umterp23

Sure Twins didn't pay him $MM's to be part time player. So 3-4 at bats per game, strikes out about 30% of time, so walks back to dugout without influencing the game. Sure would be nice to get our full monies worth with the deal vs part time player. On pace for games doesn't mean much when you get about 1/2 the package. Guess it is better than being on DL with another injury.

1 win - 2 losses. Darvish and Twins are match made in heaven and his strong K numbers. Game one tonight is their best chance but Varland needs to have a great outing.

No brainer at the moment and in spring training that he should be pitching every 5th day or 6th depending on days off in s schedule. Maeda got the spot but didn't have the stamina or strength to be a starter at the onset of the season. Keep doing what you are doing Ober and spot is yours. All pitchers will have a bad outing and then all the comments will be send him back down. Long term that wouldn't be a good thing.

I like the new approach by Jeffers to stay more compact, reduce extra moving parts in his swing. He has slimmed down a bit, has improved in all aspects of his game. Limiting him to back up duty in long term won't allow him to get into a true hitting rhythm, so we take what we can get. Sure looks like we severely overpaid for Vasquez. Not impressed with what he has brought to the table With all being said, our tandem isn't a weak link at the moment

Why do we believe Kirilloff needs to play everyday in St. Paul for a week or 2 weeks straight. None of the guys currently on team play every day for the same amount of time. If are following get model guys get rest days , then he doesn't need to prove really anything more what he has now. If he is ready, you bring him up. They can make this team work with 2 rest days a week, especially if you have travel days in there as well. Twins need to pull the bandaid off and do what is best and not hope for injury.

One of the assumptions is Kirilloff is a given at 1B. I don't hold that assumption. Gallo has played well at 1st and not see eager to move him to OF. Yes, he has OF chops, but Kirilloff is a decent OF as well and that was his 1st position. Nice to have a good roster jam vs just next man up and hope it fits

Yeah for us on such a brutal strike zone!

Miranda in the cleanup spot, not sure he shouldn't be 7th or 8th in this lineup. Gordon sure needs to make something happen as his days are quite numbered

So much for the analytics saying our pitchers better not go through the lineup 3 times! Go Twins!

Too bad that he isn't really a good DH. Takes a special mindset to be a bat only guy, sitting on bench, hitting off a tee in cage and then walking to the plate. His K pace has him walking back to dugout way to often. So he really shouldn't be taking so many days off or rest days, has been getting them rest a plenty at DH. Dynamic player who is now really a one tool guy. Doesn't steal bases, doesn't play defense, just a hitter isn't what we are paying him for but is what we will be getting

Maybe correa and buxton will join in on the fun tonight, especially since Buxton can't play a day game after a night game at DH. Go Twins

6-0 game and you almost had to waste Lopez (probably burned him for tomorrow as he warmed up a bunch) and Duran because Moran was brutal and the home plate ump helped out a few times on not in the zone strike calls.

Moran is the new Pagan!

Nice to see Correa busting it out of the box on that triple... jogging as he knew it should have been caught... generous home scorer

Gallo Activated and Garlick back to Saints.

Roster moves are fun to speculate and the turnover is imminent. Gallo activated and Castro gets the plane ticket to St Paul. Once Polanco is ready and that may still be a week or so, as his AAA performance was Buxton like with a hat-trick of K's last night. Julien goes back to AAA to play everyday. His taste of the bigs right now will serve him well in the future. Kiriloff will be interesting. Playing some OF in rehab assignment now will give you flexibility with Gallo on rotation of 1st base and OF. Garlick "lefty masher not so much last night" would be interesting decision to make. If Solano and Farmer are healthy, then Gordon has to be the odd man out. Nice story last year, but this year, ouch for him

Makes me laugh that "maybe even a Ryan Jeffers" gets a chance to play. Yes backup, but Jeffers has to get some credit for performing when he gets a game every once in awhile. It's not like he is dregs of the catching world like we had in past years with other guys... Will he have a slump of some sort, sure everyone does but Offense Vasquez = .333 avg, .415 obp. .417 sig. .832 ops Jeffers = .353 avg. 476 obp. .706 sig. 1.182 ops Nice to see him quietly doing damage with improved plate mechanics year over year and paying it off in limited fashion. Defense Vasquez = .992 field %. 5 stolen bases allowed 1 caught stealing 1 error 0.4 war Jeffers = 1.000 field %. 3 stolen bases allowed 3 caught stealing 0 error -0.4 war Kudos to both

