Emjay

Rocco was "blessed" with a good farm system and a lot of talent already on the roster when he first arrived. Not much to take credit for when the players set HR records (2019) There are things the manager can control and those he can't. The things he can control, he seems to mismanage a lot. The most glaring defects is how he runs the bullpen, the questioable line ups, and his chaotic batting orders. The lefty/righty hitting obsession and his inability to bend on his often questionable analytics. Keeping a relief pitcher in a game when they have just given up mutiple runs to tie and go ahead; bases loaded and no outs. We have all seen this scenario play out with Alcala, Thielbar, etc. He assumed that lefty hitters that were not named Kepler could not hit lefty pitching and instead would put in a righty sub par hitter and fielder who striked out anyway. He learned that Wallner could also hit lefties, but it was when he had no choice but to play him...it goes on and on. Having been to about 40 games this past season and due to having Fubo, I watched most of the games and saw this play out so many time. Analyitics has a place, but if a guy is hitting well and/or is a good defender, keep him in the lineup everyday; sometimes, the most simple answer is the best.

Exactly...

So many components to this hot mess...I'll just say "The Pohlads" cheap since day 1, this is nothing new to lifelong Twins fans. Karl was the cheapest of them all. At least these current Pohlads have shown the ability to spend some money; however, the red flags have been going up for quite some time with disastrous trades and absolutely no action at the trade deadline!?!?! That was code from the top down for "we got what we need and now we are checked out, work with what you've got" Maybe it's just me, but I am dumbfounded just about every other game by Rocco's mismanagement of the lineup and the relief pitching...the constant all lefty or all righty line ups based on the starting pitcher of the opposing team is the definition of insanity; this mentality has been proven unreliable constantly. How about play the guys that are hitting the ball regardless of left or right? How about sitting Julien down and keeping Farmer in since he is now hitting and is a veteran defender? Margot should be considered frosting on a cake, not to be relied upon. Lewis and Lee are now officially sub par and even bad in both fielding and hitting; Lewis says he doesn't slump? Why the chronic rest for Buxton? He's as healthy as he's going to be, put him in the game every single day!! And Kepler was already dragging before his little "back issue". This team is either soft or Rocco is making them soft. There is a problem with the management of this team from Rocco on down to Popkins and the half witted base coaching! Durhan is lost, Thielbar is useless, etc etc. Even if they manage to make it in to the playoffs, they will not get past the 1st round...Rocco will keep snatching defeat from the mouth of victory. You can't fire the Pohlads. Levine and Falvey? They have made some horrific moves. It's time clean house and be rid of Rocco and his incompetent crew of coaches. I'm sure many will disagree with this.

He is the new Kirloff for Baldelli...another Rocco's pet project.. Not sure how many times Twins hitters have all but obliterated the lefty/righty analytics that Baldelli lives by. Yet, he keeps at hit, even when it means putting a subpar hitter that high up in the order. I agree, Larnach is more consistent and "slightly" more reliable thatn previously, but he is still prone to hitting in to DP's and he's just not trustworthy enough. The whole lefty/righty matchup things has gotten Baldelli and this team into more trouble than anything; the guy just doesn't seem to know how to manage athletes or manage from instinct or gut . Mister Moneyball is not the kind of manager the Twins have ever had and it's tough to watch sometimes. He just needs to go away and lets bring Toby Gardenhire up for a promotion!

I am still a ride or die twins fan but if I'm being honest I completely checked out of the last six games primarily cuz I'm sick of being upset and disappointed and I knew Atlanta was going to sweep them... the fact that they can't even figurte out a way to compete right now has me wanting to sell off my season tickets at least until something changes... maybe when they decide to dump the class A minor league hitting coach and get a real one

What a relief...best decision they have made as of lately...it's one thing to be in a hitting slump, but Miranda does not know how to play 3rd base....really makes a fan miss Urshela. Farmer is a much better all around player and gets key hits. Miranda lost me last year with his record number of hitting into double plays; buzz kill

For a guy who suddenly can't pitch, he sure chirps at the ump and gets into it with the opposing team a lot. That kind of mouth running is better left to players who can back it up with good pitching...ironically, the best pitchers don't feel the need to act like that. By the way, did anyone laugh out loud like I did when Celestino stole 2nd base today??? I mean the guy or any of our players, havn't tried to steal a base all year when it mattered, but now that we are out of contention, he steals?? wtf? I know a lot about the game, but the back office stuff I'm not as clear on...is there any possible way they will fire Rocco? Or will he survive because of all the injuries we had? Is that an excuse for him? How much accountability is there on the coaching staff and managers for the constant hamstring and groin (and other avoidable) inujuries that helped knock us out of contention? #RoccoMustGo

Would have been nice to see him pitch again...not sure what the thought is behind waiving him, he's got a lot more going for him than most of them.

