darwin22

Very good observation as I wondered the same thing. Right now-----and for a large chunk of the season------Simmons ABs have been painful to watch. Far too many unproductive outs with some of the absolute WORST I'VE EVER SEEN swings by a MLB player. His .242 avg and .314 OBP will not be missed next season......or hopefully in August or September as some team desperate for defense will make a decent offer of a prospect or two.

Bummer to see our winning streak come to an end, but with this pitching staff (see below) it was inevitable. A few other observations: 1. Nice to see the continued development of Kirilloff and Larnach. Hopefully, they'll both remain healthy for remainder of season. 2 huge building blocks for the future. Got to believe the defensive future for Kirilloff will be at 1B next season. 2. Nelson Cruz: Nice to see the resurgence of Cruz this month (.400 avg) going 24-60 with 6 jacks and 1`3 RBI after after an abysmal performance in May (.221 avg/ 3 HR/ 6 RBI). Hopefully Falvey can get something of value in a trade as he deserves a shot with team contending to make playoffs. 3. Ryan Jeffers: Also continues to improve with his bat and is FAR superior defensively to Garver. Hope Garver can recover to platoon with Jeffers. As much as I like Rortvedt---his production at the plate is beyond poor (6-47/.128 avg). 4. Gilbert Celestino: Honestly, I like this kid and strongly believe DOWN THE ROAD (2023) he could be a viable MLB starter for Twins somewhere in the OF. Saying that-----he's NOT ready to be playing CF at this level as evidenced by continued lack of production. Now hitting .118 (4-34)--which is bad enough, but it forces Baldelli to pinch hit for him early in the game in any situation with runners on base. Celestino's bat needs development in the minors. He was barely hitting .250 at AA Wichita before his brief call up to Saint Paul. Kid has some excellent defensive tools---not taking into account his bonehead play in KC a couple of weeks ago---but he needs to develop confidence refining his batting skills in AAA or AA. ....and finally............our woebegone pitching staff. Sure would've like to see Ober's command allow him to finish stronger than he did. I think he can be part of the puzzle in our future rotation with Winder, Balazovic, Duran, Sands, Canterino and a few others. Until those young SPs can develop---whatever "plan" Falvey/Levine-Pohlad has for the offseason MUST focus 90% on pitching. Not sure what the ERA is now for our staff/bullpen, but I did discover that in 19 of our now 42 losses (45.2%) our pitching staff has been bludgeoned for 7+ runs. In 10 of those 19 losses (52.6%) our offense has actually scored 4+ runs. For those "keeping score"-------today was the 7th time our pitchers have given up 10 or more runs. Whatever plan was used to put this staff together in the offseason----can be described as nothing better than TOTAL FAILURE.

Just when you think there's a POSSIBILITY that this team might start to resemble the team that many predicted in the offseason----you get squarely kicked right in the cajones. Didn't see the pitch that injured Bux, but the result is just devastating for him. As many may know,...I heard this on FSN the other day------over the last 3 years when Buxton is in the lineup--the Twins are 45 games...yes 45 games OVER.500! When out of the lineup over that time period.....Twins are 5 games UNDER .500. Just really p*ssed off right now. Hopefully, Bux can recover and be back with the team soon after the All-Star break. Until then, it appears Baldelli will have to continue to shuffle his lineup to cover CF. IMO, that coverage should be a combination of Kepler, Gordon and possibly Refsnyder whenever he come off IL. In no way should Celestino be called back up! His bat is obviously NOT ready to contribute as evidenced by his .125 avg (4-32), 7K/1BB with an abysmal .152 OBP and .402 OPS.

Answers to your questions? No No No

John: Appreciate your clarification on the players I cited in my post. Good work on your salary observations as things stand right now. A lot of big decisions for the front office to make.

