jmlease1

He just turned 21 this year and is 1.3 years younger than the average for his league. Just because he's a bit more experienced in professional baseball doesn't mean he's not still young. Seattle was aggressive with him in his promotions; unclear if that helped his development. I strongly suspect the reason he's back in High A this season was because he missed quite a lot of time with injury last season...which almost certainly was part of why his power production was down. He's doing a nice job this year and looks like a real hitter. I think it's a good sign that he's had pretty neutral splits so far this season too, though the samples are small. Absent a sudden slump or injury, I would expect to see him in AA in June. (where he'll be about 3 years younger than the competition) The disappointing part about the trade was how little Topa was able to contribute last season, when we certainly could have used him. Always felt like DeScalfani was more of the throw-in to get the salaries close enough for Seattle; I never expected a lot, but it was disappointing to get nothing. But Topa has been good this year so far and looks like a useful middle to late inning bullpen piece. Unfortunately, as much as I loved the guy, Polanco's value to the rest of the league had really dipped as the injuries piled up. Happy for him that he's been healthy this season, even if it seems that his days in the field are going to be more limited from now on.

Eventually, the streak was going to end. the trick is to make sure we don't fall into a losing streak. Just keep winning series, Twins. You can do it, especially with this pitching. Not sure I loved the decision to yank Matthews; yes, he had a very wobbly inning and gave up a crooked number, but his stuff was good and he finished off the inning. Since the Twins immediately responded with a longer inning, I wouldn't think Zebby was necessarily gassed, and I would have liked to see how he would have responded. It's a long season, and sometimes you have to take that risk for player development. And keep the bullpen from getting worn out. Good job by Sands coming in and handling 2 innings, though. Bummer for Royce in not collecting the dinger; great play by Chourio, who has been dreadful at the plate this series. But it does seem like Royce is finding his swing again. Peralta's a good pitcher, and the Twins hitters did a solid job in grinding out ABs on him, but just couldn't get enough.

Hopefully it ends up being a mild concussion with no lingering effects, but you just never know with these things. At least we're past the point where people question a player's "toughness" if they don't stay in the lineup after "having their bell rung". This is brain trauma and it's effing serious. Really hope these guys are ok. Glad the Twins moved Buxton to the IL and didn't wait any longer. They've had a history of doing the "wait & see" game with guys that leaves their bench awfully thin at times.

This is the scary scenario for the O's. One of the things that torched CWS was they had a class of players arrive and then it kind of stopped. Add in relatively low levels of investment (and what did happen didn't pan out very well) along with some truly baffling managerial choices and CWS is the laughingstock of the AL. The O's could follow suit. Twins have made some very good decisions on the pitching side of things that have positioned them well: they've been adding pitching talent in volume with a development plan to grow them. They've avoided pouring too many resources into the bullpen. They've identified trade options in other organizations that could be long-term solutions for the team. The O's haven't been doing that, and going all in last year on Burnes and not being able to re-sign him has really hurt them, especially since the playoffs crapped out on them. They brought him in the lead a deep playoff run, and instead got swept out by the Royals. But right now the O's lineup, which has been their strength, has been scrabbling. Henderson is still a terrific player, but he's not playing like an MVP right now. Instead of having 1-2 guys taking another step forwards and looking like a potential all-star, they've got more players looking like Just Another Guy. It's a tough combo: bad pitching and a lineup that's slipped back. The O's probably aren't as bad as they've been so far this season talent-wise, much as the Twins weren't truly as dreadful as their start indicated. It's bad luck to be scrabbling and then run into a team like the Twins who is on fire twice in a short span, but that's how you fall into the hole. But they need to be concerned that their position players made have taken a step back at a time where they don't seem to be seem to be producing any pitching from their system. Balto's pitching isn't just bad, it's also pretty old. Povich is the only starter they've got that you could call young, and he's been bad again. Eflin can't be counted on to be healthy, and while Sugano has been quite good...he's already 35 in his rookie season.

Good for McCusker! Hope he does well. Rooting for him. First it's Fitzgerald, now McCusker: two guys that probably have wondered more than a few times if they were ever going to get a chance. Now both of them will always be able to say they played in the majors. (I'm jumping the gun a bit on McCusker, but I'm pretty confident that Rocco won't just park him on the bench for whatever time Buxton is on the IL) Good for the Twins in scouting Indy ball for players like this and giving them a chance. I like how they're also not fussing around with them for long periods in the low minors: once in the system, it didn't take long for McCusker and Eeles to get moved up to AAA, really. I assume McCusker is going to K a lot. I'm not expecting him to don the super hero cape. But if he makes contact good things will happen. Here's hoping he makes some for the MLB club.

