Oldgoat_MN

Grossman has done really well. The question is, did he finally figure something out that suddenly makes him a very good hitter? Is his career .240/.327/.341 (.668) something he's left behind?
Chances are that he is having an unusual hot streak. I hope this is the real Robbie, but the odds are against that.
 
I really would like to see Polanco getting some shots at 2nd base. Why Dozier is batting at the top of the order is a mystery to me.
 

That was enough info to make the Office of Management and Budget go into a catatonic state. And if Molitor knew all those numbers during that 30 seconds it took him to bench Rosario, I apologize in advance. Plouffe was a dead duck, the inability of the catcher, did not make it a good move. Nor did the minsicule improvement in scoring chance. He's Trevor Plouffe, the human statue. He should have been out. Rosario caught them napping, and unless Verlander ran the Olympic 400 meters, was not going to get caught. This boils down to two non statistical issues. Rosario's previous misadventures in the OF, his offensive struggles, and his lack of tenure. On the other side of the coin was the veteran Plouffes teflon status as an irreplaceable cog in the machine. Please understand I am not disagreeing with the accuracy of your stats, simply that they had anything whatsoever to do with Rosario ending up in Rochester. I want to add one last point. The move to extreme shifts is going to result in more of these odd chances, which go against the grain of the book. I completely agree with never making the last out at third, but if no one is playing third, that certainly changes the odds of getting caught.

Dozier would be better, and the Twins as well, if he would re-invent himself by regressing to the hitter he used to be.
 
He needs to get back to contact, AVG, OB and gap power and speed knowing he can now make pitchers pay when they either make a mistake or challenge him.
 
And you're right, the Twins bear a ton of responsibility in this as well. Someone needs to sit down with him and discuss reality. Other than a mistake pitch, ML pitchers are now cognizant of his pull approach.

The Twins are operating as if the one quick move they make will be the key that unlocks the needed win or two for the playoffs. That should have been the strategy last year (namely with Berrios).
 
Right now, they're an 8-19 team chasing their tail and hurting their future contributors in the process.

There was also that time that Senator Jesse Helms wanted to ban Mapplethorpe bats, but I think that may have had something to do with the logo being obscene...

I'm not sure what more you are expecting.  They have people down there covering some parts of it and writing stories. If you use the forums there is more than enough coverage (Kepler included) to get information from individuals writing on their own who are down their in FM or just following from afar.
 
Also, this is more of a fan blog than a sports journalism site.  The site owners do not have the access that credentialed sports journalists do, yet in my opinion, spew out 10+ times the information and coverage the newspapers do.

I truly think Buxton will enetually hit. He always has, but it's after an acclimation time. And that might be enough to keep his seasonal average below award level. Plus players seldom get that kind of award based on OF defense.
 
Berrios? Another possibility. And your comment on service time would be true in a different year. The fact is, regardless of service time there was absolutely no chance he was coming north this spring. The Twins have millstoned themselves with long term contracts to mid rotation pitchers, and they don't have room at the inn. Milone would be the only option, and he is also the only left hander. Add the fact that he is the poster child of a Twins pitcher. While as this is being typed, I can't say with a certainty what happens either tomorrow or soon, but I think Duffey will also find out that cold hard fact. Barring injury, Berrios will likely serve more time in NY than some expect. If TR follows past practice, the opening starters will get up to two months to pitch themselves out of a job. Not all these pitchers are created equal. Some have to pitch themselves into a job, some out of a job. The Twins have far more of the latter, than the former in the current rotation!

There were a lot of great memories on the field, but maybe it was my one and only close encounter- up in the warehouse district after a win- I think he hit one that night- and Kirby at the next table scarfing plate after plate of wings.  I gave him a fist bump with his non-wing hand, in my Summit-fueled haze.  "You want one man?" he said.  "Naw, Kirby," says I, "sluggers get all the wings, I'm just a banjo hitter."  He laughed that laugh, and I'd had my moment.  

I don't know what changed in BASEBALL-REFERENCE.com, but I cannot get to Escobar's minor league numbers.
 
Here's how I remember it:
 
In 2013 Escobar was sent down after posting an unimpressive BA/OBP. He went to AAA and tore it up. When he came back in September he tore it up.
 
MLB 2013 OPS: .628
MLB 2014 OPS: .721
MLB 2015 OPS: .754
 
He learned something in AAA that he has not forgotten.
His last two years he really stepped up. Those are good numbers for a shortstop, especially one whose defense is not just good, but improving.
 
I'm very happy with EE for now. Happy FOR the kid, too.

I just don't foresee Rosario as a regular. He'll start there and probably last longer than he should for his defense. The Twins will do what they can to get Arcia's bat in the lineup, but Kepler should loom large as well.

Watching Cesar Tovar play was truly a treat.
 
Made me smile to remember him back then.
 
I especially loved the game in which he played all 9 postiions.

Really like your assessments, especially regarding Robinson.
 
Don't know why there is such a keen angst toward this guy. He has done everything asked of him, and he's done it better than at any other point in his career. Be sure to thank him on his way out the door.
 
After keeping Graham on the roster all year following a Rule 5 draft, I'd be surprised to see him go. I'm not suggesting that his stats or age (he's 25 years old) warrant a long term commitment, but they seem to have kept him around for something. TR trying to catch lightening in a bottle again?
 
Had high hopes for Oliveros a few years back, and for Arcia recently. It will be interesting to see what happens to these two players.

Give him a break, guys. Doug isn't saying that Arcia will never succeed; what he's saying is that now is not his time in the majors, and to be honest, I couldn't agree more. What you see is a left-handed power hitter, but what I see is a batting swing-and-misser who is doing terrible against worse pitching than what the guys up in the majors that Arcia-advocators are complaining about are facing. Arcia has run into some kinks that he needs to work out before being called up again. I'm sure the time will come, but for now it would be fruitless.

Pelfrey was throwing 94mph pitches in the 7th inning.  This could be the first of many fine performances. Pino, Walters and the rest never came close to that.

Thanks for this.
Made me think of the early days at Met stadium.
 
Very fun. You made me smile.

I think it's interesting that a guy like Paul Molitor thinks that Torii can make a difference. He knows exactly what intangibles are.
 
I know most people are focused on what Torii is going to do on the field.
There is no question that everyone will know he's in the clubhouse. It might take some heat off this new manager and coaching staff to have Torii weighing in on a player who doesn't hustle.
 
I have to trust that Molitor has a pretty good idea of what he's getting in Torii.
 
Hope Molly is right, whatever he's thinking.

I hope you're right.
I think Dave Martinez would be a good choice.
 
Seven years with Maddon should have him bring an interesting brand of baseball the the Twins.

Thanks for the article.
 
I invite you to seize the opportunity to let it go after 30 years.
 
Perhaps Jim Pohlad will read this and get us an ace pitcher and a really good pitching coach.

After these recent games it is easy to be pessimistic.  This team is very young and is learning in the majors. There are many reasons to be positive. May pitched a Quality start today with 10 strikeouts.  Perkins got the save.  The young guys continued to get key hits. Plouffe got a homer.  Its easy to be critical, but this team gives us lots of reason to hope for next year.