Upon further review.... as I pay attention to this.....many of the "numbers" quoted for 2022 salaries are incorrect or projections from arbitration. My source is: Spotrac.com/ mlb team payrolls Garver is NOT making 3.8mill for 2022. He's making $1.875 mill this season. He could get that increase for 2022, but I doubt it. Polanco: making $5.50 mill for 2022-------not $5.0 mill Sano: As noted by another----is NOT making $12 mill next year-----he's guaranteed (ugh!!) $9.25m. Has $14.25m CLUB option for 2023. Buxton: Is NOT guaranteed $8.5m for next year as he's ARB4 eligible. Making $5.125mill for 2021. If Twins can't sign him long term....I wouldn't be shocked to see Buxton (if he can stay healthy for remainder of this season) file for at least $10mill in arbitration. Rogers: Making $6.0 mill this season. Like Buxton is approaching his last year (4) of arbitration. $7.5 mill is a projection. Berrios: Making $6.1mill this season. Entering 3rd year of arbitration. $9.0 mill, again is a projection through arbitration process. Like Buxton, I could see Berrios filing at $10mill plus in arbitration.

FYI---Maeda is scheduled to make $3.125 mill for 2022 and 2023....Not $9.0 mill.

Doc: Other than your final note ( I didn't watch game on FSN) so I have no opinion on Perkins, I agree with your comments. I really believe that Alcala has a strong future as a late inning option in our bullpen. To me, he has the demeanor/disposition you need from a closer. What he doesn't have at this point to be trusted in that role is an effective 3rd pitch, namely a changeup. Other than some command issues, I like what I've seen from Robles as he's shown he's much more like the effective pitcher he was in 2019 rather than the gas can he was with Halos last year. As for Dobnak, I'm somewhere in the middle on him. I think he's most effective as a starter. Seems to me his poor performance this season may be attributed to the fact that he's been yanked around without having any defined role. Saying that, I can understand those that argue Dobnak must make that mental adjustment as well as showing he can effectively command his pitches. When he does what he did today, he can be a viable option for next season---joining Berrios and Maeda. Count me NOT in the crowd that is ready to trade Berrios. That doesn't mean you don't listen to offers at the trade deadline, but he's shown BY FAR he's the most reliable SP we've had over the past 3 seasons. Where many may disagree with me is filling out the remainder of the starting rotation next season. Im DONE with dumpster dives for the likes of Shoemaker, Happ and countless others over the past many years. Time to take the kid gloves off and give Duran, Winder and Balazovic the chance to compete in ST for 2 rotation slots for 2022. I can't believe Winder has anything left to prove at AA Wichita. Another excellent outing last night. Balazovic will take some more time to gain strength as he's only made 3 starts. His outing this week, which I witnessed in person, was quite impressive. Don't have as much to offer about Duran, but from comments I've seen----he just needs to get consistency with his command. Will be interesting to see what trades FO will make over the next 6 weeks. Got to believe that Cruz and Pineda (if healthy) are at top of list, which could bring some value back. If Donaldson can get back into lineup and show production he could also be moved if mgmt is willing to kick in some $$$. Appears that SF and Milwaukee could be possible sights for JD.

I like your thinking, but, with Dobnak starting and not much in reserve out of the bullpen------I wouldnt get my hopes up.

Roger: Thanks for the response. Despite the heat, it was an excellent road trip, which I'd strongly recommend for any Twins fans hoping to see some well played baseball. Living on east side of KC metro area (20 minutes from Arrowhead Stadium) it was an easy 3.5 hour drive to Wichita. Had affordable hotel accommodations (Drury Inn) without the bother of having to drive to the game. 10 minute (0.4 mi) walk to Riverfront Stadium. However, there is free parking closer if thats a route fans would want to pursue. Wichita's record (22-16) could be construed as deceiving by some as their 10-4 against Springfield. Cardinals pitching is pretty poor I'll admit, but they do have some quality hitters. Wind Surge are playing .500 (12-12) against other teams in the Texas league: 5-7 vs. Tulsa (all on the road) 4-2 vs. Arkansas (SEA) and 3-3 vs. Amarillo (AZ). Will be interesting to see how team responds with upcoming 2-week/12 game road trip vs. Midland (OAK) and Amarillo. Although I was only able to see Moran pitch 1 inning last night-----he took the 9th in a non-save opportunity-----he dominated striking out all 3 batters with his vaunted changeup and 95+ gas. I'll be surprised, I wanted to say shocked, but you never know with the decision making of this front office--if Moran is still pitching for the Wind Surge in July.