A very nice win. 6 excellent innings from Pablo plenty of offense to let the Twins roll out the bottom 3 of the bullpen and give everyone else a nice day of rest. Very odd to see the Twins not get a crooked number in any inning, but no complaints about them continuing to increase the lead and wear MKE out. Watkins foolishly sending Lee home was the only real blemish. (seemed doomed from the jump, and Watkins sure seems to have this in him too often) Nice to see Alcala, Topa, & Funderburk able to close this out with little stress. Funderburk will be heading out for another starter shortly so good to see him do the job on his way out. Top arms get a day that's needed. Good chance for a sweep! Team can do little wrong right now, and it's fun to watch.

Cedar Rapids has a really nice collection of hitting prospects right now. Great to see them getting it done and having guys position themselves for a promotion to AA. Looking forward to Amick getting healthy and rejoining the wrecking crew. Especially pleased to see Culpepper doing so well while playing a quality SS. He looks like he could stick there, which would be awesome if his bat keeps producing. Long way to go, but you can see why they took him in the first round.

I was hoping to see Festa back up, but if he's got a health issue (even if it's just preventative) then bringing up Matthews makes sense. He's been quite good and very effective in Saint Paul so far this season and certainly seems ready to get another bite at the big leagues. It's going to be interesting to see if the increased velocity is impactful for him in MLB and whether he's sharpened his other offerings enough to be successful. Looking forward to seeing what Zebby has to bring to the table.

Nice job scratching out another win. Love when they jump out to a quick lead. Hope Castro is ok; he was finally back from the oblique injury and getting unlucky like this is a bummer. He really looked like he was in a lot of pain, and I suspect it influenced his ability to complete his AB. Bad timing too, we really need his positional flexibility right now. I';m guessing his knee started swelling up on him, but hopefully it's just a bruise that will ease off after treatment. But he could end up on the IL again. Ryan wasn't efficient, but he stayed effective. Glad he was able to navigate through 6, even without finishing guys off quickly. He's been excellent this year. Brock made me a little nervous, but the K's were flowing for everyone last night. Love seeing the staff rack up 16 Ks. Sands looked plenty comfortable handling the 9th. Jax is having a weird year: far too hittable, yet still able to strike anyone out. Love starting the series with a win!

Nope. We don't have to consider every other possible scenario as it relates to every other player or circumstance in order to judge Pete Rose. That's the ultimate "whataboutism" that inevitably lets everybody off the hook for their actions. Voter failures in the past aren't an excuse for doing the wrong thing NOW. It doesn't matter what the NFL or Basketball Halls of Fame do or don't do; different institutions, different rules, different games. Doesn't matter that Michael Jackson was a messed up dude who has been credibly accused of heinous acts. The fact that many gifted people have also been horrible people is irrelevant. Pete Rose should be judged on the acts and character of Pete Rose. And while he accomplished many remarkable things on the baseball field as a player, he also broke the cardinal rule of baseball and was deservedly banished. He's already represented in Cooperstown as part of the museum showing the history of baseball; induction into the Hall of Fame is an honorific that he is unworthy of because of his own acts in gambling on baseball. I can understand MLB taking him on the "ineligible" list after he died; he's now permanently ineligible to participate in baseball. I don't think announcing it was in any way wise or good judgment, just cowardice from a flunky of a commissioner. But that's a different issue.

It's a nice collection of hitters in Cedar Rapids right now, and it'll be fun seeing who gets tapped for promotion to Wichita in the next month or so. Right now GG has to be at the top of the list and DeBarge is definitely a contender as well. The fact that DeBarge currently has more walks than K's is pretty exciting. (the steals are fun, but the lower ranks of the minors don't exactly do a great job of holding runners on or throwing people out, so I'll hold judgment on whether he's a true base-stealing threat for a while. but it's a nice potential option) Eeles just needs to get some swings in, show he's healthy, and get back to Saint Paul. Anything he does in FL right now is a little meaningless in terms of results. The real question is what does he look like against advanced pitching in AAA and can he repeat the great work he did last season to get a shot at MLB. He's a fun story and I'm rooting for him.

