stringer bell

All of those bad offensive numbers improved quite a bit in the last two days. Beating up on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th guys in an 8-man bullpen is the way to do that. I doubt that the Twins have had more one-sided victories than other teams with winning records, but I'm sure the naysayers will be reminding us that they "ran up the score" on a cooked bullpen and a position player. It won't be easy on the west coast. The Twins get Syndegaard, Kershaw and May when they face the Dodgers and get two lefties and Ohtani (I think) when they face the Angels.

Fixed it for ya'.

The Twins' offense this spring has been frustrating and disappointing to this point in the season. Any team with the worst team batting average in MLB wouldn't be satisfied with their hitting, add in an inordinate number of strikeouts and puzzling underperformance from high-priced talent and it figures that players could be booed at home. As compared to when the 2022 season ended, this club is healthy, especially on the position player side. Max Kepler will be out for ten days, Royce Lewis will finish his rehab assignment at the end of May and everyone else that figured to contribute this year is available. The most recently available player is perhaps the most significant. Alex Kirilloff returned from the Injured List and rehab just over a week ago. The Twins and your's truly see a potential All-Star--someone who can both get on base and hit for power, who can lengthen the lineup and put runs on the board. Much of the reason for optimism is from his dominance in the minor leagues and brief flashes of a healthy AK mashing major league pitching. It's all dependent on a wrist. Kirilloff has had his last two seasons ended early because of wrist pain and subsequent surgery. The second surgery was major, some have called it experimental, The Twins have brought AK on slowly, with no real setbacks. So far, so good. The results on the field have been excellent (only 22 plate appearances), Seven hits in sixteen at-bats, with six walks and three strikeouts. Two homers and a double. When the wrist began to impact Kirilloff in the last two years, he quit driving the ball and hit lots of weak grounders. So far, he's hit a high percentage of balls on the ground, but he's hitting the ball hard and the two homers yesterday show that he can drive the ball. What's reasonable for this year? AK should get something north of 400 plate appearances and if he can become a full-time fixture, he could get to 500. In 500 plate appearances, perhaps he could hit as many as 20 homers and I think the batting average could be above .300, which would make him a unicorn. I think if he walks at a 2:3 ratio to strike outs, it would show newfound selectivity. He has not chased out of the zone and has taken his walks so far. A .300 BA combined with a > 10% walk rate would be outstanding for a player in his first full year. I'm pulling the projected numbers out of the air. I am also showing my optimism for Kirilloff's ability. I think he can be an elite offensive player and a fine defender. Someone who can really get the offense rolling. I hope in a few months, that people will say this blog has aged well.

Concur

Vazquez has been brutal at the plate since the first week. I think there is a case to be made to at least even up the playing time. Thursday-Friday was a great time to catch Jeffers in consecutive games--day game on Thursday with a lefty starting for the opponents on Friday. Jeffers hasn't been awesome, but he's gotten on quite regularly and he is the greater power threat. I really don't think the difference in defense is that much, even in the running game.

If he’s the talent that I believe he is, he should be playing every day. Nobody knows for sure if he needs time for his wrist, but if he doesn’t I’d like to see him out there much more than on a platoon basis. Donovan Solano has below-average hitting numbers and is 35. AK is a decade younger and might still be a special hitter.

I agree that Kirilloff should be considered for everyday play. I think his approach would be good against same-side pitchers. As long as the wrist is feeling good, he should be in there. just about every day.

Very similar to the loss to SD in the first game of that series. Close game, broken open late by a long homer yielded by Alcala. Very disappointed in Alacala, running out of patience with Jax. If the offense is averaging 5-6 hits per game, it begins to get hard to win games.

It was a fun game to attend. Lots of youngsters made the crowd a little more lively. Outstanding outfield defense and just enough hitting to win the game. The two HBP both contributed to scoring innings and Joey Gallo showed signs of life. Still only six hits, it would really help to get more guys on base

It’s only 14 plate appearances, but he looks like far and away the best hitter on the team. He’s swinging at strikes and not fooled by breaking stuff. Five walks and only one strikeout.

Great win!! Glad to see AK get a big hit.

Good for Helman, better for Jordy Blaze. It would be great if he can help the Twins either in the bullpen or (if he gets stretched out) as a starter.

I seldom blame coaches for teams’ problems. I doubt Popkins is to blame in any meaningful way. The hitters need to hit and it’s really on them.

For the moment, for the first time since Opening Day, Luis Arraez’ batting average is below .400 (.398).