I suggest the AAA version of the Twins just get on the plane and go home; this is embarassing. Rocco just keeps throwing random players on the field, but doesn't actually adjust to anything. No bunts, no steals, and he still manages to ef up the bullpen choices. Can't stand that guy or his fake serenity. The Twins may want to revisit their approach in the off season; scrap the "analytics or die" approach, especially when you are not playing with your stars; play small ball like most small market teams do to get to the playoffs...a couple of guys name Kelly and Gardenhire could tell you about it. On the injury front, the majority of these injuries we have been saddled with are not bad luck, just poor conditioning and training. Time to clean house and that includes Rocco, all strength and conditioning staff including the trainers, Pete Maki and Popkins...goodbye. I hope Wes is happy down in the Bayou.. btw, what a shitey thing to do. Players? bye Pagan, maybe quit praying on the mound for 10 minutes before your starts or find a different higher power that actually helps you pitch better. Lopez has lost all trust, next topic. Might as well have kept Duffey. Miranda is overrated, but he's just a rookie,not his fault..he hits into inning ending double plays on a regular basis...and he's too short to play 1st base. Nick Gordon is a defensive liability no matter where he plays in the field, cocky and entitled...also, he is not good enough to be arrogant. A little humility might serve him well. Kepler wasn't hitting long before his "injury". Just beating the ball into the ground game after game; zero adjustments made on a consistent basis, Might be time for Buxton to retire, talent beyond comparison, but his body was not built for this game...I like Urshela, hope we keep him. Correa will not want to come back after this disaster and I don't blame him...my season ticket package includes the last games with the Sox, I'm fairly sure those wont be meaningful games..

Not sure what players would outwardly admit they don't like how Rocco manages.....but those that make negative comments about Rocco and his analytics on steroids have a point regarding pitching switches and especially batting order chaos. A lot of teams are yanking the starting pitcher after 5 or 6 innings becasue the data does show that teams will hit after facing a pitcher a couple of times. Unfortunately for the Twins in past months, the long relief and other bullpen guys were not good. So now the starting pitching and relief is good enough (accept for Pagan, he is a lost cause) that leaves us with hitting and the batting order/s. I have not missed a game this year; I have season tickets and when I don't go to the game, I watch them. I'm not an MLB player, but I have heard from every single guy that does commentary (Hawkins, Perkins, Smalley, Morneau, etc) that players typically excel and relax when they know where they are in the batting order and in the field on a consistent basis. Analytics only go so far when you art talking about hitting and batting orders...there is such a thing as overthinking it and taking the human element out of the equation. Whatever your opinion may be, analytics are not cutting it for this Twins team and I don't think Rocco is the right guy for the job if he can't be less rigid about analytics. The talent is above average on this team, and the season is blowing up before our eyes... and at some point, the responsibility is with the hitting coach and particularly, the manager. By the way, are we ready to admit that the Pagan and Paddack trade for Rogers was so bad? WTF

All Star game and its subsequent "all stars" is a bunch of krap anyway; it is a popularity contest; especially for large market teams/players. Why was Buxton there? I have no idea; ironic that he did hit the winning homerun, but of course, small market, so no MVP. It's all a joke

It's the Tampa Bay way...nothing remotely like the Twins way of the past...anyone missing Terry Ryan yet?

Be that as it may, you can't just assume that he is going to be injured again in 2022 and make decisions based in that...in fact, I would argue that I saw a difference in the way he played when he came back at the end of last season. He was still brilliant, but he smarter about diving and crashing into the wall. He is a once in decade caliber player, you just don't give up or throw the towel in on that kind of talent.

Next to trading Buck, this is the worst idea I have ever heard....at some point, you need to just stop trading away homegrown talent and build around somebody for cripes sake.