Thats got to be a misprint/old information as the same info is listed in the Wind Surge yearbook I picked up last night. My "eye test"----being within 60 feet of homeplate------his height is accurate (6'0) but he's hot to be at least 180lb.

Just because I had to check--------the 1982 Twins pitching staff (my senior year in high school) was NOT as awful as I originally thought in comparison to this year's group. Saying that, I knew that the 82 team would struggle, but as all know the CORE of that team---Laudner, Hrbek, Gaetti, Viola------with the help of others---produced the first (and best) WS title only 5 years later. As for that group......research shows the 82 team..as most know..went 60-102 finishing dead last in the AL West. However, their starting pitchers (as listed by Baseball Reference) showed a few surprises. 1. The 5 SPs listed were: Bobby Castillo (13-11/ 3.66 ERA); Brad Havens (10-14/ 4.31 ERA) Al(bert) Williams (9-7/4.22 ERA), Jack O'Connor (8-9/ 4.29 ERA) and a young southpaw by the name of Frank Viola (4-10/5.21 ERA) That group combined to go 44-51 for a winning % of .463 The 2021 group---Berrios, Happ, Pineda, Shoemaker and Maeda---with MUCH HIGHER EXPECTATIONS and with a much better (at least thought to be) lineup and bullpen in support have gone so far through 68 games...17-19 for a .472 win %. Not much better than the 1982 group. I know only 68 games in for the 2021 group of underachievers, but the 82 team had a final team pitching ERA of 4.72. This years group of misfits, is currently sitting at 5.01.....yes over 1/4 of a run higher------who's best SP was Bobby Castillo. 2. The 82 team's bullpen was a complete train wreck. Sounds familiar, huh? 4 of the most immortal (and forgettable) RPs from that team included: Ron Davis: Really difficult to type that name without expletives. For those who might remember, he was the epitome of "gas on the fire" as a closer. Sounds like a RP we acquired in the offseason as a free agent. Somehow, RD did collect 22 saves that season, but HAD TO HAVE at least 10 BLOWN SAVES. He finished the year 3-9 with a 4.42 ERA The aforementioned Terry Felton. From what I've read, Felton really was not as AWFUL (I'm being generous in my old age) as his 0-13 record with a 4.99 ERA suggests. Is the only pitcher (I think) in MLB history to record more than 10 decisions in a season and lose every game. Pete Redfern: 5-11/ 6.58 ERA Roger Erickson 4-3/ 5.87 3. Not intentionally trying to "cherry pick"-------but compare to the following 3 RPs for the 2021 that Falvey, front office and Baldelli expected to "be good" this season that have completely NOT been anywhere close to average: Dobnak: 1-6/ 8.38 ERA over 38.2 IP Colome: 2-4/ 5.63 ERA over 24 IP Stashak: 0-0/ 6.89 ERA over 15.2 IP Time to move forward and hope that those progressing at Wichita, Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers will give our fan base something in the way of positive production in the years ahead.

As the hour is quite late, I'll have to revisit this tomorrow----but the 1982 pitching staff that featured the immortal Terry Felton going 0-13 ( I think) would have to be worse....at this point of the season. Considering the expectations-----I'd agree that this has been the MOST DISAPPOINTING pitching staff in franchise history.

