darwin22

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.

Good analysis on current state of affairs. For what its worth, Balazovic had a strong (pitch limited) 1st start of season tonight against Arkansas (AA-Diamonbacks) going 3.1 IP while allowing only 1 hit, 2 walks and recording 5 K's. Hopefully, he stays healthy and earns a call up by the end of the season.

Without a long time investment, I can agree with that group of 10.

Agree on your comments regarding Ober and Gordon. Ober, imo, showed enough promise is his only start to get a promotion and has pitched solidly in his last 2 starts for Saints (9 IP...4 ER with 13-2 K/BB rate) against I-Cubs. I also think Gordon deserves a long look as I can't believe the FO has any plans to bring Simmons back next year. From what I've seen from Gordon in limited ABs looks encouraging. As for Rooker, I have to ask-----where do you (or others) seeing him play on a regular basis? Its not at DH, unless Cruz is traded. Its not at 1B as long as Sano & Kirilloff stay off IL. Moreover, it shouldn't be in the OF as Larnach, Refsnyder and Arraez (when he comes off IL) have shown to be at least average defensively. Rooker has a waffle iron for a glove and his set up and throwing mechanics are below average. In addition, what has Rooker done with his bat at AAA to deserve a promotion? He has had some decent pop (5 HRs and 11 RBI) and has a good OBP (.366) drawing 15 walks. What troubles me is his continued low batting average (.227) and propensity to whiff at nearly a "Sano-esque" rate....36% K rate with 24 K's in 66 ABs.

Having seen Miranda in person during Wichita's opening series at Springfield in early May and seeing what he continues to do with his bat, I definitely agree that Miranda should absolutely be in the conversation for regular play with Twins going into 2022. I think it all depends what the FO decides to do with Donaldson over the next 2 months or during the offseason. If JD can get his production going, with cash included, he could be a viable trade option that could net some decent prospects, which would open the door for Miranda to play 3B next season. Selfishly, hoping Miranda stays with Wind Surge for next 10 days as I have a road trip planned to Wichita for June 15 and 16, This kid has some SERIOUS pop.

Excellent point. Time to see results. Will be very interested to see what decisions are made over the next 6 weeks. Duran should be promoted within the next 2 weeks to take Shoemaker's spot. Promotion of Josh Winder from Wichita to St. Paul also, imo, should happen within the next month (or earlier). I'll be very interested to see how Balazovic performs tonight in his 1st start for Wind Surge.

Seth------I agree 100%.......I like Celestino's potential as a future everyday CF for Twins, but thats not until 2022 or 2023. Although it was VERY early in season--games #2 and #3--May 5 and 6, I personally witnessed Celestino struggle against less than overpowering pitchers from Springfield. He went 0-7 over the games I attended with 5 K's. His defense--other than the HORRIBLE 2 error play the other night in KC-----is far ahead of his bat. Although Broxton has struggled all season as everyday CF for Saints, I agree that Celestino needs to be pushed back to Wichita to get his bat going. In his most recent games there--before being promoted to AAA, he had brought his average up to .250 and hit a walkoff solo HR.