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LastOnePicked

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Everything posted by LastOnePicked

  1. LastOnePicked
    Everything you wrote is great and well thought out. I'd just counter with this: tenacity and will includes - and often coincides with - good decision-making. It was Baldelli who decided that France would be an everyday player. It was Baldelli who put Wallner in the leadoff spot. Many of the decisions from the dugout create barriers to success in close moments. Look, I agree this is not a well-constructed team. But just the constant mental lapses and a general lack of readiness to play are certainly a sign of a deeper organizational problem, too. To me, at least.
  2. LastOnePicked
    For a smaller stretch in a long season, I think you're right. Baseball has it's ups and downs, and players have to adjust. But we're talking about long term patterns here. Baldelli has had multiple seasons and multiple roster turnovers, and yet we see the same thing. If the longball is working, the Twins are okay. If the game is tight and smart play is the deciding factor, the Twins fall flat. Managers matter. The best ones have a feel for the game, set their players up for success and get better play out of their players over time. There's nothing imaginary about that. That's why Francona is, as you mention, bound for the HOF.
  3. LastOnePicked
    The worst thing about this club is that they just aren't tenacious or sharp. They can't seem to will themselves to a victory. If things fall into place and the opposition makes plenty of mistakes, sure, they'll win a few games, but if it's close, they can't seem to get the big hit or make the big play or get the big strikeout. They don't seem ready for primetime. Again, that's a signal that the coaching approach isn't working. Ryan's crucial balk, moving up the baserunners who scored on what otherwise would have been an inning-ending DP, was just another sign of a team whose players just aren't 100% in the game. Its early, but it's also just tiring to watch/listen to this team.
  4. LastOnePicked
    1) The team may not be sold this year, or for a long time yet. How long do you want this style of play to continue? 2) The Twins have young players who need proper development and coaching right now. 3) It is never pointless to fire an underperforming leader. Not doing so sends a message that higher levels of achievement simply aren't expected.
  5. LastOnePicked
    No shame on you. You're a good fan. The shame is 100% on the Twins. They are a lost organization, and a total system teardown is overdue.
  6. LastOnePicked
    Replacing Rocco was an absolute imperative after last season's collapse. Not doing so signaled that the team wasn't serious about improving and turning the page. And so here we are, right back on the same page. It's one series, yes, but tone and momentum and clubhouse culture can make a difference over a 162-game season. The stink from 2024 will still linger until they clean house. Rocco is a fine human being, but he has no feel for the game. His decision-making instincts are poor. Keeping Ober in the rotation with the flu is a prime example.
  7. LastOnePicked
    Must be contagious. After the first series most Twins fans are feeling sick to their stomachs too.
  8. LastOnePicked
    There are a lot of fans here who deserve a great season. Let's hope the Twins give it to them, and they can all gloat over us pessimists in October. That'd be great. If the pitching's good, that's half the battle. If the new hitting coach is better, that's possibly the other half. It's not impossible. It's just improbable. 4th in the Central. But hoping to be wrong.
  9. LastOnePicked
    "Wanna buy a used car? The debt on it is considerable, the garage you park it in belongs to the city, the model is prone to catastrophic breakdowns and the previous owner will still want their nephew to drive it now and then." Can't imagine why there's not much interest in this listing.
  10. LastOnePicked
    I coughed up some stuff this offseason, but none of it was optimism for this team. I love the Twins. They're just not anywhere close to being a playoff-push team, and ownership has no interest in pushing them there. I appreciate that the FO cracked the Buxton-era window open longer than I thought they would, but the Central has caught up now. We had our shot in 2023-24. They gave it a go in '23, and collapsed totally in '24. It's a poorly-managed, injury-prone team. Not much optimism is warranted. But if folks can cough some up, that's great. Clear it out of your system now, before the season starts.
  11. LastOnePicked
    Beautifully written. Personally, I just can't understand how one of the slowest teams in baseball, with an injury-prone roster and an inability to play solid defense, is capable of "great things." I think the hope is getting waaay ahead of itself. But I can see where folks really want the taste of 2024 washed away. For any remaining believers, I truly hope it will be, and that you can scold the rest of us with a hearty "told ya so" come October. I don't expect a winning club. I'm just hoping for a new owner by the All-Star break and a clear direction for 2026.