I was thinking the same think...they talk a lot and say nothing; just like their manager Rocco. Blah blah blahhhhh

I'm not sure what they are trying to accomplish aside from giving the fans the middle finger and insulting Buck and our entire homegrown cluster of talent. I like JD and I understand why they made some of the moves they did at the time they did, but now it has blown up into the most pathetic hot mess and outright failure of any front office in the league...who does this crap? You gamble away Berrios....outch, you toss away Cruz like he is yesterday's trash...but okay, we will recover...but Buxton??? Neither this team or the fans will recover from that move anytime soon. They dynamic duo has failed and so has their manager and most of his coaches. Hey guys, take your season tickets and shove 'em.

Thoughts and justifications

The Twins organization has gambled enough with their penny pinching...sign Buck, give him what he wants. or we are going to have another Big Papi outcome to haunt us forever. How many players can play at his level??? 15 Million just for showing up at the field. Bonus incentives if he doesn't end up injured for more than 30 games

I would say TL is a bit overrated. he is below average speed in the field and on the bases below average fielder and not exactly showing a high Baseball IQ... he may start hitting again but those other things aren't necessarily going to change drastically, so that makes him a backup or AAA...

Apples and oranges dude

Well you could knock me over with a feather I must say I'm a bit surprised but then again he is probably the player I am the least familiar with.... whiIe I appreciate you saying he's not good enough for this, no athlete is good enough for this not unless they have a PhD behind their name with an extremely high IQ and about twenty years of higher education and research under their belt... it's real simple keep your job and your personal life separate especially when it comes to Pro Sports if you're going to be on social media and want to express your opinions then you need to make your account private... the thing I love the most about the MLB is that it seems to remain safely out of this kind of crap... that being said it kind of reminds me of the phrase dumb jock

Let's face it, this is how it is and how it always will be in small market pro sports; especially MLB/Twins. Great farm system, develop them, bring them up and then you gotta sell them because you overspent on a has been rock star with a 1-2 year obscene contract and now, you gotta go buy some real pitchers....again! We develop players like Berrios and Buxton and put together what looks like a competing team, so we put all of our small market eggs into 1 basket and if we lose, like we did this year, then it's a **** show because we have left ourselves out in the cold. Every once in a while, the stars align and you get a 1987 and a 1991 result. I think TL and DF are fine, but they blew it with the pitching...no way in hell Gibson or May should be gone, but that's life as a Twins fan and season ticket holder, they don't want to spend the money to compete.

Sorry, my post sounds negative...just frustrated with this organization

While that's good news about the fire sale, they would only have to give up 1 or 2 more players in addition to Cruz and the negative impact would be felt. Think about the combined outs made by Berros/Donaldson. Fact of the matter is, we don't have anyone that can play 3rd base like JD. While were on the topic of competency...I don't like Larnach in left field, he is too slow and his arm sucks...so if you don't have an Eddie Rosario strength arm from left field, for pete sake, hit the cutoff man!! Oh, and speaking about Baseball IQ or the lack thereof...Sano running to 3rd lastnight in extra innings. Enough said

He is surely the fastest player we have ever had and he is certainly in the top 3 of all time centerfielders along with Kirby and Hunter...BUT, it was not that long ago that Buck couldn't consistently get hits, where he struck out and popped up. While it's true he has turned a corner, we can't possibly know his true value. or any players true value, unless they can play well at this level for a full season. This is not the year for Buck to be demanding a lot of money. The reason we paid JD what we did was because we were supposed to win our division and get to the playoffs in 2021. Don't get me wrong, it killed me to see Cruz go and it would kill me to see Buck go and be Superman for the competition...but at this point, I think we have all gotten accustomed to not having him our team because he hasn't been around. I agree that the ownership should not start tearing down what they only just built, but things did not work out like they planned this season. Buck aside, I think this team was woefully mismanaged by Rocco and his gang. From poor conditioning and injuries to horrible pitching decisions...leave them in too long, taken them out too soon, bring in the wrong reliever and then keep him in until the game is lost, etc, etc. Sano? really? Zero baseball IQ. There is plenty of blame to go around, but it started at the top. There is way too much talent on this team for them to be where they are...that is a team that is mismanaged.