70charger

Gotta say. You're not being very realistic here, just spitting out tropes. Yes, computers are "built on math." But if the programmer puts in bad data, guess what you get out?

Sending a guy who is struggling down is very, very different from your suggestion. How does this: "Look at the upcoming rotations against and select a DH that best meets that series need. You could even do it by game if travel permits.", equal this: "Not doing well = demoted!"? It doesn't, that's how. Stop moving the goalposts.

Look, I'm all for playing matchups, but there's something to be said about roster stability. Do you really want to jerk these guys around that much? Do we want to prolong and multiply the adjustment periods? How do you look a guy like Vargas in the eye and say, "yeah, you're doing okay, but there's this guy in the minors who hit a lot of home runs last week, so don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way to Rochester." I couldn't/wouldn't do it. Pick one.

Is it the squatting 8 pounds? Or is it the fact that he uses gloves to squat 8 pounds? Or is it that they don't match his purse? (Okay, that's my Mauer bashing quota for awhile. Apologies to Joe. I'm gonna assume he's doing four hundred reps.)

I think it's easy for Minnesotan to think of Summit as one of the "big guys" and leave them out of the craft beer list. That's a huge mistake. I came back to the US for a few weeks this fall (and caught a game!) and the biggest beer craving I had was for good, old, consistent Summit EPA. It's a special kind of thing. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I couldn't get it anywhere. Also, if you want craft beer and are coming in through Target Plaza, go to the first beer stand on your left before you go under the concourse roof (unless they've changed it). It's chock full of craft brews and usually super uncrowded. If you want cocktails because you don't drink beer, like my wife, the second deck has a bar that used to be Captain Morgan branded, but isn't anymore. Anyone remember what that's called? Anyway, it's right up next to the left field foul pole. And Hrbek's will get you cocktails too. As for in-park food, I'll second Tony O's Cubans, and I have to say that Butcher and the Boar does a really nice job with their limited menu. I always end up feeling like I've been robbed after eating in the stadium so I often eat before I go and just have beer. For some reason beer always seems more justifiable... I lived just blocks from the stadium for some 8 or 9 years - actually since before there was a stadium - and I always came back to Cuzzy's. Its divey but totally friendly atmosphere is great. Fulton is a good taproom to go to very close to the stadium, and I'll second Freehouse for the food. If you want to get crazy gourmet, Spoon and Stable is new in the area, but good luck getting a reservation. After the game, Marvel Bar has some serious cocktails in a speakeasy-type joint below the Bachelor Farmer.

25 years in-country is a long time to make contacts, set up a pipeline, and make yourself "the guy" for an entire, underutilized country. Backfill the analytics department later; a guy like this seems like a bigger deal to me.

GOD THIS FRONT OFFICE IS TERRIBLE!!!!11!!!1111

Bah! Humbug! ...fine, Merry Christmas.

The eternal optimist and Mauer fan in me likes Old Goat's analysis and the Morneau comparison. I think the primary concern will be his continued brain health, which, if it's truly healed should allow him to come back. I mean, he's really not that old at all. I know because, well, I'm older.

Yikes. When is the Twins' contract up for renewal?

I'd really be leaning toward this too. The bullpen was a weakness last year, so it's not like we're disassembling a winning squad in order to get the kids up. The guys we would replace just weren't that good, so even if the kids come up and struggle while taking their first crack at it, we won't have lost much (if anything) in the way of performance versus the status quo. This seems like such a no-lose situation. I have to believe that at least one or more of the potentially shut-down guys you listed is going to be as good or better than the guys we had last year over an entire season. Might as well see what we have.

I think he had a fish hook go through one eye. Amazing to me he can hit anything at any level.

Agreed. Pretty surprising.

Still a great story. I'd be happier if it was my team in the ALCS, but you can't not root for Chris.

I find it difficult to believe that a guy whose ERA is consistently in the twos won't be able to pitch in the American League. That's all I'm going to say about that.

This is pretty much exactly it. I have no problem with having him added to the 40-man if the Twins determine he's in danger of being poached (I don't see it, but I'm not a baseball executive), or if it isn't going to cause the Twins to lose someone they can't afford to. I doubt they need to protect him, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did it anyway out of caution.

That's not how rule 5 works. If he's on a 40-man, it's with the Twins. If he's claimed in rule 5, it's 25 man, for an entire year. If he's on a 25 man for an entire year, I will be absolutely shocked.

Seems like adding Walker to the 40 man is being assumed by lots of people. Do we really think he'd stick on a major league roster all next year? You can probably stash a pitcher in the bullpen, but can a team really take a bench spot for a defense-limited guy who is going to get tied into knots by major league pitchers? For an entire year? Even if we lose him, he'd probably be coming back before too long. Right?

Depends. Is he a pro athlete?

"Imply" in this context is a synonym for "necessitate," and not for "implicate." I think correlation implicates causation, especially in very controlled environments like balls, strikes, hits, and outs.

I've kind of wondered about this too. So if you have command, you must have control. If you have control, you don't necessarily have command?

Outside of absolutely extreme outliers (think 0.00 ERA or 30.00 ERA), there just isn't anything in this sample size to give me hope or concern at this point. The only thing we have to go on is basically the same thing as what we had to go on before he was drafted.

Maybe it's the eternal optimist in me, but I think it will be.

I'll start the bidding. You won't like my number...

I don't care if the sky IS falling. It's made out of air, what's the worst that can happen?