been a massive factor in keeping other teams from running up the scoreboard. In the past two series against the Dodgers and the Tigers (in fact, since the disastrous game against the Royals on Easter), no team has gotten over 8 runs on the Twins' pitching and defense. In 102 innings of play this season alone, Julien himself has 14 putouts, 34 assists, four double plays, and just one error at second base, committed Monday night in Baltimore. Defensively, he is one of the best players on the Twins. Julien's defensive skills alone make him a valuable asset to the team. His development has been greatly influenced by his interactions with players like Carlos Correa and Kyle Farmer, who have played a significant role in enhancing the effectiveness of the infield. Advanced defensive metrics love him. Along with his defense, his plate appearances and ability to make pitchers run up their numbers and draw walks are equally dangerous. Matt Trueblood addressed his plate appearances in a short piece last week, saying his lack of aggression was worrisome. However, if we were to judge solely on plate appearances, the entire team would lack aggression. Julien, in fact, seems to have begun leading them out of that quagmire over the last handful of games. Julien's Bat has a Breakthrough The Twins' entire offense has looked like they were statues at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, or waiting for the bats to swing themselves, but something clicked, and game three against the Dodgers proved that it’s just “early” in the season. Center fielder Byron Buxton broke the 0-for-33 team-wide drought with runners in scoring position, and Julien broke out of his 12-strikeout slump and powered the team with two home runs to drive up the score and give the pitching a much-needed break. The dynamic lefty batter hasn’t slowed down since. He is even getting better hitting off lefty pitchers; if he can master that, he will be unstoppable. In both the series against the Dodgers and the Tigers, Julien looked like his old self, waiting for the perfect pitch and driving it when it came. He made pitchers work, and helped the Twins secure two wins over the Tigers and the final game with the Dodgers. Julien locked in five hits, three home runs and four RBIs in that cluster of contests. His patience at the plate has truly shown to be back in balance over those two series. He is sixth in the American League for home runs. With the Injuries to Correa, Max Kepler, and Royce Lewis, and with Buxton having a cool bat, even with his slow start, Julien is one of the best two-way players that the team has. Trading Polanco to secure his spot on the team was a good decision by the front office. It’s exciting to watch Julien reign again! View full article

The Minnesota Twins had some of the best pitching in MLB this past season. The pitching core carried the team throughout the season, and managed to keep the team around .500 even when the bats weren’t showing up. Now, they need a new core. Image courtesy of © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports This past week, the club lost two of its most valuable assets on the pitching staff, Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda. Both pitchers had impressive seasons, considering Maeda was returning after an 18-month recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2021. The club has suffered so long without good pitching, so why would the front office allow such difficult departures? Because it was a part of the plan all along. There have been articles and rumors about the Twins wanting to cut a large chunk of their payroll, and even with keeping Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco, the Twin's front office right now has an $88-million dollar payroll, a far cry from the 2023 $154-million Opening Day figure. The front office was well aware that three things would happen: They were going to lose Gray and Maeda, they would need more pitching, and they would need to trade some pieces to obtain new arms. Enter the club options of Polanco and Kepler. The Twins first picked up the options for Polanco ($10 million) and Kepler ($10.5 million), two of the Twins' cornerstone players and a fan-favorite duo. Kepler and Polanco have been a part of the Twins organization for 14 seasons, both signing as international free agents from Germany and the Dominican Republic, respectively. They were roommates in spring training for the 2010 season, forming what has proved to be an unbreakable bond. Naturally, when their options were picked up, fans were relieved and excited, but that’s not the end