darwin22

Although many may have little interest in how our affiliates finish the season, I was impressed to see how Wichita responded to split their series on the road at Tulsa. A loss today would've decreased their lead to only 2 games over the Drillers and Arkansas. Sure looked like a "L" would be the result---their 4th straight-----after falling into an early 6-0 hole. Again, I know this is only 1 game at the AA level, but imo, this was their most impressive "W" of the year at they maintained their 4 game lead over both of these teams. A favorable road series matchup at (34-56)Springfield offers the Surge an opportunity to extend that margin as Tulsa battle NW Arkansas (only 4.5 games out) and Arkansas has to travel to 1st place (52-37) for a road series. I do realize the "mission" is to advance players to the next level, which the Wind Surge has done all season by promoting Winder, Cano, Moran, Miranda and Celestino, but I'd also argue that instilling a winning attitude/demeanor is an important element for the players, coaching staff and fan base.

Uh...I'd have to say "no" to your question, but a nice string of pitching and some timely hitting has resulted in some solid wins. I will to quote from that baseball savant, Nuke LaLoosh-------"Man, I love winning! Its like better than losing."

Steve: Another excellent recap of last nights games. A few observations/comments: 1. To echo remarks of many......a big relief to see Balazovic get back on track last night against a solid Tulsa lineup. With his late debut this season, he's now at just 63.1 IP, what do you think is the likelihood he gets a September promotion? 50%? 2. When will SWR make his debut with Wind Surge? Looking forward to seeing how he performs as I don't remember him pitching much during Olympics/ 3. Absolutely do not understand the promotion of Vincent to major league roster. Again-----why are Hamilton, Moran and to a lesser extent, Cano-----being ignored? 4. Hopefully Sabato keeps reading TD as this season has him earmarked for a return to Low A Ft. Myers next season. 5. Wondering what your thoughts (and others) are of Trey Cabbage's future? Not sure where he falls in our prospect rankings, but his bat has been solid all season between CR and Wichita.

and and 5ns A few observations after ANOTHER day that the Sox kick sand in our faces.....17 games....13 losses: 1. Made this comment on other threads, but will repeat it here: Beau "duke" Burrows should NEVER pitch in another game in this organization. Not at Saint Paul. Not at Wichita. Not in Cedar Rapids. Not in Ft. Myers. He needs to be DFA'ed tonight. 2. As horrendous as Burrows was (and is)-----Garcia's effort actually looked promising. Now possibly, the Sox hitters got tired pounding the ball out of the park against Burrows, but Garcia appeared to have a plan and executed it. 3. 2 hits on the night. Two. Enough said. PS-- I could care less about the meaningless solo shot by Sano. 4. How much longer do the fans who live and die (its been morbid since April) with this team have to WAIT to see Hamilton, Moran or Cano promoted from Saint Paul?

As has been noted-------Hamilton & Moran have earned and deserve a promotion from Saint Paul. If there are 40-man roster implications so be it, but both need to be called up NOW!! Moran has had a great season----1.98 ERA with 85 K's in 50 IP and an outstanding 0.70 WHIP. Burrows and Minaya can pack their bags whether its back to AAA or to another organization.

Hmm...you'd think you'd get the name right.....BARNES.....anyway------not a good start for Barnes if he had hopes of staying in the rotation for an extended period. Not giving up on him, but he should be demoted back to Saint Paul. With Drew Strotman on the 40-man active roster------he should be called up to take slot in rotation. If not Strotman, is Josh Winder an option? I would think so, but he has had a recent tough stretch and is not on 40-man roster. After ANOTHER bad performance by Burrows today------11.00 ERA over 4 appearances--he should be dfa'ed with Ian Hamilton taking his spot in pen. Onto Houston-------will be surprised if 1 of 4 games results in a Twins win. Saying that, wins are not the key for the rest of this LOST season. As I've said for months------EVALUATION should be the 1st and foremost priority.

Seth: Thanks for the excellent update on these pitching prospects. Was interesting to read about German and Rozek as I didn't realize how well they pitched in July. Well deserved praise for Tyler Watson. Saw him in his July 11 home start for Kernels against Peoria. Although he struggled a tad with his command early on, he settled down to have a solid start. Sure would be nice to see him progress next season with a promotion to Wichita. He could be a dependable LH bullpen option by 2023.

Factually you're 100% correct. I would mention...also a FACT......that Wainwright has 719 career MLB ABs as a life long SP in the NL. That does factor into the equation doesn't it?

I realize roster size is limited to 28 after September 1st. Saying that, is it impossible for Boyd (or Drew Maggi) to get a call up in September as a reward for their achievements this season? Would be a 'feel good' story for both to get at least 1 AB in 'the Show' after they've combined for over 6000 minor league ABs in their careers.