  12. LastOnePicked
    Well, there went my last bit of interest in this year's club. Hard to imagine that a team can do much winning when your current owner wants out and a high-profile potential buyer makes it clear they don't want in.
  13. LastOnePicked
    As usual with Rocco, none of this really makes sense. "Back to our roots"? What roots are those? His teams have never played fundamentally sound baseball. He's never seemed to put pressure on players to make changes. And this isn't the first spring after a late-season collapse. I don't understand what point he's trying to make. If changes are needed, they were needed long ago. As always, I want this team to do well, but tigers don't change their stripes. He is what he is. I don't expect to see any meaningful changes in the way this team plays ball.
  14. LastOnePicked
    I just can't see this happening here. Roster, coaching, FO - none of these would suggest an organization capable of winning a title. The window was possibly open after 2023, but ownership chose to retreat.
  15. LastOnePicked
    It's spreading worse than you think - they've already named an avenue in the south metro after him. HE COULD BE A DIFFERENCE MAKER!!!!
  16. LastOnePicked
    Wait, jinxes aren't real ... but omens are? I'm fine with the idea of the Twins not being cursed by the baseball gods, but let's also not act like a healthy November-January means even a single thing for the team's health in June. Or April, for that matter. That's silly. All we know is that injured players are more likely to experience future injuries. So we should probably expect a similar IL experience for the players who were injured in the last few years. With this roster, that's plenty of reason for skepticism.
  17. LastOnePicked
    I can't speak for others, but I'll "rejoice" when this organization finally turns the page from a manager whose output is so easily guessed and gamed by the competition. It was refreshing to hear this honest, pointed critique from Provus.
  18. LastOnePicked
    Sadly, I agree with this 100%. The Twins absolutely needed to go all in on the last playoff push, and they didn't. The big market teams have now the massive payroll advantages they always had AND all of the modern "moneyball" advantages in terms of development, analysis and strategy. The chances of winning it all for a team like the Twins are going to be increasingly small. They may make another minor playoff push over the next few years, but if it's led by the same people - or even the same philosophy - it will be a nibbling approach that maybe gets the team a wild card series win or two, nothing more. Rebuild until you build a juggernaut, but as we see with the Orioles, even that may not be enough against the elites.
  19. LastOnePicked
    They don't really act like a team in the midst of a competitive window. And honestly, when the chips are down, the don't play like one either. We'll see if that changes, but I don't think they're in any way an improved club over last year, and last year gave them a fourth-place finish.
  20. LastOnePicked
    I can imagine a few more pivotal moments for the franchise, including the first World Series year to establish legitimacy in the Dome, overcoming the contraction threat in the early 2000s with a winning team of piranhas and making the shift to an outdoor stadium. But I get what you're saying - the shift from the Pohlad era will be something to watch. I just don't think the Twins will be very good this year, and things might look pretty flat even as early as Memorial Day. If I'm right, I'm curious to see if the new owners become more hands-on in terms of calling for midseason coaching changes and either holding the roster steady for 2026 or pushing the FO for a teardown and rebuild at the trade deadline.
  21. LastOnePicked
    Nothing on Earth would make me happier than for Connor Prielipp to prove me wrong and to make a splash in the big leagues. Nothing. Well, maybe world peace. But it's a close #2.
  22. LastOnePicked
    4th? Really? Petriello does realize that there are more than five teams in the AL, right? I mean, maybe. But the amount of added roster talent it would take to cover for the all-but-guaranteed Buxton, Correa and Lewis injuries would be very costly. I think "likely durability" should have been a factor in the rankings.
  23. LastOnePicked
    I'll bet they see it as an option. In fact, it's probably the most likely option. A fire sale is probably the second most likely option.
  24. LastOnePicked
    I can't see this not happening, actually. Correa is great, but he cannot and will not put this Twins team over the top. For a great team, yes, he could be a difference maker. Here, he's being asked to carry too large a load and his contract is too large a burden. It was a big swing by the Twins to sign him - and while not a miss, maybe just a loud warning track out. It's rebuild time.
  25. LastOnePicked
    Excellent article. There are certain "intangibles" in baseball that, when a team doesn't have them, the effects are certainly tangible. It's great to see a TD writer try to wrap some commentary around these aspects. The Twins have a clear energy deficit, I agree.
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