jokin

Yes, we can.

How about the previous 45 games? As I pointed out in the article, I examined his entire body of work. By the measure of his entire season, Anderson would still be a major force in the Twins pen. Yes, he did have a few bad outings, especially in May (partly attributed to an IFH% spike to 28.2%). But as I noted, his overall season K and control numbers stand out in a way that make him not only far superior to anyone in the Twins' pen, but also near or at the top in terms of K/control numbers among all relievers in baseball this season, not just with the Rays in August.

I've mentioned former Miami Marlin and now Tampa Bay Ray RP Nick Anderson as an obvious Twins' deadline target for the pen previously. They obviously should have known enough about his background, considering that he's originally from Brainerd, Mn and pitched well within the Twins' organization for the previous 4 years prior to 2019. Clearly, the homework on Anderson was already complete- besides his ties to the Twins, the FO obviously perused the entire Marlins' staff fairly thoroughly, before ultimately deciding on making a deal for Sergio Romo. The only question left on acquiring Anderson was the asking price. Well, the deadline came and went, the Twins picked up Sam Dyson, and they obviously didn't do ANY homework on Dyson's physical situation. The story gets worse for what the Twins missed. Is Anderson a soft tosser? That would be NO. He's averages 96.3 on his FB and also possesses a 83.5 mph devastating slider. Anderson pitched very well, but not lights out for Miami. The move to Tampa Bay thus far has been positively transformative for the 6'5" righty. How other-wordly, you might ask? Since August 1, his numbers are the best for RPs in all of baseball. Better than Rogers, Chapman, Yates, Hendiriks, you name it. In 8 August appearances: W-L 2-0 Games 8 IP 8 ERA 0.00 FIP -1.28 (that's right, NEGATIVE) K/9 20.25 K% 69.2% BB/9 0.00 AVG .115 SLG .154 OPS .269 wOBA .114 IFFB% 33.3% TBF 27 Hits 3 Undoubtedly, Anderson probably wasn't ready to be the closer or the set-up man on this team, he is not regularly called upon in high leverage situations, but consider this: For the season, in low and medium leverage situations Anderson's K% is a combined 43% and K/9 is 15.75. And even in high leverage situations, his K% is 35% and K/9 is 13.1. > NOBODY on the Twins staff comes close to these numbers, even Rogers and Duffey.< On the season, only 1 RP (Josh Hader) has a higher K% and K/9 than Anderson's 41% and 15.2. And he's accomplished this with very good control- his K-BB% of 33.5% ranks third behind only Hader and Yates. Seems like he would have been the perfect fit for some of the 5th, 6th and 7th inning duty for the Twins. How many games might he already have made the difference for the Twins in some of their recent August pitching disasters, and before that? Looks like he'll always be "The one that slipped through the cracks...."

Bingo. Come on people, think outside the previous FO box! Just a few more days left in August. This prospective move makes perfect sense, with no downside, except a few measly bucks.

But there's a definite need for BOTH, at the moment. Cave and Rosario have been brutal of late on the corners. Putting Hamilton in as a PR, and then out to CF in the 8th/9th with Kepler sliding over to RF might mean an extra win or two, which might make the difference with Cleveland, and/or home field advantage.

Nothing lost by rostering him UNTIL the playoffs. And potentially plenty gained as a PR and late-inning defensive replacement.

Kudos to him, and perhaps the coaching staff, as well, for helping him to live up to his stuff. From the middle of June until the deadline, May looked clueless and hopeless out there, despite retaining good stuff. What a shot in the arm for the pen if he can continue to roll like he has of late. Rogers recent spotty performances suggest he is beginning to break down from overuse. Cutting back on Rogers' innings might be just what he needs to return to lights out form. May, and maybe Graterol, as well, possibly picking up some of the high leverage innings slack could turn this bullpen from a glaring weakness to a strength down the stretch run and into post-season.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it. Back in April, I advocated for making him an RP by the All Star break. IMO, given the Twins' ongoing pitching woes, both SPs and RPs, if he's NOT on the postseason roster, it means something has gone horribly wrong. The Twins have nothing but the Tidy Whities and the Kitties over the next two weeks, a perfect chance for Brusdar to make his debut. How about as an "opener" for Odo on Wednesday afternoon vs. Chicago, or for a faltering Berrios vs. the Tigers on Friday night? It would definitely boost attendance a bit. But realistically, as Seth and I have pointed out in the past, confirming to himself and the staff that he can effectively throw that major league ball in AAA for a couple weeks can't do anything but help his chances for success with the Twins. Besides, I applaud the fact that they've been pretty aggressive here, considering the injury, missing over two months of development as a result, his age and the pressure cooker environment he'll be thrown into.

Especially since his injury, Rosario has a few gaffes yet to be explained, as well.

Seems like a lot of confusion between the dugout and their replay man. And for that matter, I would think that Tommy Watkins would have had the perfect view to insist that Rocco challenge the play. Only Cron, the Rangers RF (and anyone who saw it live on TV)) appeared to know the obvious. It was a critical hit by Cron at that juncture of the game, could have cost the Twins the game, definitely a communication breakdown problem that needs to be addressed.