A few additional nuggets after being in attendance for the Wind Surge's 8-2 win over Springfield. 1. If not for a questionable scoring decision on Palacios' last AB (ruled an error on throw from 2B), he would have been a perfect 5-5 tonight. Still a 4-5 night with a 11 total bases ( single, double and 2 solo HRs) was quite impressive. Palacios' 2nd HR to dead center came on a 3-2 pitch after he spoiled several pitches to keep his AB alive. Add him to the list of hitters that deserve some strong consideration for a long look on the big league roster heading into 2022. Palacios raised his average to .304 with a strong OPS of .905. 2. Was pleasantly surprised to see the performance of Chris Vallimont tonight. Valilmont consistently worked ahead all night and his command was quite impressive as evidenced by his pitching line: 5 IP, 3 hits, 1 BB, 1 ER with 7 K's. This was accomplished on 74 pitches...50 of which were strikes. Vallimont is only 24 with nice size---6'5/ 220 lbs. Was 5th rd. pick by Marlins in 2018. 3. Catcher/1B---Caleb Hamilton also has a nice night drawing 2 walks along with a ringing line drive RBI double in the 1st. Hamilton looked very good defensively at 1B. He made a perfect toss (3-1 assist) on a tough play in the 7th and then followed that with a nice pick for a 3unassisted putout and capped the 7th inning tracking a foul pop that he had to run a good distance down the line to catch against the netting. Hamilton also has a strong .902 OPS. 4. Jovani Moran closed the door in the 9th striking out all 3 batters. His changeup is the real deal. He--as mentioned in other articles also has a quality heater registering 96mph. He should be joining Cano soon in Saint Paul. and finally......a quiet night from Jose Miranda....1-4,,,,,,but had 2 stolen bases on 1 play! He stole 2B in the bottom of 6th with 2-outs and had the presence of mind to continue onto 3B when he noticed with the defensive shift----that nobody was covering 3B. Great hustle to make that play when he could've been very content to remain at 2B with the Surge leading 5-1.

Steve: Although a rough night for Saint Paul, CR and Fort Myers, I'm pleased to report that I was able to witness the Wind Surge's 13-4 thumping of Springfield tonight at a VERY warm Riverfront Stadium in Wichita. First of all, for any fans considering making the trip to Wichita, its definitely worth the time. The ballpark is spectacular! As many might know, Riverfront Stadium was built with intention of being the Miami Marlins AAA team in 2020. Whoever designed this ballpark did a tremendous job. Not a bad seat anywhere in the park. As with most minor league teams at AA level, box seats (we sat 15 rows directly being Wind Surge dugout) were very affordable....only $15.00 each if bought in advance. Ballpark offers great variety of amenities----from food and beverage to a very nice (and affordable) team store. As for the game, you have to take into account Springfield----especially their pitching staff is very comparable to a team that got dominated by that future Cy Young winner, Chris Flexen, Anyway, Springfield, by no accident is a BAD team....now 12-24 overall. Saying that, they do have some solid prospects----namely Nolan Gorman...#3 overall prospect, who hit 3 HRs in a game last night. Came away VERY IMPRESSED with the performance of Balazovic tonight. Only criticique I'd offer is Balazovic needs to get more efficient with his command/pitch count. 4.1 IP with 8 Ks, only 1 walk and 2 singles and 0 ER allowed puts him on track, imo, for a late season call up and a strong chance to start 2022 season in Twins rotation. Although Miranda's lead off HR was nice to see, I was more impressed with his ability to drive in 2 additional runs with solid singles..on 2 strike counts...in 2 of his later ABs that produced 2 RBI. With a .315 avg and an excellent OPS of .927, I'd expect a promotion to Saint Paul should be coming for Miranda within the next month. Looking forward to seeing Game #2 tomorrow night with Cole Sands on the bump for the Surge.

Looking forward to seeing Jordan Balazovic start tomorrow night at home against Springfield. Will be leaving KC area tomorrow to see Wind Surge games Tues and Wed. night. Will be a MUCH warmer game night than the 2 games I saw in Springfield the 1st week of the season. Hoping to see Balazovic rebound from a poor start in his last game. Not sure who's lined up to pitch Wed, night but it appears that it may be Cole Sands. Sands has had a nice start with Wichita. Along with Winder, Moran, Cano and possibly Ryan Mason, would be good to see these "young guns" continue to progress and get promoted to Saint Paul. Will be interesting to see that the "game atmosphere" is like the next 2 nights at Riverfront Stadium as the 2 games in Springfield my spouse and I attended were VERY quiet. That could've been attributed to COVID protocols/limited attendance, but it was the quietest crowd I've ever attended a game in person for. Hopefully the pitching and bats of Miranda, Whitefield and others will provide for some great entertainment and two wins!

Matt: Thanks for the report tonight-------made even better by fact that all 4 affiliates won tonight. Especially nice to see Wind Surge break their 5 game losing streak with a come from behind 4-2 victory over Tulsa. Any victory over a Dodgers team is a good thing.

