stringer bell

I would guess that Varland leads Twins' affiliates in IP. He seems to be on a path to get to MLB sometime next year. Has Woods-Richardson made a start since being injured? Monday is August 1st. I would think that decisions would have to be made about shutting down players--Balazovic, Canterino, Martin.

Well done. Much appreciated.

Sorry Chief, I kind of stepped all over your response.

Correa didn’t score because he wasn’t advancing on a ground ball hit in front of him. However, in the same inning, he did not tag when Yelich made the diving catch. It is a moot point because Garlick ran into an out on the same play.

There is only one week until the trade deadline. Not much time for Miggy to turn heads. It would appear this will be his last run with the Twins. Let’s hope he has some big hits left for the stretch run.

Arraez is okay at 3B IMHO and depending on what happens with Urshela (non-tender or trade) and Miranda (trade candidate at the deadline)he might get a lot of time there next year. Having guys who are serviceable at several positions is nice. Finding guys who are good to great fielders at key positions (Correa, Buxton) is even better.

I would say Enlow and Henriquez would still be considered prospects with higher ceilings and would stay on the 40-man in 2023 a la Vallimont. I’m not sure either Contreras or Strotman make it through 2022 on the 40-man roster.

Bad base running combined with slow runners.

So, does Lee fit above Miller in the shortstop pecking order? Actually, to be more precise, can we fans expect Lee making his debut for the Twins before Miller? As a 21-year-old with advanced skills, I would expect he could finish this season at Cedar Rapids, although I have no idea what the Twins are planning.

Lee has agreed to term according to mlbtraderumors.com.

Yes, there are many things to be concerned about, but let's look at the entire picture. The Twins have a winning record at the break and a small lead in the division. This is primarily because they have a good lineup and their pitchers overperformed for the first third of the season. Three position players with less than a years experience have looked promising--Miranda, Kirilloff and Larnach (now out with injury)--and three pitchers with less than a years experience--Winder, Jax and Duran--have done well. Luis Arraez continues to show he is elite as a hitter and Jorge Polanco is giving indications that he'll have a monster second half to his season. Now to the minus side of the ledger. The rotation, which looked suspect coming out of Spring Training looks suspect again after encouraging performances early in the year. Sonny Gray hasn't been the same since coming off the IL the second time. Joe Ryan isn't dominating although he's really held his own and everyone else in the rotation is both limited in upside and an injury risk. The bullpen has been poor and prospects for improvement from within are close to non-existent. While looking at individual performances from the position players, there aren't many, if any, disappointments, the offense hasn't sustained above-average run scoring for more than a series at a time. For the second half (post All-Star break), I believe the Twins will continue to score runs well above average and they will continue to be a decent defensive outfit, barring devastating injuries. If they can find enough pitching, they will be in the hunt for the playoffs and a division crown. If not, they will continue to fade.

How about Mantiply from Arizona? IMHO, almost all sellers at the deadline are looking for prospects, not utility players on big league rosters.

1961–midsummer Twins vs. Red Sox. Although neither team was that good in 1961, there were a lot of outstanding players on the field. Carl Yastrzemski had recently replaced Ted Williams as the franchise icon and left fielder. Pete Runnels was on his way to winning a batting championship. The Twins had Harmon, Allison, Versalles and Battey along with a young Jim Kaat, Camilo Pascual and Jack Kralick. I recall the Twins winning comfortably and that the grass was so green.

I’m sure it would have to be medically verified.

Sanó’s rehab is over on 7/24 at the latest. At that point, he’s either activated or designated for assignment unless he voluntarily would accept an option (very unlikely).

My wife and I drove from SE Minnesota to the Fort Snelling Park and Ride. We arrived shortly after 11. We found seats on the train and arrived at Target Field shortly before noon. We got to our seats for the third batter. There were plenty of people in Brewers gear on the light rail. Concession lines were long and slow, Despite the announced attendance, we thought the park was about 3/4 full. I think the light rail is a great deal for singles or couples.

Miranda, like almost every hitter, is a better hitter ahead in the count. He still chases too much to suit me, but he has improved. Same for his defense. Kirilloff is going to be a fine hitter and I think his eventual defensive home is first base. Larnach looked very good until he was injured the first time. I am not yet convinced he will develop into a star.

There was a recent thread about Jeffers' offense. He's middle of the road for catchers and at least in the past couple of weeks he is trending upwards. For the future, I would hope that the Twins could find someone with whom they can share the catching duties (with Jeffers), preferably a LH hitter who is pretty strong defensively. I don't think I would like to keep Sanchez around for the kind of money he is already making.

Not true IMHO. Jeffers hit two homers in Texas, one brought the team within a run, the other gave them the lead. He also hit a key homer in Baltimore and another one in Seattle. That is four of his seven homers. There's plenty to gripe about with his average, but he has hit more than his share of important long balls.

Is picking up his option written into his contract? Is that a standard of any contract with an option in it? Picking up Sanó’s contract now would cost in the neighborhood of $4.5M. That isn’t nothing, but only 45% of $10M.

It isn’t a sure thing that any of the current Twins starters will be able to convert to the bullpen. Recent history also shows that having seven pitchers available won’t continue. The Twins will probably need all seven options (current five + Archer and Ober). Winder and Ober can be optioned—I wonder if Winder might be sent down tomorrow if Joe Smith is activated—but with the fragile and rotation they are all but certain to make starts for the Twins in the remaining 74 games.

I hope this the first of several appearances for both players. I hope and expect many more on the Twins’ roster will be selected in future years.

I think and hope that this is because of the injury. The Buxton we saw on the field was among the best two or three players in the world. The Buxton we've seen has otherworldly power, but isn't a complete hitter. Beyond that, he's only playing outfield part-time and isn't a threat on the base paths.