stringer bell

Wouldn’t it be ironic if this collection of leftovers after the trade deadline selloff ends the Yankee domination?

Quite a catch by Austin Martin.

For clarity, Julien, Outman and Woods Richardson are pre-arbitration and the decision is whether to keep them on the 40-man roster or be designated for assignment (DFA). Clemens looks like he will be eligible as a Super-2 for arbitration and Miranda will be as well despite spending the majority of his season in St. Paul. The decision for those two guys is whether to tender them a contract. Assuming the Twins don't break the bank for replacements for the players they traded away, Clemens should be brought back for a reasonable arbitration number. Woods Richardson is also a pretty easy decision.

I guess I don't think managers and coaches can do much with so-so or worse talent. After the great selloff, the Twins have poor talent. Where Baldelli is culpable is that there has been a succession of players who come to the major leagues with good resumés and projections and they simply haven't developed or produced. Ultimately, responsibility falls on the field staff and the front office. The one single thing I disliked about Rocco's managerial style, pinch hitting for platoon advantage in early and middle innings, has diminished this year to almost a non-issue. Pulling a pitcher too soon or too late is always a topic when your team is losing, but I don't think Baldelli terrible in those decisions. I think he actually has done a decent job in not overusing higher leverage bullpen arms. There does seem to be some fraying in the clubhouse atmosphere, but that probably is more a function of having a losing team playing to half empty ballparks IMHO. I wouldn't be surprised if Rocco got another managing job if he is shown the door here in Minnesota, but I do think he's outlived his welcome here in Twins Territory.

Where did you get this information? It doesn't jibe with stats for arm strength that list Wallner as elite and other ratings for range and defensive runs saved which put him as below average, but not dreadful. Specifically, according to BBRef, Wallner ranks as -3 runs in "Total Zone Total Runs Above Average in 80 games. In another rating he -5 in Defensive Runs Saved. These numbers are below average, but many players also fit in this category, including my favorite right fielder of this century Michael Cuddyer. In the last month or so, when I've watched the Twins, Wallner frankly hasn't looked very good in the field. I think many outfielders in the Twins plans for 2026 and beyond can do a better job than Wallner (or Larnach), but many OFs in MLB are in the same range.

Imagine how fun this game would have been if the Twins were in a pennant race.

Checking the starting lineups--one of the most obscure ex-Twins currently in the majors is hitting second for the Snakes. Ildemaro Vargas was in 10 games and got 24PAs for the Twins in the shortened 2020 season.

I did notice that Jenkins played center field when both he and Emma were in the outfield. I always understood that Rodriguez was a likely corner guy with the ability to play center (a la Kepler early in his career), but Jenkins would seem to be the total package. The OP case that Buxton was falling off as a center fielder seems to be a matter of whose defensive stats are used. To my eyes, he's still very good but there are quite a number of guys who are equally as good and the few elite CFs are better. Someone noted that Buxton has always used elite speed to make up for so-so reads and breaks on balls and that is still the case. I think he has learned to be a bit less reckless with his body and that takes away a few highlight reel catches in the course of a season. I also think that is an acceptable price to pay to keep Buxton on the field enough to get 500+ at bats.

Just a reminder that SWR is younger than both Festa and Matthews. He didn't go the college baseball route and has been in professional baseball much longer, but he's still only 24 years old.

Bader was here on a one-year contract, obviously with no guarantees that he would be with the team beyond 2025. Moving Buck to left field only to move him back in 2026 to accommodate Bader wasn't going to happen. Walker and maybe Rodriguez figure to be fixtures through the end of the decade beyond the length of Buxton's contract. Moving Buxton out of center to be replaced by a younger more durable CF would be doable.

The team has a new bullpen piece. Cody Laweryson had his contract selected. Topa to the IL. Welcome to the big leagues Cody!