Not living in MN area, so I may have missed this-------How much longer is Buxton expected to remain across town in SP? With his production over 3 games, I can't believe he's not going to be activated for upcoming roadtrip to SEA and TX.

Seth: Spot on with your analysis of Cano and Moran as they've both been extremely impressive all season for Wichita. Moran further proved he was ready for a promotion to Saint Paul as he picked up Wind Surge starter in the 5th tonight keeping deficit at 2-0. Moran has two more shutout IP tonight to go along with 4 K's while allowing 2 walks and only 1 hit. Those two scoreless IP lowered his ERA to 0.77. I've been calling for the promotion of Cano for several weeks. I would like to add 1 more RP for consideration for a promotion: Ryan Mason. Mason was drafted by Twins in 2016 in the 13th round out of University of California. Mason was excellent in the 1 game (May 5th) I saw in person as he threw 1.1 shutout IP with 3 Ks against Springfield to preserve the win. Other than 1 poor appearance (May 15th vs. Amarillo/ 4 ER in 2 IP), Mason has been very good. Mason also had a solid outing tonight--lowering his ERA to 3.12---taking over from Moran throwing 1.2 shutout IP after the Surge tied the game at 2-2 in the 7th. Selfishly, I'd like to see Twins hold off for a few days promoting these guys as I have a road trip planned to see the Wind Surge in Wichita on June 15-16. All 3 of these guys have earned the opportunity for advancement. Time for Falvey/Levine to admit the truth that certain bullpen arms--namely, Colome, Thielbar and Shoemaker--have not performed well enough to keep their jobs. Rest of this season is for evaluation. Lets get it started.

Finally.......(I know its 1 game in a lost season)........we kicked sand in the grill of the big bully.........feels good.

You CAN lose "the numbers" for Sydney "Pontoon" Ponson and Mike Pelfrey--------2 of the worst FA signings ever made.

Unless Moreland is hitting against our gas can pitching staff.

A few observations to add on: 1. I know I'm old...55....but am I the only fan who could care less about exit velo, xBA and launch angles? I know those things aren't going away, but I'm only concerned about did Player A for the Twins have a quality/productive AB---especially with RISP. 2-11 today, which has been "the norm" all season. 2. Nick Gordon: Yes, some regression is quite possible, but he needs to STAY ON THE ACTIVE ROSTER for the forseeable future. 2 more hits today and his speed add a huge missing element to our stagnant offense. 3. Matt Shoemaker: Looking for anyone to make an argument why he should remain in the rotation over Bailey Ober? 4. I know only a miniscule sample size...last 2 games........but is their finally some defined roles in the bullpen? Alcala for 6th, Duffy in 7th and combo of Robles/Rogers for 8th-9th. Not sure if anyone had a sickening feeling like I did going into bottom of 6th nursing a 2-1 lead, but I seriously thought Baldelli was going to bring Colome in at that point. 5. What is the status of Refsnyder coming off 7-day IL? I didn't see Celestino today (fine with that). Can't believe using Garlick is any long term answer, but his bat deserves the ABs much moreso than Celestino. and finally......... What is the "over/under" for Twins wins this week hosting Yanks and Stros over the next 6 games? I'll set the line at 2

I can't disagree with that, but I'm not sure if ANY MLB managers "have complete control of their roster." Saying that, I cannot believe Falvey/Levine are dictating to Rocco that Shoemaker MUST remain in rotation. That seems 100% Rocco's decision, which, imo, is 100% asinine.

Can't say I'm surprised to see this injury with Canterino. As many others have noted, his unorthodox delivery foreshadowed this type of injury. Hopefully, he can come back soon and get valuable IP with CR and a promotion to Wichita before seasons end. As for Balazovic, I concur with your opinion. His high prospect ranking (#4) ensures that FO will be very careful with his IP over the next month. I doubt he's allowed to go past a certain pitch count for at least another month. If he can stay on course to get somewhere over 15 starts/120 IP over the rest of the season, I'd have to think he's a viable option for the starting rotation going into 2022.