They have what they have for players and with the exception of Royce Lewis, there’s no one in the minors that can help much right now. Giving Nick Gordon some at-bats isn’t crazy, butI doubt he can lead the charge. I am in favor of a more equal sharing of the catcher position, but that won’t move the needle much either. Buxton, Correa and Polanco need to start hitting like All-Stars. Kirilloff, Gallo and Kepler need to be hitting like good major league regulars.

Per mlbtraderumors.com, the Twins will option Miranda to make room for Farmer. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/05/twins-option-jose-miranda-triple-a.html

When I posted this thread, I really thought there was a roster crunch among the position players. Ironically, now there seems to be much discussion about who to DFA/option with lots of candidates. Off the top of my head, I've seen calls for Miranda, Solano, Gordon and Castro to be demoted or DFAed. There are Kepler and Gallo critics, as well. Suddenly, about half of the active roster is suspect in the eyes of the TD faithful.

As I wrote on another thread, the timing is significant. Lewis can't be activated from the 60-day IL until late in May (the 29th?) and unless he has a medical setback, his rehab can't extend beyond May 31. When his rehab is over, the Twins will have to activate him. That means at that point they will have to make room on the 40-man roster and, much like Alex Kirilloff this week, decide whether to option him to the minor leagues or put him on the major league roster. If it wasn't possible that Lewis would be performing for the Twins by June 1st, they wouldn't have sent him on rehab. Jose Miranda should certainly be feeling the footsteps of #1 overall draft pick Royce Lewis with this news and the additional nugget that he'll be working at third base.

Royce is going on rehab assignment in three days. While there could be setbacks, but that he is going on rehab is significant. The clock starts on his activation from the Injured List and the Twins would have to use an option to keep him in the minors after May 31 and they will have to make room for him on the 40-man roster. If he isn't possibly going to be ready to play by June 1, there is absolutely no point to sending him on rehab

Solano is a one-year patch and depth piece. He hasn't performed much differently than expected at the plate, but the ball has found him and he hasn't caught it when he's been in the field. If he can't be trusted in the field, he doesn't have that much value at this point.

Yes, some bad at-bats for sure in today's game and the series. I won't categorize everyone as trying to hit a five-run homer, but when the pitcher is working the outside corner as much as Quantrill did, going the other way should be an option. There were a bunch of first-pitch swings and there seemed to be no adjustment as the game wore on. The first-pitch swings got zero hits, a lot of outs and quite a few strikes. Quantrill only got three real strikeouts, so maybe taking a few pitches wouldn't put the at-bats in jeopardy. I'll try to "big picture" the road trip and the road ahead. Right now, precious few are swinging well. Maybe Kepler, perhaps Taylor and /or Kirilloff, and several guys are really fighting it--Vazquez, Gallo, Miranda. The three best hitters all seemed to cool on the trip--Polanco, Buxton and Correa--and that makes a huge difference. The offense will improve, it just has to. Being patient, especially when the pitching has been so good, is difficult for us fans. I do fear that the team as put together right now, is too slow and too dependent on home runs. Everything would look so much better if a host of hitters were hitting to their career norms/expectations.

This is the earliest that Lewis could be sent out on rehab. Great news! He still might be optioned after his rehab ends, but he could be on the active roster before the month is over.

I don't think so. Both Castro and Gordon can play outfield. Farmer's #1 skill is his offense against left handed pitching. His #2 skill is good defense at second, short and third. Gordon is neither of those things, and Castro is a less well-regarded defender in the infield, as well. I don't know if it makes sense to have three utility guys among the 13 position players and that would signal the exit of one of them.

Miranda started the year as a full-time regular and possible long-term piece for the Twins. A year ago at this time, I was saying that the Twins should trade Miranda in a package to get starting pitching. He promptly took off and made a case that he was a cornerstone of the franchise. I'll wait before I say again that he should be traded, but I don't think his future is at third base with the Twins, which does lessen his value. I've seen very little that makes me believe he'll even be more than passable at third base--the arm and the first step are lacking. He could yet be a middle of the order DH and first baseman, but right now he seems to be pressing and chasing too many pitches outside the zone. Willi Castro is a classic utility player. He is a switch hitter, with some speed and pretty even platoon splits. He doesn't hit for much power, but he is very versatile. He seems to be Rocco's choice as the alternate at both third base and shortstop over Nick Gordon. When Farmer returns, the need for Willi's skills will be diminished. Today, I would send Castro to St. Paul in exchange for Farmer. If Miranda continues to struggle on either offense or defense, Willi can help this club as a utility guy while someone else steps in at third base.

With Farmer returning, I don't see a lot of at-bats for Donovan Solano either and Solano is a negative defensively. If Miranda and Farmer are both on the active roster, I can see some type of job sharing at third base, with Miranda moving over to first in the infrequent times the Twins face a left handed pitcher.