jmlease1

I love sweeping the CWS. Always great, never bad. Sure it would have been nice if the offense didn't wait until very very late to get moving...but a sweep is a sweep. Lot of people picked CWS to be above the Twins this season. As frustrating as the Twins have been this season, imagine being a CWS fan. Their offense has been sub-par as well (as some of us predicted, though they appear to have been right in moving on from Abreu), their starting pitching has just been ok (and Lynn has been awful), and their defense has been dreadful (again). They look like a team on the way down and 2021 looks like the fluke instead of 2022 being a blip. When your enemy is drowning, don't throw them a floater, throw them an anvil. This sweep was an anvil. I like seeing it.

Gray looked pretty wobbly at the start, great work by him to limit the damage and settle down into a quality start again. Julien had a tough night at the plate; it'll be interesting to see if this is a blip or if MLB has started to find a way to pitch to him and he'll need to make real adjustments. I think he'll be fine, but how young players react to games like this tells you some things about them. Correa has been so consistent since moving into the leadoff spot. He's been making a big impact. (can't bang on him for not making the play in the 9th; that was a really tough one, a highlight reel play if he somehow pulls it off) While some of our best relievers have made it a little nervvy out there lately, they've come through in the end. Good job by the pen last night. And how many times is that now this season that the Twins have had a ball bounce off the top of the padding?!? It's got to be at least 3 now in that exact same spot. Crazy.

I'm not sure there's much of a market for Keuchel right now. He was bad in 2021 and worse in 2022, becoming very hittable and pairing it with too many walks. The ERA looks good right now, but the as you noted, the WHIP is concerning. He's arguably pitching worse this year in AAA than he did last season in AAA for Texas, even if the overall results have been better, so I'm sure teams are looking at him and thinking "how is he going to survive in MLB if he's giving up that many hits and walks in AAA?" I think he might have a better chance just after the trade deadline when 1-2 teams didn't get the starting pitching help they wanted/needed, but I'm still not sure he's a great option. It's just hard for a guy who gives up a lot of hits and an average to above average number of walks without being a strikeout king to get it done in MLB. I would not promise him a spot in the Twins rotation, I would not go to a 6-man rotation to bring him up. Someone might take a chance on him if he gets his release, but I don't know if it's going to be on a contender, which I imagine is what he wants.

Good work by the offense last night. Much as I love seeing them jump all over a pitcher for a big number in the first inning, it's frustrating when the offense doesn't do anything for the rest of the game, as has happened a few times. Last night they kept it going and did a nice job adding additional runs on top and giving the pitching staff plenty of room to work with. Ryan had a bit of an odd night: the stuff was humming nicely, but he left too many pitches in the heart of the plate. He needs to keep that splitter down in the zone and work the fastball more on the edges of the zone. He's not going to be successful leaving pitches middle-middle very often. But I'm not that worried; I think he'll get his command back and be fine. Nice to see Buxton have a big game at the plate. He'd really been struggling and you could see his frustration. What a relief for him to hammer that first dinger and you could see how pumped up he was about it. Hope this is the start of a big run for him again. I love beating the CWS. I don't care if they kinda stink this year, beating them is a real pleasure every time.

It's interesting. I have a feeling he might get priced out of our range, because I have no interest in sending anyone like Festa or Raya out for him (or Kirilloff, but the Cubs seem to be looking for pitching). If they want to start talking about guys like Cory Lewis or Zebby Matthews, I'm much more interested in the idea. Would he keep slamming lefties like he has this season? He's never had bad splits over his career, and when he's been going good he hits everyone. It's a concern, but he sure seems to be healthy and rolling right now.

Severino is having a terrific season; the Ks are still a little worrisome, but ever since moving up to High A he's really shown his power potential. If there's room for him to play consistently in AAA, I'd like to see what he could do up a level. Happy to see Austin Martin get a couple of hits, but even happier to see him playing. Hope his health stays good. He's had some rotten luck, but I believe in his talent. Cossetti seems to have settled in at Cedar Rapids just fine. He's a very interesting prospect to me: he's never going to hit national lists because of age, but if his hit tool continues to play and he can be a viable catcher...that's a nice player to have coming along in the system. He's looking like someone who is in AA next season, and that's excellent news.