of the story. Polanco and Kepler are huge trade pieces for the Twins. Both players had their ups and downs in 2023. There are reasons why each is an imperfect fit for the 2024 team, but they each have considerable trade value. Kepler played the entire season, starting slowly in the first half, then finding his stride after the All-Star break. He had his best season since 2019, with 24 homers and a .260/.332/.484 line. Kepler hit in the second half of the season like he knew his job was in jeopardy and he’s still one of the best defensive right fielders in the league, but is it enough? Unlike the potential in the infield, the Twins don’t have much immediate help coming in the way of outfielders. With Trevor Larnach being the other option for right field, trading away Kepler would be difficult to justify. The best option would be to bring in someone who would become a full-time outfielder for years to come and be ready to release Kepler after the 2024 season. The infield has some of the best players, and while Polanco is a fantastic, versatile player and a switch-hitter, the club has a lot of young talent that stepped up for the consistently injured veterans--and there is still more at Triple-A St. Paul. Brooks Lee and Austin Martin, both of whom have been improving and showing why they should get their shot in 2024, are knocking on the door. Polanco only played 80 games in the 2023 season due to a long and strenuous battle with injury, but when he was in the game, he produced at the plate and was able to cover second base and the hot corner. Polanco has another club option for 2025, worth $12.5 million with a $750,000 buyout. So, what’s out there that would allow the Twins to get value for Polanco and not to miss Kepler after his deal is up? Only a few pieces are needed to boost the Twins to where they are looking to be, and they don’t have to go far to find that talent. The Brewers have a lot of talent in their farm system, and some that have seen MLB time and who helped them reach the postseason in 2023. A small-market team with a surfeit of both relief pitchers and outfielders, they make perfect suitors. Based on the Twins’ need to replace so many high-quality innings, someone like Bryse Wilson, a rubber-armed long reliever, would be an excellent acquisition. Wilson, a righty who will turn 26 years old this month, has been in the league since 2018, having been drafted in 2016 by the Braves. He spent his formative years in Atlanta before being traded to Pittsburgh, who flipped him to Milwaukee last winter for a minimal return. Last season, Wilson pitched 76 2/3 innings, with six wins and no losses. One of his best games was a 10-6 win over the Padres late in August, in which he worked four scoreless innings of emergency long relief and struck out four, allowing only three baserunners. Wilson ended his season with some of the best numbers of his career: a 2.58 ERA, a1.10 WHIP, a 4.17 FIP. He’ll make around $1.5 million in his first trip through arbitration in 2024, but he’s a decent bargain at that price. Wilson needn’t be the centerpiece of a trade, though. Joey Wiemer, a loose cannon at the plate and in the outfield, still has a lot of potential and could be a huge acquisition. Weimer is a really strong hitter, but he struggled a lot throughout the season. Looking at his numbers, his best month at the plate was in June (.233/.337/.512) and that gives a small glimpse into what kind of player he is. Even with the poor numbers in July and August, Wiemer crushed it against lefties (.267/.298/.517) through the whole season, which is a huge asset to the lineup. He also has outstanding defensive metrics, with five total Defensive Runs Saved in 1,026 innings as a rookie, showing that he has room to grow offensively and defensively with plenty of years left to play. The Brewers’ surplus of young outfielders may be the blessing the Twins seek. With Kepler being a free agent next year, being 31 years old, and the unknown of Buxton, contributing to the overall inconsistency of the outfield, a player like Weimer could solve many problems for the team. Over at Brewer Fanatic, writer Ryan Pollak even made the case Thursday afternoon that Wiemer will become trade bait. One pipe dream would be to acquire Corbin Burnes in a trade for Polanco. There is still uncertainty as to whether the Brewers are looking to trade Burnes, but based on the information out there, it would take at least $250 million for the Brewers to retain him in free agency after 2024. He’ll make in excess of $15 million via arbitration in 2024, an onerous amount for the Brewers at their