The Twins have selected the contract of Cody Laweryson. Justin Topa to the 15-day IL, presumably ending his season. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/09/twins-select-cody-laweryson.html

Has Culpepper played any second base since the Twins drafted him? He’s been primarily a shortstop with some reps at third IIRC. If the Twins get to the point where they have too many decent infielders (outside of first base) then maybe convert someone to first. I don’t see that on the horizon at this point.

Only from viewing Keaschall in a small sample size, he’s been surprisingly quick turning the double play. I don’t know what his throwing velocity is (presume it is low) but I have seen pretty quick turns and accurate throws on potential double plays. I hope and expect he’ll be able to put more on his throws next year, with five more months to build strength.

I believe that Keaschall can be a plus defender at second and I also believe it might best serve both him and the Twins for him to stay there. His injury has slowed his defensive growth and he is far from a finished product. To the more general discussion about team defense, the Twins have had too many part time players best suited to utility roles. The hash that results from moving guys all over has hurt overall defense.

4 RBI for Kepler today.

I was interested to see who would play center between Rodriguez and Jenkins. It would be nice to see an outfield with three legitimate center fielders playing next year for the Twins.

Bradley has looked pretty good in his last two starts. I hope he can continue the trend.

At the beginning of the 12-2 mauling by the Angels over the Twins, Buxton stole his 22nd base. He needs eight more SB to be the Twins first and only 30/30 home run and stolen base player. It is a real long shot at this point in the season, but I hope Buck tries to steal every time he is on first base without someone in front of him on second. There hasn't been much to cheer about in the last half of 2025 and having Buxton become a 30/30 man would be a nice thing to remember. Buxton is approaching career highs in many offensive categories. He already has his most runs scored, triples, homers and RBI in a single season and is likely or certain to add career highs in hits, at bats, plate appearances and walks. This is in part a result of his most healthy season since 2017. His WAR this season is dragged down by negative defensive numbers but he has a good chance of setting a career high there as well. Edit to add: In my daily check of BBRef, I noticed Buxton has climbed on to the page of 24 top all-time players for the Senators/Twins franchise. He's at #22, ahead of Jim Perry, but behind Bob Allison and Jim Kaat.

Lee again seems to be fading instead of surging. At one point, his defensive numbers were neutral at shortstop, but the last couple weeks haven't been kind to his defensive metrics. I have a few modestly hopeful comments about Lee's defense. 1) It is a small sample size. As of today, Lee has only played 89 games at short, including several where he only played an inning or two. 2) Some of his defensive lapses are mental. I think he takes his hitting struggles to the field more than most, probably because he had never struggled to be a good hitter before getting to MLB. Maturity could help him there. 3) Off-season toning and conditioning might be helpful in making him quicker and more agile. I am not super hopeful that Lee will become even a solid starter, but he has shown enough glimpses to expect him to be a competent major league infielder. He looks much more like a placeholder than a successor to Carlos Correa.

I think Chris Gimenez homered in a game when he was pitching a while ago. Yep, I checked he homered in the ninth inning on 9/2/18 after he had allowed five runs to the Rangers in the top of the ninth.