Ryan is in that sweet spot where he's both one of the Twins most valuable players and most valuable assets in a trade. Which means there's little to no chance the Twins would even consider dealing him. he's basically in the "unless you're offering something monumental, we're hanging up now" category if anyone calls the twins about him. The Twins are not shopping him in any way shape or form. Joe Ryan is exactly what the Twins have been working to find for years now: a cost-controlled playoff caliber starter under team control for multiple seasons. Even if the Twins stunk this season, he's not a guy you'd look to deal even if you were trying to blow up the whole thing, unless you decided you weren't going to try and be good for three years and there's very little reason to think that's a good decision for the franchise. I get we're closing in on the trade deadline and the site is trying to generate related content, but this isn't great. On the other hand, you suckered me into commenting, so...

Experienced manager or good health from pretty much everyone except deGrom?. Experienced manager or epic levels of spending in free agency over the past two seasons (Semien 7/$175M, Seager 10/$315M, Eovaldi 3/$52M, Gray 4/$56M, Heaney 2/$25M, deGrom 5/$185M)? Texas is bottom 10 in baseball in players lost to injury and bottom 10 in days lost to injury. They lost deGrom (and Seager has missed some time) but otherwise they're about as healthy as you could expect.

I like Nelson Cruz and I think he might have a future in managing, if he wants it. But let's pump the brakes for a second: you're talking about him going from playing directly to the top dugout job, which is a major challenge and could be setting him up to fail. Let's look at your list a little more closely on guys who supposedly moved to managing right after playing: Craig Counsell, Brewers (2016): 73-89 (retired from playing in 2011) Dave Roberts, Dodgers (2016): 91-71 (retired from playing in 2008) Aaron Boone, Yankees (2018): 100-62 (retired from playing in 2009) Alex Cora, Red Sox (2018): 108-54 (WS Champions) (retired from playing in 2011) Gabe Kapler, Phillies (2018): 80-82 (retired from playing in 2010) Rocco Baldelli, Twins (2019): 101-60 (retired from playing in 2010) David Ross, Cubs (2020): 34-26 (retired from playing in 2016) Mark Kotsay, Athletics (2022): 60-102 (retired from playing in 2013) Skip Schumaker, Marlins (2023): Currently 53-43 (retired from playing in 2015) Only David Ross had fewer than 5 years between playing and MLB managing. The average here is like 7 years. Expecting Cruz to step in a year after retiring (and not entirely on his own terms) with essentially no coaching experience seems like a risky move. He'd probably be well served to spend some time on someone's staff (he'd likely make an excellent hitting coach or bench coach immediately) first. Literally no one on this list went straight from playing to managing; all of them had several years before starting their first MLB managing job.

Be interesting to see if the Twins can add some velocity for him. I'm guessing they were attracted to the slider, maybe saw some promise in the splitter as a potential quality 3rd pitch? I think his comments about the ACC were interesting, relating to the coaching/playing time issue. Maybe he's just a no-BS kinda guy who doesn't play political games in the clubhouse. Maybe he's harder to coach. he certainly didn't get much of an opportunity at VA Tech, so might just a be little residual unhappiness...

Worry about next year's 40-man next year. there's always some chaff that can be slid off and we will have openings from guys like Gray and Maeda and Solano likely moving on. And frankly, Nick Gordon has to worry about whether he can get the 26-man spot back. because Julien is not going anywhere, so he's got to show that he's better than Castro and/or Gallo or he's going to be waived. Paddack will need a spot at some point, but he may not complete rehab before the end of the year. But there are still options for the 40-man this season.

Kirilloff is 25; Goldschmidt is 35. they have the exact same OPS+ right now. Goldschmidt is having one of his worst seasons at the plate as a pro, Kirilloff is having his best. Goldschmidt makes $26M per season, Kirilloff makes what...league minimum? there's no question that Goldschmidt is a far more accomplished player with a consistent track record of being a great hitter (and has deserved to win at least some of the defensive hardware he's gotten), and his right-handed bat would fit great in the Twins lineup, but trading Kirilloff feels like a move the Twins would seriously regret in a year.

Great to see Brooks Lee on fire like this. He's having a fine season and looking very much like the prospect we want him to be. (30 doubles in 77 games is a LOT. Love it) I go back and forth between promoting him right now. He seems capable of going up another level, but at the same time this is his first full season in pro ball and he's doing great at AA already. I guess this is one of those ones where I'll defer to the development staff and be ok with whatever call they make, whether it's pushing him up to AAA or letting him roll in AA. So far he's doing great, and I'm very happy to see it. Schobel got off to a nice start. I didn't expect him to be scared of AA, but I'm sure it felt good to get a couple of knocks out the gate. He's been moved fairly aggressively and responded well. very curious to see what his ceiling is as a player. E-Rod is having an interesting season. I have some concerns about his ability to make consistent contact, but the ball jumps off his bat and he's certainly very willing to take a walk. I suppose the biggest thing he needs is ABs and continued good health. He didn't have a major knee injury, but any surgery sets a player back. I can definitely see why he's so highly regarded as a prospect.