Another "ho-hum"/ groundhog day loss in this train wreck of a season. A few thoughts: 1. Pineda deserved better. Pitched well enough, but his inability to get Wainwright out (see next item) by having to throw waaaayyy too many pitches led to his early exit. 2. Arraez is NOT a 3B! Not that his error was pivotal in loss, but it sure didn't help. 3. Kepler: What can you say, but ughh. His short hot spell has sure turned into a horrendous slump. Looks overmatched against low 90s fastballs. Not good. 4. Beau Burrows: Double UGGHH!! Can we just move forward and DFA ol' Beua and his 11.25 ERA. Next man up! How much longer do we have to wait to get Ian Hamilton called up? Same with Moran. 5. I know Gant didn't look anywhere near great in his 1st appearance, but since the rest of this season SHOULD BE ABOUT EVALUATION FOR 2022-----what's the downside to getting him stretched out for a slot in the rotation? I know his walks are a HUGE issue (56 before today), but there's sure not much behind Maeda and Pineda at this point.

With the season Boyd has produced combined with the FACT that he's accumulated 2800+ ABs in his minor league career since being drafted by OAK in 2012, he deserves a September call up as a reward. In this lost season, Twins mgmt should do the right thing and bring him up to 'The Show'

Good analysis. A plethora of questions that will need to be answered in the not to distant future. I would add a few more: 1. The most obvious & in my opinion the most important question to answer-------What is "the plan/strategy" moving forward with Buxton? Everyone has their opinions, but if Falvey & Pohlad can be believed---2022 is a season to retool, not a complete rebuild----then the answer to the Buxton question MUST be resolved in the offseason. If an extension can be agreed upon by all parties with Buxton signed to a long term deal (5+ years), then the domino effect will be resolving our dilemma at SS. I would think that either Lewis or Martin are the long term answer at that position with "the loser" being moved to another position. For 2022 though, does Pohlad (he should) have the cajones to make a serious offer to Correa, Story or Corey Seager? 2. You addressed the DH issue, but I'd offer this will continue to be a revolving door next season as Sano, Rooker, Donaldson and possibly a few others get the vast majority of ABs. 3. Starting Rotation: With only Maeda (at this point) a "lock" to be in rotation for 2022, what is the plan for the other 4 slots? Is Pineda under strong consideration for a multi-year deal at $$ close to what he's earned the last year? If nothing is done to upgrade at SS, who are 2-3 free agent SPs to target that ARE NOT in the dumpster diver division? No more offers to the likes of Happ or Shoemaker? 4. Bullpen- Beyond the "Buxton Question"--------this IS the biggest area that must not only be addressed but improved if this club has any chance to be competitive in 2022 and years ahead. Who are worthwhile---in the prime of their careers---------RPs that can be obtained in free agency or via the trade market without giving up a king's ransom of prospects? Which top 50 SP prospects currently in the organizations are targeted for conversion to RP roles?

Did not know about this till later in the day as I was working at an area golf course. Came home to find my spouse of 28 years and a LIFE LONG Cardinals fan more than p*issed about this fleecing. Although we're watching the game together she hasn't talked to me for the last 20 minutes as I've been reading all the posts on this thread....LOL.

LA Vikes fan: Absolutely agree with your comments on all fronts. A few things to add centered on your statement---"FO overestimated the core talent in place and just needed to fill some holes in the complimentary group" 1. For whatever reason Falvey & Levine allowed Trevor May (FA deal with Mets) and Tyler Clippard to leave thinking that others would progress. Obviously, that has not happened. I really don't understand the "love affair" Falvey has with Cody Stashak. Stashak had a decent 2020 campaign but not, imo, the type of season that merited be moved into such a key set up role. As everyone knows now, Stashak was putrid early this season-----demoted to AAA and now on long term IL. 2. Tyler Duffey: Not sure I can place all the blame on Falvey on this one as I was frequently calling last year for Duffey to get more 8th and 9th inning duties instead of Sergio Romo. Duffey has not taken the "next step" that many expected. He hasn't been terrible, but sure hasn't been the dependable and at times dominant RP that I expected he would be. 3. Jorge Alcala: Another arm that was expected to improve but has stalled with far too many poor outings whether they come mid game or in late inning situations. Really have to wonder what role, if any he has moving forward. 4-5. Sano and Kepler: Not much more to add from what you stated, but both of these guys have significantly regressed from what they did in 2019. My thought is Falvey and others in the FO absolutely refused to put ANY stock in their poor performances in 2020. It doesn't take a great baseball mind to see that both Sano and Kepler STRUGGLE to make consistent contact especially when making contact by making a productive out can produce a run. I believe Falvey and others in the front office absolutely believed both would rebound to their 2019 power numbers. 6. Jake Cave: The perfect example of the mentality of Falvey....Cave gives us good defense (he does). Cave will improve his run and power production getting regular ABs if Buxton gets injured (big miscalculation there). Cave will prove he can hit LH pitching (he can't). 7. Alex Colome: At the time of the signing, I was thinking this could work out as I looked at his solid numbers over the last 2 years--especially dominant against Twins. Now, its quite apparent THERE WAS A MAJOR REASON WHY NO TEAM OFFERED him a FA contract. Especially true when Colome sat on the FA market, I think into late January/ early February. and finally.... #8 Randy Dobnak: Call me a homer, but I think Dobnak's lost season can be absolutely blamed on Baldelli and Falvey. If memory serves, Dobnak had a great ST, but due to the late FA "reach and grab" of Shoemaker to be SP#5, Dobnak had no defined role to start the season. Honestly, I think the decision to insert Shoemaker into the rotation and kick Dobnak into an undetermined relief role showed a complete lack of faith in Dobnak. I would argue it was borderline disrespectful to Dobnak as other than Maeda in 2020, he was our best and most consistent SP. No way to predict what will play out with him moving forward, but, imo, he's a guy that can be a valuable member of our pitching staff next season. Lets just give him a DEFINED ROLE and commit to it. If he fails, so be it.