The #1 draft choices for the Twins, who were counted on as important pieces in 2025 and who have had disappointing seasons. All three suffered injuries early in the season and all have had moments, but on balance have not performed up to the expectations of the fan base and most likely the Twins front office. I think each guy has a lot at stake in the next three weeks as the front office and field staff determine who can be counted on and who needs to be replaced in the 2026 season. Matt Wallner--Just like 2024, Wallner started slow in March/April, then he started to hit, but was injured on April 15th and didn't return until the last day of May (over six weeks lost). Since returning, he has hit 20 of his 21 homers and has even gotten several starts against left handed pitching. The 21 homers in 316 at bats is pretty impressive, his meager total of runs batted in (39) has not. Wallner has maintained an above average OPS (currently .786) by having good slugging numbers and a lot of free passes (43 BB, 8 HBP). The batting average in the low .200s and almost 30% K percentage more accurately reflect the disappointment of 2025. A hot stretch with more consistent at-bats would give the Twins more confidence to count on Wallner, who will be in his last year of pre-arb in '26. Also, it would be nice for The Moose to show that he can still be a competent outfielder--he runs pretty well and has a really strong arm, but he has had several moments where he looked like a DH in right field. Brooks Lee--The Twins 2022 #1 draft choice (eighth overall) opened 2025 on the Injured List. and returned to the field for the Twins on April 13th. He started slowly, but finally hit his stride in June, when he put together a 19-game hitting streak. On the plus side, Lee has hit pretty well in clutch situations, including a couple walk-offs and has shown decent power and power numbers (14 homers and 57 RBI). The batting average peaked in the low .260s and is now around .240 and Lee, at this point in his career, is an impatient hitter who seldom walks. Defensively, Brooks was moved between second, short and third until the trade deadline. He has played shortstop exclusively since and looked decent there. However, it is obvious that with his foot speed Lee will never be more than an average defender at shortstop. Brooks is pretty smooth at shortstop and has a really quick release minimizing what appears to be a somewhat below average throwing arm. For the balance of 2025, increasing his numbers may give the Twins more confidence in Lee as the regular shortstop. If he can turn in another hot hitting month, the numbers could grow to show a decent middle infield bat. The next three weeks will also be a time to consider whether he can be a decent defensive shortstop despite underwhelming physical tools. Royce Lewis--2025 has been a roller coaster ride for Lewis. After finishing 2024 in a serious funk, he was injured in Spring Training and didn't make his 2025 debut until the first week of May, which coincided with the Twins' 13-game winning streak. However, coming out of the gate, Royce didn't hit for power or for average. He was barely above the Mendoza line when he was sidelined again on June 13. Lewis returned in 18 days, but again didn't look ready to help the club, moving gingerly and continuing to struggle as a hitter. As the Twins have fallen out of the race and then sold off half the team, Royce's performance has improved. He currently has 12 homers and 44 RBI in 300 at-bats (334 PAs) and has raised his batting average and OPS to near-average (.237 BA, .698 OPS). Off the field, Lewis has said some things that call his attitude and commitment to the team in question. Back on the field, he has markedly improved as a third baseman defensively, showing positive numbers in range factor and Runs Saved. He's also stolen seven bases and is running better than he has in a couple years. He's stayed on the field since July 1. Completing the season on an up note might do good things for Royce's confidence and his pocketbook, since he will be going through arbitration for the second time. He may demonstrate that he is a core player and perhaps someone to build around. His injury history is long for a 26-year-old, but playing the entire second half of the schedule may alleviate some doubt about his ability to stay healthy. I think he has already shown that there is no reason to move him off the hot corner because of his defense. The fan base was probably expecting too much from him coming into the season, but now due to his struggles at times this year, I think expectations are more realistic. It seems to me that Lewis can be a really good player, perhaps a perennial All-Star and if (big if) he can stay healthy, he could be both a star and a leader on the next good Twins teams. This is my pick of three players who can best polish their resumé in the last three weeks of the season and perhaps change the perception they have created that they had disappointing seasons. I'm pulling for all three to be better, more complete, players in the 2026 season.

Baltimore in '22 and KC and Detroit in '24 are examples of teams that jumped into contention when they were supposedly retooling. In all three cases a lot went right, including health, for them to make the playoffs, but it can be done.

The Angels played a terrible game yesterday, no question. They have had as little success overall as the Twins since they won a World Series in the early 2000s despite having both Ohtani and Trout on their team. They were around .500 until the last few weeks, but never looked like a playoff contender. I really don't know which franchise (MN or LAA) is in the worst state.

I had not heard this about Miranda and I haven't watched enough Saints games to see such behavior in person. If so, Miranda is his own worst enemy. Julien has the advantage of being a LH hitter and he did perform fairly well at St. Paul. Because of the large hole the Twins have at first base, they may give him another shot next spring, but I think he used most of his chances by now. His performance since returning on August 1 has been subpar--.183 BA, .573 OPS--not good enough to merit a roster spot IMHO.