I think the kind of overpay required, along with the fact the Goldschmidt is only under contract for one more season, AND the additional payroll the Twins would be taking on makes this a no. Especially since Kirilloff seems to be really hitting a stride, and is clearly healthy again...so is that good business for the Twins?

Maeda looked really good. If he's getting that kind of movement on his splitter and slider while holding that velocity on his fastball, he's going to be really hard to face. Glad to see him looking so good. Julien is on a real heater right now. He's looking very confident at the plate and showing superior understanding of the strike zone. I've been very impressed with his ability to cover the whole plate and do damage when he decides to swing. This is what we hoped for from him and he's doing great. Heck he even made a quality play on defense out there, going to his right to make a good play and then making a strong and accurate throw to first! Kirilloff was looking rough last night, just couldn't quite catch up to some pitches. But I think it was a good sign that he kept with his approach, and got rewarded with a big knock late. I'd like Duran to have cleaner outings, but holy cow he's hard to hit.

It's a shame Gordon hasn't been healthy, but he also stunk to start the season and doesn't have anywhere near the positional flexibility that Castro has. If the call is between the two of them, Castro wins. He's been a solid bench player, his flexibility it valuable when dealing with injuries, and he's got another great ability: availability. but is he as much of an asset beyond this season? Hard to say he is. The flexibility is great, but it might not be as necessary with some of the Twins other options coming up and players like Kirilloff and Julien and Lewis proving their worth at the plate. It's a tough beat for Nick Gordon who seems like a good dude and overcome a lot, but he was staggeringly bad at the plate to start the season, and while he showed signs in May of turning it around, that's still only 9 games. He's not a great defensive player at any position, and basically can only play 2B and OF (doesn't have the range or arm for SS, doesn't have the arm for 3B) and isn't great at any of them (solid in LF, acceptable in CF). Castro is better and more useful defensively. Gordon has more upside offensively, but hasn't shown it consistently.

reliever makes some sense; we were a little thin there even before Stewart and Thielbar went down with injury. It'd be great to balance out the OF with a RH hitter in theory...but who is really available that is going to be a true upgrade, be an impact bat and not spend tons of prospect capital for? Keep in mind that in the Teoscar Hernandez discussion (a player who seems to be down to one skill, hitting lefties) we're still talking about a player than while tied for 3rd on his team in ABs has still only gotten 84 of them against LHP. he's played in every single game for Seattle. So how much impact is a RH OF really going to have? adding a 3B seems like a waste: Solano is hitting well and can play there, Farmer can play there, and we have Royce Lewis (who was hitting very well) coming back from injury even if Miranda doesn't turn it around. I want Lewis out there when he's healthy again.

I'm not sure any of these options work for the Twins? Sure, Lane Thomas fits for what we need on the roster and I'd be pretty happy swapping Gallo or Kepler for him, but the Nats are going to want a bomb for him as a breakout player who is under team control for 2 more seasons after this. I don't think they're going to take a discount because he doesn't have a lengthy track record, and he's the kind of player that even assuming the Nats are selling (and they should be) that they can hold on to at least until the off-season if not the next trade deadline unless they get a big bid. Justin Turner doesn't seem like he'd be available; Boston is contending for the Wild Card at 1.5 games back, so I don't expect them to be selling anyone unless someone makes them an idiotic offer and I'd rather than not be us. Maybe if they sink rapidly in the next 10 days, but they'd need to be pretty bad for them to go from buyers to sellers. Teoscar Hernandez is the most likely option/fit: veteran on an expiring with one real role: mash lefties. but not sure Seattle sees themselves as sellers right now. Maybe right up at the deadline they'll be far enough off the pace that they'd look to sell? The bigger issue/risk is whether or not Hernandez has enough value to make a difference as a guy who only plays against lefties.

I like this analysis of the Twins tendencies in drafting, much more subtle and more insightful. I think it makes total sense that as an organization they try to lean in on the strengths they see in the draft and try to draft players (and I'm sure this applies more to later round picks then say their first couple of picks and impacts those pick more strongly) that can be impacted by what they see as their developmental strengths. Overall I feel like the Twins have put together and maintained a relatively strong farm system; without a ton of high picks their strengths are more in terms of depth now, but even graduating a fair number of players into MLB service (or dealing prospects) they haven't bottomed out the way that we've seen other clubs go. Before this year's draft there was some chatter about how much weaker the Twins system was, but when the rankings came out from various publications the Twins were generally middle of the pack, not bottom 5.