Also wondering what the single season MLB record is for allowing 10+ runs in a game? Our collection of misfit (as nice a word I can use) pitchers have not allowed 10+ runs in 10 games as of today. Also wondering when was the last time a team scored 10+ runs in a game and still lost? Today was the 2nd time for this. The other was our infamous 13-12 loss to Oakland on April 21st. Looking back, I'm almost grateful for that loss as it ENDED my daily investment of time and energy in watching this team. April 21st was also the last SV opportunity that Colome had before replacing Rogers the other night---which ended with the same result. Saying that, heads up to the "Charlie Brown's of the world"--ie hopeful young/middle age Twins fans------Lucy NEVER holds the ball in place. Just saying.

Great to see the excellent performances by a multitude of players last night, but in this complete FAILURE of a season at the MLB level, I would like to take a minute to call for the promotion------to the big league level for 2 players, that IMO, absolutely deserve a September call up. #1 Drew Maggi- 32/ INF at Saint Paul Has 3383 ABs in his professional career--all in the minors. Maggi was the 447th pick by Pittsburgh in the 2010 draft. After a slot start, Maggi has raked throughout July in his 73 ABs with 9 HRs, 20 RBI, a .288 average and an excellent .358 OBP. #2 BJ Boyd- 28/ OF-DH at Wichita Has 2867 AB's in his professional career--like Maggi, all in the minors. Boyd was drafted in the 4th round in 2012 by the A's. He has put up a solid year at Wichita hitting .286 in 175 ABs. Has 5 HRs to go along with 34 RBI. Also a strong OBP (.362) and a solid OPS of .802. Yes, I know neither of these players has a "future" (2022 and beyond) with the Twins, BUT aren't these these 2 guys the type of players that should be rewarded for their long time desire, enthusiasm and grit to keep grinding? I do realize rosters are limited in September to only 28 players, but considering we will be playing ZERO meaningful games by then-----I found zero downside in calling these guys up to "the Show" as a reward for their hard work and dedication for so many years.

Excellent point! Not that it really matters, but what reason did Rocco...even if he was asked the question, which I doubt by our hometown too friendly media in his postgame comments-----for NOT walking Cabrera with 1B open in the 11th with the go ahead run on 3B with 1 out?? Tigers did exactly that in the 10th when Polanco advanced to 3B with 1 out. They intentionally walked Donaldson-taking the bat out of his hand and setting up a potential DP. Cabrera is by no means the hitter he once was, but did Rocco "forget" about his 9th inning double off Robles and his utter lack of any speed. If you walk him, Hinch possibly/likely pulls him for a pinch runner--which he did AFTER Cabrera's RBI single. Don't remember who followed Miggy in the order, but you don't let him beat you in that situation. To me, that move---------amongst many others all season----suggests Rocco has NO FEEL how to manage a game. Oh well, just another horrendous loss in a miserable season.

Agree 100%--------it will be interesting to see if the FO has the cajones to cut bait with Sano and eat the $9.25m he's guaranteed for 2022. And please.......for those out there yammering that cutting Sano will result in a David Ortiz renaissance that will come back to haunt us--------just stop! Sano is a waste. Waive him in offseason and move on.

I was thinking the same thing especially after bozo Bremer kept incessantly bringing up the grand slam that Jake Rogers (who?) hit off T. Rogers earlier this month. Not that this team needs any more bad Karma, but that didn't help.