FYI, one more edit needed, it's "dominant", not "dominate".

Sep. 1 call-up if the next two weeks go well.

It must have been an unwritten rule. The evidence? 1) Dick Bremer first in a state of shock, and then joined by Roy Smalley were both having the vapors at the unseemly specter of anyone actually swinging at a 3-0 pitch in that situation. 2) The first base coach instead of congratulating Cave, quickly upbraided him upon his arrival at first. 3) In reaction to being scolded, Cave looked like a six-year-old who had just been caught stealing the last cookie from his Mama's cookie jar as he profusely apologized to the pitcher in question. 4) Kepler, though from baseball-free Europe, knowingly waited out the next 3 pitches in nervous trepidation, until he was unceremoniously, but surgically, plunked on what would have been ball four. 5) The home plate umpire feigned ignorance of the entire proceedings- in what was an obvious display of Baseball Kabuki Theater- wherein, because of unwritten (and unauthored) rules, the beautiful sport of Base Ball. magically instills "restorative justice" simultaneously as it curiously descends from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Medical report on Jeffers, who left the game after a HBP?

We can only hope. But if they come back healthy, and more importantly, not arm-weary, the Twins will likely face their top 4 SPs in most, or all, of their remaining 6 games with the Tribe. Plus, what a shot in the arm for Cleveland to have both Kluber and Carrasco as they face the toughest schedule of any of the contenders over the final 6 weeks of the season. Plus, the addition of Puig into the lineup seems to have been transformative to the middle of the Tribe lineup (OPS of 1.034 since joining the Indians).

I wrote about this at the time. Tito was only coming back to the dugout- because Cleveland management assured him that they were fully committed to winning and would make the moves necessary to sustain that commitment- and they kept their word to Francona- just look at the gutsy deals they made at the deadline. The Indians have TWO MORE premiere SPs on the verge of returning to their rotation... I fear this one's over and a golden chance was missed by the Twins

Financially, major league baseball has been a disaster in Florida. I wonder if Forbes has done an audit on how much each franchise in the state has lost? Tampa Bay is pulling the rip-cord to Canada in slow motion. The League subsidies and funny money accounting keeps these 2 teams (just barely) afloat. Although Marlins Park via the local politicians is publicly allowing that the stadium cost about $634M, Deadspin has reported on the shady tiered financing, SEC investigations and has also revealed the fact that the stadium won't be paid off until 2048, ultimately ending up costing nearly $2.5 Billion by then. Will the Marlins even still be in Florida, let alone Miami by then?

In a nutshell, perfect summation. Kudos... As you mentioned, what many of us have been fearing about faulty roster construction -since the offseason!- is now being realized. As much as the very real prospect of the Twins being swept by the Indians is a dreaded possibility, actually being forced to face the cold, hard reality and outcome of the FO's mis-steps leading to the current situation (starting in 2018 with the trading of Pressly), may improve the learning curve and lead to masterminding some solutions*** to both: 1) overcome the current adversity via philosophical adjustments, and further, 2) deal with the glaring holes in the roster, for the remainder of 2019, as well as going forward into the next decade. *** (In the short term, with AHOD!... some magic mix of: >a more open checkbook, >demanding that the "player leaders" step up in the clubhouse, >play for extended innings instead of the current focus on swinging for the fences, > deal with games being lost by SPs on the 3rd time through the order >waiver claims, >FA signings and/or >prospect promotions all deigned together via some all-knowing ouija board?)

This is the type of guy that the Twins should be ready to pounce on. It looks the waiver casualty list is going to be a long one by August 31.

Rooker hasn't played in 3 weeks, gonna take some time to get in a groove once he's healthy enough to take the field again.

Got that right. Love the top half of the order and the solid pitching performances all around. Great scenic ball park right on the bay. Not quite up to that very special Chattanooga team with Sano, Buxton, Kepler, etc., but it still looks like at least 5 potential future Twins on the Pensacola roster.

I'm looping both Sano and May videos. It sure beats watching Sano flail and strike out for the umpteenth time on a ball in the dirt with the winning run on base- or watching May walk the #8 and #9 hitters and forced to groove pitches to top-of-the-order opponent hitters- to the point that he has been in pitcher purgatory for most of the last month. Two of this season's biggest up-and-down whipping boys actually stepped up and carried the team across the finish line to an unlikely victory. If these two key cogs have truly turned the corner and consistently get it done in the late innings, this team suddenly gets 25% more dangerous heading towards the playoffs. One of the top 10 games this year.

Good OF. Really slumping at the plate right now.

Right now, Cave's main value is the 2 options he has remaining- plus that intriguing little run he had in 2018.. I'm guessing he's top of the trade list in the offseason as a throw-in in a bigger deal.

The Stat-centric FO likely has determined that extending Rosario is a less than 50-50 proposition (or he probably would have already had his contract redrawn- they haven't done so). Obviously, at least one of the AA/AAA OFs is going to have to make the case that they'll be ready to claim LF by or before the deadline in 2020. My guess is the FO is thinking the odds are good on just that occurrence.