Congrats to Schobel; he's been raking in Cedar Rapids and deserves the opportunity. I feel like AA is where we'll see just how well his bat will hold up and it should be fun to track him down the stretch. What does it mean that Salas got moved to the developmental list?

Correa has been doing a very nice job in the leadoff role. I'm guessing his foot is feeling better, which I'm sure is helping his swing and his power production, but he's also just doing a good job taking professional ABs at the top of the order. Twins don't have the most natural leadoff man on the club in a lot of ways (Julien certainly gets on base, but he's hardly speedy and you'd rather him hitting with guys on base; Buxton has the speed, but his power and injury struggles make him less ideal right now) so it's good that Correa is comfortable stepping in. I'm annoyed that they screwed him out of an extra hit, even if the Twins didn't need it. If the twins can get Buxton right and Polanco back, the offense could easily be what we hoped it would be with Correa, Julien, and Kirilloff leading the charge.

Really nice seeing the offense kick some butt last night. Julien and Kirilloff are both pretty locked in right now and showing their talent. Julien can really punish the ball and knows the strike zone, and he's done a really nice job making adjustments since his recall. Kirilloff looks healthy and comfortable up there and that was really the only thing holding him back before. Good to see him showing the power stroke a bit more, but this is why a lot of us thought he could be a core hitter for a lot of years. Ober did a nice job of pulling it together after a rocky start. I got nervous that it was going to be a night where he didn't have it after giving up the big bomb in the first inning, but he got it done after the wobbly first. Hate seeing another baffling job by the umpires: inconsistent strike zone again early (when Bremer and company are calling it out, it's a problem; that's not really their style), the blown call on Correa's infield hit was absurd, and Twins got one back on that play by Kirilloff to end the inning...but if that ball was fair, then the one he hit the night before was definitely fair. (IMHO, the umps blew both of them: Kirilloff's liner sure looked fair, and the one he fielded tonight for the out looked foul) Too many missed calls, it's exhausting.

Denard Span (2002) - excellent career, including several all-star quality seasons Chris Parmelee (2006) - AAAA player Ben Revere (2007) - decent MLB player who proved how empty batting average can be; terrible arm but good fielder Aaron Hicks (2008) - quality MLB player before injuries sapped his value Byron Buxton (2012) - all-star player, limited by injury Kirilloff (2016) - finally healthy and showing a good bat (limited defender) YMMV on how many have lived up to expectations; Span has by pretty much any measure, Parmelee did not. What were the expectations for Revere? Don't think he was ever pegged as a future all-star, but he was a useful player and netted us a quality reliever. It's unfortunate that Hicks didn't figure it out as a Twin, but that doesn't change the fact that he became a quality starter, well above average in NY. Buxton has actually been an all-star and played like one quite a bit, but the injuries have cost him both time and production: how much forgiveness do you have for injuries? Kirilloff was pegged as a potential all-star because of his bat, and he's finally starting to show that at the MLB level. But it's possible the wrist problems may prevent him from ever having as much power as he'd need to be an all-star. Still looks like a quality player when healthy. So that's the real question: how much to you put on injuries when weighing expectations? From a draft perspective, it's nigh-impossible to predict for the vast majority of players whether they will be healthy or not as pros. (not all the time: Canterino certainly had warning signs, etc) the last 3 of the HS outfielders on this list have all flashed the talent that made them first-round picks, but for all of them injuries have gotten in the way. I think it's fair to say it's really the only thing that's gotten in the way for all three of them. It's also notable that with the exception of Buxton, none of these guys were top 5 picks. Several were in the 20s, and outside of Buxton the next highest pick was at 14. Getting all six to MLB (and all of them made it to MLB with the Twins) does suggest that the talent evaluation and development process wasn't bad.

Disappointing game last night. Very frustrating to see Gray spiking a pitch like that and not being able to command the zone; the walks really hurt and he let Seattle into that game when he had them on the ropes. Ed Julien looks like the hitter we hoped he would be, which is terrific. But my goodness he's got a terrible arm. I haven't seen throws at 2B so bad since later period Chuck Knoblauch (who got banished to the OF for it) or when Steve Sax had the yips. And he's not exactly smooth in the field either. Oof. 6 runs should be enough to win the game with this pitching staff.

That might work in the playoffs, but you still also have to get there, and dropping Sonny Gray and replacing him with Varland/SWR/Headrick/Kuechel will almost certainly cost the Twins some games along the way as well.