jokin

The Amarillo park must be REALLY nice... as it's not exactly a Texas "destination" city- unless you're a cattle man or an oil wildcatter.

I think it has nothing to do with any concussions concerns, Mauer has oft-admitted that what you see from him is who he is. He's just not an Type A personality/vocal leader.

For sho'.... Re-watch the celebration at home plate. The primary teammate personally engaging and practically tackling Astudillo is... Logan Forsythe, of all people! This, despite the fact that as the on-deck batter, and "primary vet", Joe Mauer started out closer to Astudillo when he crossed home plate than everyone except for Kepler. Joe Mauer stayed a comfortable 6-8 feet away from the center of the celebratory pile-on... hopping up and down, but not exactly engaging and leading "the boys", as he calls them, in their celebration. Not necessarily a criticism, it's just not who he is, as a "primary vet." The team sorely lacks a Kirby or a Torii.

Exactly how do we get Duke back?

Bodes well for the good guys tonight.

Is there someone in the organization that can sum up Duran's dramatic mid-season intra-league improvements since coming over to the Kernels. At this point, it seems well beyond a SSS mirage.

HA. My own insipid joke when he first was signed was: Johnny (Out)Field? His name might say MLB baseball player, but his career stat line says MLB baseball pretender... Why?

Yeah. The Twins got a different Odo from his peak year in 2016. Declining velo, trying out new pitches. An inexpensive, low-risk gamble with mediocre results. I suspect he will balk at being banished to the pen, but perhaps he can pitch well-enough as an SP to be moved out early in 2019- for one of the up-and-coming arms (even Thorpe?) after a short stint in AAA. For all of the criticism the FO is receiving, and as hard as Lynn was to watch pitch, the FO proved you don't have to add years to a contract offer to lure a FA. And they ended up with at least one prospect, and maybe two, with a chance to make an impact.

Is there another explanation, beyond SSS, that Duran has wildly better peripheral results with the Kernels than with the D-Back club in the same league?

Seth, are Jeffers and Duran more prospects or suspects at this point? Especially as they project to MLB Starting Catcher and Pitcher? Is it fair to say that both have performed beyond expectations thus far? What are the chances that each move significantly up the offseason prospect rankings- ie, top 10 for Jeffers (or at the very least, ahead of Rortvedt as top C prospect)- top 15 for Duran?

I know there was a rainout in Beloit. But, how common are playoff doubleheaders in the minors?

Better still, Duran got much stronger as the game proceeded. Started out the game with little control, walks and wild pitch. And persevered through multiple errors by his teammates, and an infield hit and BB, by getting his last 5 outs via strikeouts! Surely he has shown enough thus far to move up the prospect lists? Right?

Funny how most were in complete agreement not so very long ago that the Twins had a near-untouchable corps of young OF, with Rosario being the only one of the 3 who seemed shaky enough going forward, that Kiriloff might inevitably challenge to force the Twins to then move Rosario out. Just a couple years later, Rosario is the offensive and veteran rock and leader of the team. Meanwhile, Kepler practically has a foot out the door (with Cave getting an open invitation to stake a claim to a spot in 2019) and Buxton's status, and career-track, is entirely up in the air. Meet the New Youth Movement- almost ready to replace the Old Youth Movement. In the meantime, more Johnny Field-like tryouts and an offseason "StarSearch" for the next Robbie "Rex" Grossman. There's a long way to go create realistic optimism about competing in 2019.

I get it. It's just that I think this is one kid who would be up to the task and build on 2018 with different coaching input. I mean, 5 for 5 in a September playoff game doesn't look like he's slowing down much. :cool: I would have made the trip to AZ, especially if he were there, but just Rooker as the other main draw is not quite enough to commit.

Why no AFL for Kiriloff?

Falvey as much acknowledged their decision in this regard. It doesn't change the rest of the facts as laid out here previously. I'm even inclined to agree with a previous poster that he needs to spend time in AAA to start 2019 until he demonstrates that he's addressed the enormous deficiencies in his game. There's too much talent there continue this annual carousel. I would hope that the tough love actions taken by management will light a fire under Buxton- because if it does- I really think we will witness HOF level play by him (and Buck can thank them much later).

The Twins rushed him back, clearly before he had remedied his hitting woes. But part of his hitting woes should have been properly addressed in the offseason- isn't that on both parties?

All true, but see my post immediately above. Some of his injuries and overall physical day-to-day health are directly related to haphazard disregard for his own personal safety.

Good faith? Are you kidding? "Systematically calculated to keep his service time below 3 years"? Did you forget when the FO rushed him back to the roster before he was fully healed physically, or fixed his hitting problems, earlier this year? Did you forget that the Twins built the bulk of their 2018 marketing plan around Buxton leading them on to even better things this season? He, along with Sano, were obviously wildly unprepared to compete- the disaster that is 2018 has to be to a large degree on them both. As an FYI to how bad Buxton was: 66 CFers with 94+ PAs listed in Fangraphs. Buxton is # 66 in BA @ .156 and #65 in OPS- @ a stunning .383. With his top-flite athleticism, he should have been able to bunt and hack enough 3-hop infield singles to, at the least, to have reached a .500 OPS. This was "accomplished" mostly when he was injury-free. Try to find another legit MLB player who finished 1/3 of a season or better with an OPS+ of "4". Yes, 4. When he supposedly was healthy enough to play rehab games, the medical staff was so concerned with the fragility around his wrist and foot, he was only permitted in playing every other day. Two weeks of good AAA hitting didn't merit playing in September. Get healthy, Buck. In the offseason, focus on heavy prehab training, and hire 5 legit breaking ball hurlers to throw you 500 junk balls per day. And watch streaming video of CF guys like Torii on how to avoid catastrophic collisions with OF walls.