Absolutely agree with you regarding Alcala. His lack of command and propensity to allow innings to spiral out of control has continued to be a depressing trend. Count me 100% "in" regarding your position "to start bringing up the rookies" the remainder of this season. Although not a rookie, Ian Hamilton, has been deserving of a promotion for several weeks. Jovanni Moran and to a possibly lesser degree, Cano...I'd like to see get innings the last 2 months. Ryan Mason at Wichita also, imo, deserves at least a promotion to Saint Paul. This group should be coupled with our 2 recent acquisitions from Tampa.

My 2 cents on this matter: Subtractions/Additions to 40 man roster Drop from 40 man roster/ offseason or before 1. Happ 2. Colome 3. Smeltzer 4. Thorpe 5. Law 6. Burrows 7. Minaya Additions 1-3. All mentioned by Cody Pirkl in this article: Hamilton, Moran and Cano 4. Joe Ryan 5. Josh Winder 6. Cole Sands--AA Wichita 7. Chris Vallimont-AA Wichita * I do realize that #'s 5-7 are currently SPs, but could see Vallimont moved into RP role.

Allen: Thanks for update from last night. A few thoughts: 1. If Barnes wants another chance to start for the Twins, he has to pitch much better than he did last night. 2. I know the September roster size is limited this season, but was wondering your thoughts on Drew Maggi and/or Keon Broxton getting promoted. 3. Aaron Sabato: Mentioned earlier, but unless Sabato has a dramatic turnaround in the 2nd half, he's destined to start 2022 back at Low A Ft. Myers. Not what I was expecting from our 2020 1st round (27th overall) pick. 4. Nice to see a strong night from Jermaine Palacios albeit in a bad loss to Arkansas. Palacios went 3-4 and hit his 11th HR. Has a strong OBP (.360) with good production (30 RBI) and speed (9 SBs). Hope he's in the conversation for a meaningful role next season. 5. Nice to see Tyler Watson (CR Kernels) put in another strong start last night. Watson has lowered his season ERA to 1.87, but more impressively he has a 0.50 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP since he moved into a starting role in late June. In his last 4 starts, one of which I witnessed (July 11th in CR) Watson has allowed only 1 ER in 18 IP. Although a late round (34th) pick by Nats in 2015 out of high school, Watson is only 24 and could be a viable LH bullpen option as early as 2023.

Absolutely hoping Sabato is a key part of our future, but at his current rate (see below) he's destined, barring a huge 2nd half, to be back in Low A next year. Other than a strong OBP (.372) over 69 games, Sabato has struggled immensely as evidenced by the following: Avg: .187 HR: 4 RBI 26 SLG %: .294 K rate: 40% (94/235 ABs) Not what I was expecting from our 1st round (27th overall selection) in 2020 amateur draft.

Doc: Interesting comments with your take on Happ, Jeffers and Gordon. #1 I made this comment on another thread recently and I would compare your comment regarding Happ having "some" value as a trade chip comparable to my assertion that Colome might have some trade value. You may well be right, but I seriously doubt ANY GM has an interest in giving up even a low A prospect for Happ. I do hope your right as Happ has ZERO upside for this teams future as all he'd doing is eating innings that could be given to Jax, Barnes or 1 of our acquisitions from Tampa. #2 Jeffers: I've been guilty of jumping on the Jeffers bandwagon mainly due to my frustration with Garver's continued inability to stay healthy and his propensity to whiff (early season) at an alarming rate. Agree with your point that Jeffers (my words) is a very serviceable Catcher #2 , especially with Garver getting semi regular ABs at 1B next season. #3 Gordon: I realize Gordon's numbers are pedestrian...263 average with little pop (1 HR/ 5RBI) with 22K's and a low OBP (.317). Saying that, I honestly believe with MORE ABs ( only 76 in 29 games) Gordon can turn into the type of utility player that we need in the future. I did not watch the game on FSN, but the replay of him scoring the go ahead run was an indicator of how his instincts and SPEED can be a game changer. I realize if Juan Lagares (Angels had ANY accuracy with his weak arm) Gordon should've been out by 15 feet-------but he wasn't! Gordon's speed and instincts took over and forced Lagares to make a throw that I doubt he expected to have to make. When was the last time the Twins (without it being Buxton) literally STOLE a run due to their aggresiveness? I can't remember it. Can you. Can others? With more players---Pineda, Robles, possibly Simmons---being dealt over the next 8 days------the EVALUATION PERIOD should go full throttle over the last 2 months.

Or...I'll up the ante---------four Bombo Rivera baseball cards with two Paul Thormodsgard cards thrown in as a sweetener