h2oface

I hope they didn't pay anybody to do nothing.

The Braves “turned” Spencer Strider this year, too. ?‍♂️

I think you ask him and let him decide. It’s his young life. At this point, the Twins are paying him a comparative pittance for his value. He has far more earning potential as a starter than even a top closer. It should be his decision. He can always go somewhere else eventually if he wants and is not allowed to give starting a shot at the MLB level. He can always go back to relief, if he doesn’t like starting, or is not successful in that role, too. Good thing Johan Santana didn’t get trapped in a pen.

I think I agreed that it is possible that the Dodgers may try to sign him. FO people are visitors, and are doing what they do for a salary, not love, and don't really care that much about the fans, for sure. It was "end of story" before your post. You just repeated yourself once more. I got it, and I think other readers did, the first time. Say it again if you like though. It appears to make you feel good to "combat", even though there is no combat.

I didn't forget about Boston in 2018, too. And Alex Cora.... again. But the Red Sox (and wasn't there something the Yankees got caught doing, too?) But the Red Sox were not actively still doing the deeds in the post season. And I feel Houston's vile behavior the worst. They were all a token of Manfred Ball, and were let off the hook as players. But the hate for the Astros and Correa in Dodger Staduim continues to be thunderous and non-stop to this day. If you have never experienced it, you have no idea. It was unbelievable even this year. I have never seen anything like it in all my days of watching and attending baseball games. And no, I did not cheer for Correa. I put up with it because I obviously had no choice, and I could reconcile it by telling myself over and over, that he was just a visitor here anyway. Being a Twins fan before many here were even born, and having lived through, not just read about the 60's teams, I was not, and will not be a fan of Correa. I hope he is gone, and money is spent on a pitcher(s). I could have been, but his numerous interviews that he gave after the ruling came down showed his disrespect for the game, and arrogance that turned me off. If he woud have just been reticent and humbled, then I coud have and would have given him another go. You all do what you like. There are other options that won't stink like Dior. And Houston is doing just fine with Jeremy Pena, too. The Dodgers may sign him...... and you all may be totally wrong and they will resign Turner, who's speed offers more to his game and the Dodgers like it. All the hard core Dodger fans I know are vomitting at the idea of Correa, and I know a lot of them, as I now live in LA. But they may get him forced down their throats. It could be very ironic and funny for all but the Dodger fans. You all can disparage me for not liking Correa all you want. I don't care. I don't like having to watch A-Roid comment either, but there you go. Some things mean more to me than just talent and winning ballgames.

Price was 2-0 with 13.2 innings pitched in 3 games (2 starts) and a 1.98 ERA. Betts was 5-23 and hit .217 with a double, homer, and 1 RBI. Not really the point about who played though. Comparing a cheating team and Correa to others that didn't is the point, no matter who they were. Correa and the 2017 Astros have a special place in MLB history, akin to the 1919 Black Sox. History will not forget, even though hometown fans have a selective memory.

You are so far off here. None of those mentioned were a part of beating them by cheating. Only Correa, and he did it proudly, and still has no apologies. It isn't about losing fair, that is not the problem, it is about being an unrepentant cheater and serving no consequeces.

Well, I can remember at least 5 errant throws that actually cost runs in games. So much for stats.

Nice watching some catchers in the playoffs that don't sit on their butt to catch. Can we get one of those? Or would the new "TwinsWay" make them sit to catch?

A .268 hitter for a month in his second year in AA ball is a breakout?? How far expectation and evaluation has fallen. Once a writer/scout/FO calls a player a top prospect, they will hang on to it and make concessions for it as long as they can.

Trade him to Colorado so he can win a batting title like Morneau and Cuddyer.

These awards are a joke. Arraez? It is like when Dozier actually won a GG. Comical. And have you seen on the official Twins page that Correa wins almost all of them that weren't pithing? What a suck up. If Correa would have been producing in the first half of the season ... then we might have been up to 20 games over .500 instead of peaking a 11. Total suck up joke. Awards are worthless and all about markenting and not about actual important performance, especially in at bats that really counted.

And the guy that raplaced Correa on the Cheatin' Astos, Jeremy Pena, is not too shabby, either.

The idea of continuing to take players from the Reds, who couldn't win with Gray and Mahle on the team anyway so we take them and give up assests for them..... and now Farmer? He is flying so far under the radar that he might be crashing into the next hill.

And last one left standing is Kyle Gibson playing for the Phillies. That is, if he makes the NLCS roster, which I am assuming he will.

....and Duran wants to start. Labels? There will always be labels. MLB is not fantasy baseball.

Yikes. Catcher is a huge problem, and so is the farm for them. Not great management of prospects. I hope they fill this black hole with a starter that performs and move Jeffers to back up, The whole idea that the umpire is influenced by what the catcher does is so flawed. They are just poor umpires that happen to be behind the catcher while he is catching. Pretty random. Framing my arse. The catcher ridiculously moves his glove quick to inside the zone is a real fooler? Right. Jeffers moves it drastically even when it is already a strike. All the time. Silly. The way you get the call is to NOT move it, and show them it was a close strike. Umpires call balls strikes all by themselves all the time.

Reasons you left out of the quote that were already identified, but sure. That would be FO retort too I suspect. Years pass and the reward is still hopeful. I am pretty sure Berrios had another year left, by the way, as did Pressly. Both traded with just under a year and a half left at trade deadline.