I'm not confident that Kiriloff is positioned to be impactful in May with the big club. While it is nice to read that he has played back to back games in sunny FL, day to day grind, facing top end pitching will test 2 things: Wrist stamina and Mental toughness that he wrist is fine. Time will tell but I fear that he may not be the guy long term. Hope I am wrong. I like Julien for sure, but Polanco needs to be the 5 game a week guy at 2nd base and allow Julien to blossom at AAA. Solano has proven to be a valuable asset along with Farmer, so Julien is injury protection for others and I am okay with that. Lee will be AAA guy later this year and may get a taste of the big club late in year, but he is most likely a year away from really being a guy that is a 26 man roster guy. Brings me to Lewis, not hearing about game reps officially for him isn't very concerning since it is about 12 month recovery, but to think when 60 days is up to be big club ready for daily grind isn't realistic. He needs time to play almost everyday, listen to what is body is telling him and see how ready he is. Timing is in his favor if, Kiriloff isn't ready and Gallo is playing OF majority of the time. If that is the case, Miranda can move back to 1st and put Lewis at 3rd where is range isn't quite needed for 2nd base or OF (don't need to see him OF anytime soon again).

I'm a big believer that the DH role is more difficult for some then others, as you aren't really into the flow of the game for couple reasons: you sit the bench for a few innings/stand around which mentally you aren't fully engaged vs playing a position and you take some swings in the cage/in the tunnel to stay loose prior to your at bat. This isn't easy for everyone and it does take a guy who can mature into the mindset to be a bat only guy. Buxton was never a bat only guy. His offense thrived on his defense and vice/versa. When you basically "protect" him from himself by limiting his major value to the team by playing the field, you get these breakdowns and downward turns more frequently than not. He sure did light up the K's by going 10 for 12 in the ugly category in NY this weekend. Buxton while a tremendous talent, isn't the MVP/All-Star performer at DH we signed him for. Last 2 games, 7 straight K's. Call it a slump if you want, but when you limit his effectiveness to be a bat only guy, it creates a trickle down effect: Mentally not helping the team, K's boil up in the confidence and he sits the pine waiting to get another crack at it. Jogging out to play OF, can help remove the K doubts for a few minutes as he has to focus on playing defense and helping the team. The trickle effect than kicks in with M. Taylor playing everyday with how many days off so far to help him reset. He was brought in to spell Buxton, not replace him in the field. There isn't a healthy balance in CF the way this has gone for a couple weeks. Gallo is what we thought he would be, so no surprises there. Catchers are fairing quite well which is nice to see (Jeffers improving his batting mechanics, seems to put him in better position for contact vs K's. Vasquez, never a violent swinger at the plate, so not surprises there.

Are we still worried about him getting enough rest by just being a DH and not playing the field? Yankee series he demonstrated he isn't a good DH option. Yes he was in the lineup but but walking back and forth from home plate to dugout 10 out of 12 times due to K's means he should haven't an off day this week at all. He is well rested and Twins still won 2 games vs Yankees.

Buxton is on fire! He went 10 for 12 in last four games this week. And we were worried that he needed more rest by only be a DH vs actually playing defense. Getting plenty of walking from home plate back to the dugout this week. He shouldn't be getting an off days as he is getting plenty of reps.

Is this really a solid start? He is below avg hitter, not great power (but I have always said not everyone on the team needs to bomb 20+ HR's), decent speed and decent arm for OF. His K rate is Gallo 'esque. Between Buxton and Larnach and their K-rate, Gallo looks really good at moment (granted injury helps).

Buxton doing his best Gallo/Sano impersonation at the moment. He might outpace them all, except he will only play in about 80 games, so record is safe with him. Larnach on other hand, he might make Gallo look really good

We talk about off days and then scheduled off days for a guy who isn't on the field for more than 60% of any season give or take some % points. So at this pace he will play or should I say potentially just bat for about 90 games for $15MM. It is what it is for him and he isn't an Elite Ballplayer when you don't play for what you signed him for which was CF. The fact that we settled on a backup to be the starter in Taylor and not knocking Taylor, but that isn't what the fans wanted in getting Buxton long term.

Buxton getting rest days as a DH is very laughable and such as crappy strategy. When he swings and misses resulting in K's he is already rested as we walked up to the plate, the pitch clock at bat takes maybe a minute and walks back to the dugout. Sounds like he gets plenty of rest already with 11 K's to his name. Everyone was complaining about Gallo the K machine but Buxton is outpacing him already. His true value is playing in the field, not the trickle down effect of Taylor having to play 95% of time defensively. Taylor is a good one day a week option for Buxton CF day off. Sure a lot of money spent for 1/3rd of the value for Buxton only DH'ing games.