Nope, not OK. I've repeatedly stated that I'm perfectly satisfied in the Twins FO decision in shutting him down, making certain he's 100% healthy, wiping the slate clean and spending the offseason by preventative"prehabbing" and building more muscle mass, while also focusing on his glaring plate deficiencies. You've yet to address the points made: -that the Twins can't start 2019 with an all-LH-hitting OF -that Cave threatens Kepler more than Buxton -that Buxton has demonstrated a much higher ceiling than Cave that is worth the time and effort to play out further>>>> look no further than Aaron Hicks for a horrendous example of high-ceiling prospect FO impatience.

Head and shoulders? Temporarily, for sure, but long-term? Not really. And here're the actual numbers on Buxton's K-rate: Buxton K% 2018: 29.8% Buxton K% 2017: 29.4% VS. Cave: Cave K% 2018: 31.9% Oops. This forgotten facts below are why it's far too soon to so easily write off Buck: Buxton WAR for 2017 in 140 games: 5.2 Buxton MILB OPS: .874 SLG: .499 Cave MILB OPS: .768 SLG: .426 Which set of numbers suggests ultimately a better outcome? In addition, Cave is not all that impressive in CF, but might make a decent corner OF. It seems to me like he's threatening Kepler's job more than Buxton's. (And consider the need for one RH bat in the OF). I'm anxious and hopeful to see a new-look Buxton in ST in 2019- 100% healthy, after a huge off-season devoted to addressing his flaws at the plate- AND- with a huge chip on his shoulder with something to prove to everybody, including himself, that he can and will fulfill his true promise and potential.

Whoa. Ted #2 and Ted #1 are still at odds on the state of Buck's health: Ted #2 needs to reconcile his opening quote above with this quote from Ted #1:

Mr. Bucket O Balls on Line Three!

It was just two days ago that Ted wrote this: The above is a set of very sensible conjectures that likely reflect an action plan put in place by the FO as a set of goals and accomplishments to attain to both salvage Buxton's 2018 and best prepare him for 2019 going forward. But now, 2 days later you, or your doppelganger, hit the "panic" button in "worrying about the on-field exploits" as you write this: Has Ted's account been hijacked in a 48-hour time span by some conspiratorial Buxton fan-boy? Consider the fact that up until last Saturday, Buxton hadn't played in consecutive AAA games since July 8. This indicates that the Twins are obviously taking Buxton's health issues and the proper rehab to remedy him from those issues very seriously. They mistakenly rushed him back to the majors, only leading to further disaster, and are now taking a more cautious and comprehensive approach to managing his situation. Regarding AAA games ending on September 3, there are potentially up to 8 playoff games available to be played by Fort Myers- which might last up until about September 14- just a few days short of 9/18. It's highly unlikely that the Twins would go that A+ level route to complete his minor league stint- but I agree with the "first Ted"- after making full assurances of a clean bill of health, implement a rigorous "pre-hab" program to build Buxton's complementary supportive muscle mass around his joints, a strict nutritional and lifestyle regimen; meanwhile, have him continue to work on running OF routes that don't include headlong crashes into fixed barriers, and drill him daily in simulated situational ABs and basic pitch recognition to avoid continually falling hopelessly into 0-2 counts. Rod Carew had about a .750 BA bunting, no reason that Buxton couldn't work to upgrade his bunting skills to fully utilize the bunt weapon early in the count- and turning the tables on the ongoing MLB "book" on how to get Buxton out (if Buck consistently shows "bunt" early in the count, he's going to be looking at a lot more 2-0 counts than 0-2 counts). As you said originally in your August 28 article, keeping Buck consistently healthy going forward should be the #1 priority. The Twins FO already demonstrated the willingness to make a radical intervention to address Sano's issues. The Twins are extremely likely to have put a plan in place to meet Buxton's "#1 priority" and the other areas of concern, as well. Playing- or not playing- in a handful of September games will be a reflection of the overall plan, the #1 priority, as well as "the next step in his journey." No Service Time Conspiracy (Free Ted #1).

We all agree that Kohl Stewart is no Chris Sale when it comes to whiff rate. We can also all agree that Kohl Stewart will never be anything close to a Chris Sale, period. But consider the following: Chris Sale leads MLB in Soft Contact @ 28 %. Kohl Stewart had a Soft Contact rate yesterday @ 33.3% Chris Sale leads AL in IFFB% @ 15.9% Kohl Stewart IFFB% yesterday was @ 50% (AAA was 16.7%) Chris Sale's GB% is @ 45.3% Kohl Stewart GB% yesterday was @ 72% (AAA was 57.3%--- AL best is 55%) Is it reasonable to infer the prospect that Stewart at age 23 can use his impressive P-2-C soft contact/ground ball tendencies with, say, developing a little more elusivity in one or more of his out pitches and become a serviceable or better SP?