According to recent past reasoning by this FO, they will be trading Maeda and Gray during the off season. Pressly had to go with a year and a half left on contract. So did Berrios. How is Gray and Maeda different? I'm am sure many will come up with some reasons.... competitive teams, coming off injury, etc....... but it seems they are very inconsistent. They use the "have to trade to get hopeful prospect value" excuse only when they want to and it fits their pitch.

I can only hope. When you see it happening on other teams, it really makes me pine for the Twins having that success, too. I personally think his "body of work" in The Show speaks way louder than the minor league body of work. To not let Duran give it a try to be a starter greatly limits his earning potential. He knows that, and his agents will be all over it, too. His success seems to go with his health. I think having him relieve this year was smart. I think he is a young man and not a kid, and ready to be the best he can be as long as he is not injured. I can't consider Duran a failed starter because he has not been given the opportunity yet. Perhaps 2023 is the year.

I think that does not have to be the case. Spencer Strider, of the Braves moved from the pen to start, all in this year, and pitched 131+ innings. This was his 23 year old season. Now just signed for 6 years. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34768078/atlanta-braves-lock-spencer-strider-6-year-75m-deal Alex Anthopoulos seems to make all the right moves. Last year, and this year, while we watch our FO make all the wrong moves. (Well, not all, but way too many.) Strider was the bullpen cream, but is a great starter, too. Duran wants to start. No reason not to let him. If you baby a pitcher, he will not become who he can be. The stars don't fit molds. Duran is a star. He wants to start. He has deGrom stuff and control. They should let him, or when he can, he will find a team that will. [[[[[ Strider progression ]]]]]] "A fourth-round gem in the extremely truncated 2020 draft (five rounds), Strider skyrocketed through the Braves’ system despite a lack of minor league games in 2020, ultimately making his Major League debut late in the 2021 season. The Clemson product cracked the Braves’ Opening Day roster in 2022, initially working multi-inning stints out of the bullpen before ascending to the starting staff, where he not only found success but emerged as a bona fide front-of-the-rotation arm. Overall, Strider broke out with 131 2/3 innings of 2.67 ERA ball and a 38.3% strikeout rate that paced all big leaguers who pitched at least 100 innings. Command was an issue at times in the minors and early in the season, but Strider markedly scaled back on the number of free passes he yielded as the season wore on, finishing out the year with an 8.5% walk rate that was scarcely north of the league average. For someone who walked 13.5% of his opponents over the first two months of the season, the improvement was as remarkable as it was rapid; from June 10 onward, Strider walked just 6.8% of his opponents."

I wonder how many "former Twins" won a title after they were abandoned by the Twins? I know of 2 just off the top of my head, but are there others? I couldn't find any upon looking. Michael Cuddyer, Colorado Rockies, 2013, .331 National League Batting Title Justin Morneau, Colorado Rockies, 2014, .319 National League Batting Title (sat out the last two days of season to maximize chances. Walt Weiss made the decision.) https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/9/28/6860091/justin-morneau-national-league-batting-title-rockies It seemed like Carew had 17 titles..... but only (only?) 7 12 - Ty Cobb … 1907-08-09-10-11-12-13-14;-15; 1917-18-19 8 - Tony Gwynn … 1984; 1987-88-89; 1994-95-96-97 Honus Wagner … 1900; 1903-04; 1906-07-08-09; 1911 7 - Rod Carew … 1969; 1972-73-74-75; 1977-78 Stan Musial … 1943; 1946; 1948; 1950-51-52; 1957 Rogers Hornsby … 1920-21-22-23-24-25; 1928 6 - Ted Williams … 1941-42; 1947-48; 1957-58 5 - Wade Boggs … 1983; 1985-86-87-88; Dan Brouthers … 1882-83; 1889; 1891-92 4 - Miguel Cabrera … 2011-12-13; 2015 Bill Madlock … 1975-76; 1981; 1983 Roberto Clemente … 1961; 1964-65; 1967 Harry Heilmann … 1921; 1923; 1925; 1927 Cap Anson … 1879; 1881; 1887-88

Always enjoy your pieces. This is the first time you strike out badly, and are off base. It is only one sentence, though, so I guess just one strike. "On the plus side, the longer they’re in the playoffs that’s less time for Josh Donaldson to dedicate to his first love (racism)."

I don't feel that getting the ball and strike calls consistent - and above all, correct and accurate - with the best tools we have, analytics, and I have been an advocate of it since its inception. The only reason inaccurate inconsistent and make believe strike zones were a part of the game was there was no way to do it better. Now there is. It is not analytics to use a now available way to get it right, any more than the touch pad in the swimming pool is analytics to get the winner of the race right and not a judgement call by a human that is not able to do it correctly. No need to have a professional guesser call the balls and strikes when there is a better way now. It doesn't change the game at all It just makes it fair for both the batter and pitcher, and is one less way the game is skewed by human error, and a result is based on the play and not the umpires best guess. But that is a different discussion. Correct or incorrect calls by umpires has nothing to do with analytics, really.

He is still on board with analytics. Also on board with balance, and a manager using analytics, but not being a puppet of an out of control FO. Incorporating analytics doesn't have to mean you are controlled and ruled by them.