stringer bell

I have been a big Martin backer all season (you can look it up), but I'll settle for him starting two out of three games against right handers and starting against all lefties. As long as he remains an on-base machine, he does need to be on the field. If Shelton has Outman on the roster, it is only fair to the player that he gets an occasional start, or he shouldn't be on the team. I know the response here will be that he shouldn't be on the team, but I think it's defensible to start every player at least once a week. The club is going similar to their first nine games. Not nearly enough guys are hitting and then the soft spots (bullpen and defense) show. I know he's always been streaky, but Buxton has been bad way more than good offensively this year and no one has stepped up, other than singles hitter Martin.

No Buxton, and Outman gets the start in center field.

No lineup this late? There must be an injury concern.

Julien has platooned, playing mostly second base with some first base and DH with an OPS+. of 99. Luis Arraez has played second base and has a ..320 batting average (108 OPS+).

Also interesting for comparison, in about twice as many plate appearances, Royce Lewis has a .253 BA and .753 OPS resulting in a 109 OPS+. Martin is two and a half months older than Lewis.

The youth aren't ready yet, if their performance at St. Paul is any indication. Rodriguez appears the most ready of the prospects.

I don’t want to quote the whole post by @DocBauer, but .270 BA and .360 OPB is a pretty close approximation to Martin’s career stats through just over 500 plate appearances. It figures out to be 108 OPS+. If Houston could supply those offensive numbers with good defense, he would be a very valuable player.

A couple nice games have lifted Lee’s offense above average. Yup, he will never have great range, but when he’s hitting his defensive shortcomings seem much less than fatal flaws.

Didn’t play much.

Well, 1-3 with a double and a walk today. Pretty much in line with his performance so far this season.

Where did the Twins broadcast team find Anthony Recker? I don't think he had any previous connection with the Twins. I see he had a brief major league career.

A home run in every park but Yellowstone.

Regarding the base running, Martin has been facing mostly left handers and they get substantially more pick-offs and it’s harder to steal with the pitcher looking right at you. He doesn’t seem to have the instincts of Keaschall and certainly not of Buxton. But he is fast enough that he’ll steal a lot of bases and the percentage should get pretty close to league average. The key is to not run into outs, while taking advantage of what the defense gives you.

As presently constructed, this team is going to lose a lot of games in this fashion. There is simply not enough quality in the bullpen. There will be days like Tuesday where they shut down the opposition, but most of the time there will be lots of base runners and one poor pitch away from disaster. After 25 games, not one relief pitcher has shown they can handle high leverage situations.

Featuring my favorite floutist Ian Anderson.

Rojas looks a long way from being a consistent contributor. Prielipp might be there or is close. Too many non-competitive pitches from both and if Prielipp wants to stay in the rotation, he needs to almost always go 5 and occasionally 6 or more innings. He’ll need to cut down on his number of pitches

Tough break for Prielipp, allowing the run on a hopper right over the third base bag after he struck out Robert.

Twins are tied for the second best run differential in the AL and could be in first place by the end of play tonight. That is far more than expected. A lot of players have struggled as much or more than Lee or Lewis. Looking at the two most recent opponents, about half of the Reds and two or three of the Mets have worse numbers. That is why things like whiff rate, strikeout rate and hard-hit rate can indicate the struggle should end. Lewis looked pretty good before the injury and Lee had a good week to ten days. One game against a (likely) future star shouldn’t be the sole basis for determining playing time.

Ironic that a lot of guys who have been heavily criticized helped to win the game--Banda, Sands, Topa, Outman, Wallner, Keaschall and Clemens. But there's always someone who makes outs, in this case Lee and Lewis. The Twins faced a really tough young pitcher and he looked unhittable for five innings, yet they put a crooked number on him and got him out of the game. Well done. The bullpen and defense were of major league quality last night and they won the game. The bullpen and defense in the Reds series were not of major league quality and they lost all three games. Baseball is fun, fascinating and unpredictable. Just don't say that aloud to Mets fans right now.

Nailed it.You should head for the nearest casino.

Banda looked very good in his one inning of work. Honestly, it is the first good inning I've seen him pitch this year. More please. Maybe he need the days off.

I've been beating this drum for a while. The Twins need to know if Martin is part of their core or if he's a short-side platoon player. His offense has been great, his defense is improved and he's a fast runner. The speed hasn't translated into value on the bases or stolen bases. Part of that is stealing bases against left handers is a different game. I don't like Bell playing first that much, but with Bell at first and Larnach the DH, there is room against right handers for Martin.

That would allow them to play one game with 14 position players.

Due to performance or poor roster construction, I have some suggestions that could improve the Twins' roster. 1) Dump Banda. It looks like the Dodgers made the right call on Anthony Banda. His velocity is down and he just hasn't been effective in his appearances for the Twins. I know that relievers are volatile, but it appears that Banda has lost it and at 32, he's not likely to get back. I'm sure all teams have acquired pitchers with fairly impressive resumes who flop when acquired. I'm certain the Twins have had their share.--Addison Reed, Sam Dyson, Alex Colome in recent years. 2) Choose one left handed utility guy. Tristan Gray played more first base than any other position in his major league career coming into this season. If he is the superior hitter to Kody Clemens, both guys really aren't needed. Gray could give any of the four infield starters days off or DH days and fill in at all four positions. Having Clemens on the roster with questionable offensive talent and only playing first or second base seems redundant. 3) Make Ryan Kreidler the defensive specialist and last man on the bench. Kreidler fits the roster better as a right handed hitters and by all reports a good defender both in the infield and outfield. In his very small sample size as a Twin, he's also been okay as a hitter. Outman has looked completely overmatched as a hitter and hasn't hit well since 2023. 4) Give Emmanuel Rodriguez a chance. E-Rod has been the most impressive of the prospects playing in St. Paul. He's getting on base, hitting for a decent average and hitting for power. Rodriguez is regarded as a good outfielder who can cover center field and he is out of minor league options. The sooner the Twins know what they have in him, the sooner they can make decisions about current outfielders. Matt Wallner has struggled and has a rib injury. A short IL stint and rehab in St. Paul might get him going again as the demotion in 2024 did. 5) It's probably time to try Kaelen Culpepper at shortstop. If anything Brooks Lee has regressed on defense at shortstop. We've known all along he doesn't have plus range or arm, so to survive at short, he would have to be automatic on balls he can get to and show a high baseball IQ when it comes to decision making. Neither has been in evidence this spring. I really don't think going to St. Paul will help him become a better defender, but perhaps it could unlock his offense and make him a possible alternative at the other infield positions beyond shortstop. With the possible exception of using Gray as a four-position backup and platoon option, all of these ideas have been mentioned at TD. I have stated repeatedly that this is a transition year and the transition should start pretty early. The two left handed rookie pitchers are on the roster so that is a start. It is about time to shake it up.

Gray was placed on the IL as injuries have continued for ex-Twins.