expected payroll level The Twins could “rent” him for a year, but the Brewers know what he’s worth, and the package for Burnes would likely include a lot more than Polanco, such as the Twins’ 2024 competitive-balance draft pick or prospects. The front office has been known to shock the fan base in the offseason, so they could shock us again, but it’s more than likely that the Twins would rather hold onto the prospects and trade for controllable assets that would provide long-term solutions, like Wilson and Wiemer. With so many things up in the air, it’s really hard to say which way the Twins front office will go, but one thing for sure is to use Polanco and/or Kepler as trade pieces at some point to get the pitching that they need. It’s all part of the plan. View full article

The Twins last home game of the regular season was lackluster. With a chance to sweep the Athletics, they instead lost to the A's for the first time this season. Image courtesy of Nick Woskia, USA Today Box Score SP: Sonny Gray 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (55 pitches, 33 strikes (60%)) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Willi Castro (.11), Sonny Gray (.08), Louie Varland (.03) Bottom 3 WPA: Ryan Jeffers (-.019), Michael A. Taylor (-.08), Donovan Solano (-.06) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) A Different Look to the Pitching Sonny Gray started his appearance, allowing a few hits, but ultimately had a scoreless inning to start the game. It was a nice outing and a short one for his final regular-season start. Gray only pitched four innings to bring in Kenta Maeda, as the Twins are moving around some of the pitching for the postseason and seeing how pitchers perform in different roles and situations. Maeda came in in the fifth inning as a reliever, but it's not new for him. Maeda pitched in relief with the Dodgers; he had 20 appearances with Los Angeles out of the bullpen (22 innings), only giving up three runs over those games. Maeda did well in his first inning in the relief spot with a 1-2-3 inning. Still, Maeda's second inning looked a little less like the first, drawing two walks and struggling a bit to get out of the top of the sixth, but he returned for the seventh, throwing 50 pitches in his three innings, but did so with no runs added to the board. A Battle of the Bats The Athletics strung together some singles and sacrifices to get on the board first in the top of the second inning, but Gray kept the score at one run during his appearance. Gray silenced the A's, but the Twins offense struggled to get things going. Today's Twins offensive lineup was full of rookies, sprinkled in with a few veterans and acquisitions. It was one of the season's more unique and fun lineups and indicative of the roster's depth heading into the postseason. Many 'regular' players could rest to prepare for the postseason. The Athletic pitcher Luis Medina and the defense, specifically former Twin Brent Rooker in right field, kept the Twins from getting on the board. Kyle Farmer was the only player with a hit through five innings, but the Twins stayed scoreless through six innings. Castro got a base hit off his bunt for the Twins' second hit of the game, just for Donovan Solano to come in and hit a liner to left to advance Castro and land on first. With no outs on the board and two on, Alex Kirilloff was hit-by-pitch to load the bases for Wallner, who hit into a double play to bring Castro home to tie up the game. A Little Late Excitement With the game tied up in the sixth, the Twins kept the seventh inning interesting, battling with Athletics pitcher Lucas Erceg. The Twins worked back and loaded up the bases for Solano with two outs and two on base. Solano battled by making the Oakland reliever throw twelve pitches but ultimately struck out to end the inning. With the game tied and potential for a sweep, the Twins brought Maeda back out but was retired quickly after giving up a solo home run to Ryan Noda. Louie Varland, another starter turned reliever, came out to replace Maeda and finished the inning and a repeat performance in the ninth with no more damage. Varland struck out three in his 1 2/3 innings of relief. The A's called on old friend Trevor May to hold on to the 2-1 lead. May effectively shut his former team down to end the game and the series. What's Next? The Twins head to Colorado to finish their regular season, leaving behind some of the "A" team players from the roster to rest and prepare for the postseason push. Friday 7:10 pm CDT: RHP Joe Ryan (11-10, 4.31 ERA) vs. LHP Ty Blach (3-3, 5.42 ERA) Saturday 6:10 pm CDT: RHP Pablo Lopez (10-7, 3.43 ERA) vs. RHP Karl Kauffmann (2-4, 7.04 ERA) Sunday 1:10 pm CDT: RHP Bailey Ober (8-6, 3.53 ERA) vs. RHP Chase Anderson (1-6, 5.42 ERA) Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Heading into the Chicago series, the Twins were sitting comfortably with their magic number nine and safely above the Guardians at seven and a half games. Tonight's victory over the White Sox reduces that magic number down to eight. Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski usa today Box Score SP: Kenta Maeda 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (105 pitches, 66 strikes (66%) Home Runs: Edouard Julien (13), Royce Lewis (13), Kyle Farmer Top 3 WPA: Kenta Maeda (.341), Edouard Julien (.87), Royce Lewis (.71) Bottom 3 WPA: Jorge Polanco (-.052), Christian Vazquez (-.032), Max Kepler (-.026) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Rookies Rake Again Edouard Julien hit a solo home run dead center in the fourth inning. A batter later, Royce Lewis smashed a ball into the left-field bleachers for the second run. Lewis's home run traveled 426 feet, the longest shot of his young career. As he rounded the bases with his 426-foot home run, he paid homage to his character from Wednesday night's annual rookie night, Dr. Evil, by putting his pinky to his mouth as he rounded third. The Twins offense reset again. Alex Kirilloff got a fastball over the plate that went into center field after deflecting off the glove of Lenyn Sosa. Willi Castro followed with a line drive double, moving Kirilloff to third. With only one out and Wallner sitting on two strikes, Wallner hit a line drive past the infield, and Kirilloff and Castro made it home, adding two more runs to the board to make it 4-0. The fun wasn't over yet. In fear of being left out of the party, Kyle Farmer launched a two-run home run, pushing the score to 6-0. Maeda SHINES Kenta Maeda has been consistent throughout the comeback. His last five games have been up and down, and tonight, in the second inning, it took him 19 pitches to get out of the inning, nine of them going to Andrew Vaughn. His third and fourth innings were much smoother and easier to execute, keeping the White Sox off the board. After the second inning and grimacing through his pitches, Maeda made his third trip to the order almost seamlessly. Strikes were striking, and the defense chased down the grounders and fly balls. Maeda had allowed two base runners in the fifth but kept his scoreless innings alive as a fly-out ended the inning. With a nice lead, the Twins brought Maeda back out for the seventh inning, but he walked Yoan Moncada, showing some visible frustration thinking a strike did not get called, which returned to haunt: Vaughn caught a slider for a two-run home run to put the White Sox on the board 6-2. This outing was Maeda's second quality start after the win against the Mets, and he was on fire. While he looked at times unhappy with a pitch or a call, he stayed consistent and focused, had six scoreless innings, and pitched undoubtedly one of his best games of the season. Josh Winder came in to relieve Maeda in the eighth inning, only allowing one base run and working around Tim Anderson, Andrew Benintendi, and Luis Robert to close out the inning, only throwing 14 pitches. Baseball is Weird The ninth inning was the longest, but craziest of the game. Farmer made it to first base on a dropped third strikeout error from catcher Korey Lee during his at-bat. With two outs, Polanco grounded to Anderson at short but hustled down the line to make a close play. Initially, Polanco was punched out, but a timely challenge showed that the Twins' switch-hitter was safe by a step. On the play, Tommy Watkins wheeled Farmer home, a headsy play knowing that the White Sox would likely not have a return throw home. The game cracked wide open at that point. The White Sox burned through two relievers, which saw a bases-loaded walk from Lewis and a 2-run single from Kirilloff making the score 10-2. Brent Headrick came out to finish the game for the Twins, and a lead-off double got the White Sox fans thinking there was life left in the game, but Headrick and the defense shut them and the team down, bringing the magic number to eight. What’s Next? Friday 6:40 pm CDT: RHP Bailey Ober (6-6, 3.67 ERA) vs. RHP Jesse Scholtens (1-8, 4.44 ERA) Saturday 6:10 pm CDT: RHP Pablo Lopez (10-7, 3.43 ERA) vs. RHP Touki Toussaint (3-7, 5.65 ERA) Sunday 1:10 pm CDT: RHP Sonny Gray (7-7, 2.96 ERA) vs. RHP Dylan Cease (7-7, 4.87 ERA) Postgame Interviews Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article