But for forgiveness to be granted and mercy shown, doesn't there also need to be contrition shown, behavior changed, and full honesty and recognition made? I'm not going to get into the religious implications here, but at the end of the day, Pete Rose couldn't stop himself from gambling, he couldn't stop lying about what he did, and he could never, ever actually truly admit that he was wrong. Even the late in life "I'm sorry I bet on baseball" signings were a sham, because it was just another way to make a buck for him. There's an odor of "yeah, he sinned but we can let it pass now" to this argument and I think Greggory's real point is, for Baseball this is something that should never be forgiven. And it's a fair one, IMHO. Let individuals forgive him or not based on their beliefs, but institutionally, Baseball still excluding him and the Black Sox is actually a good thing. Baseball could have been destroyed by the Black Sox scandal, and part of how it survived was to make gambling on it by people in Baseball the #1 no-no in the sport. It's not like Rose didn't know. It's not like there's wiggle room and exceptions littered across the rule. It's not confusing or complicated. And to the people who think it's unacceptable to have a Hall of Fame that doesn't have the "Hit King" in it...I'm pretty sure he's not blacklisted from any mention in Cooperstown. Let the Hall reference his accomplishments as a player and the teams he played for that won titles and so on. They should show the full history of Baseball, which includes Pete Rose. They should also reference his ban from the game and why. Doesn't mean he should be honored by induction. Because at the end of the end, that's what induction into the Hall of Fame really is: being granted an honorific that puts you into a special class. It neither creates nor removes what was done in history.

concussions are extra scary to Twins fans after the Mauer & Morneau Experience. Hopefully this is a minor evaluation and a day or two off and they're ok.

no regrets about getting the sweep. well done, twins. Good job throwing the O's an anvil instead of a life preserver.

Love seeing Paddack roll through 7 against this Balto squad. Hope the bullpen can send them to the showers quietly and the streak continues!

It's a fair decision. SWR has the option remaining, Festa has been excellent and Matthews has shown plenty as well. While I like SWR's range of pitches and ability to battle, he's been the worst starter out of the group so far. Paddack hasn't been a lot better, but has shown more peak value and when you look at their starts SWR has really only had 2 good ones all season. Paddack has had 3 good ones and hasn't had an implosion since his second start and seems to be finding a bit of a groove. SWR really struggled yesterday and it's hard to see him getting deep into games. I'd like it to be Festa, who did fine the last time he was up and looks ready for the challenge.

honestly, I'm more worried about Correa on the concussion side since he got hit more in the back of his head. But regardless, it's an awful collision and I hope it's much less serious than it looked. Pretty amazing that Buxton still made the play and held on to the ball.

GG continues to have a fine start in Cedar Rapids. He's looking quite good at the plate. While I like seeing some pop from De Andrade, I'm a little concerned with where his batting average is sitting. He's chasing Winokur for the K lead right now and while he's still getting on base, I have concerns about his contact rates. Congrats to Kala'i Rosario for getting over the Mendoza line? Boy, he had a rough start to the year. He's had a nice stretch, but has a long way to go to show he's deserving of being considered a real prospect these days. The K-rate is abysmal (50 K's already?!?) so he's going to need to stay on a tear for a while. Cory Lewis has really disappointed so far in AAA. Sure, he's pitching in a bandbox in Saint Paul, but he's really struggled. He's still just barely past 200 IP in his pro career, so hopefully this is just a developmental bump from a guy who simply isn't that experienced and dealt with some injuries. But he looks like a re-set is needed. Maybe dropping down to AA would be worth a look?

It's pretty small samples so far, so who knows. But if his bat speed has legitimately improved and he can make enough contact, he could be a useful bench bat. His general disinterest in taking a walk will definitely limit his upside, though. But maybe they can improve that for him, you never know. I'm not buying any real estate on Kody Clemens Island or anything. He's got some positional flexibility, which again, helps make him potentially viable as a bench bat. But if he falls off the table with an 0-22 stretch, he's probably a guy you can let go.

anything to keep the streak going! Nice to see the lineup pick up the starters, and Larnach is doing a fine job. Funny seeing the Twins put it on Cano twice in a week. Wild seeing every pitcher in the bullpen get used in one day, but that's what happens when neither of your starters goes long in a doubleheader. Funderburk did fine (and good for Alcala in taking 2 innings) but I really wish the Twins could find a decent middle reliever who could go 2+ innings without needing a week off. But I love seeing the streak continue. Let's go sweep these guys! (btw, who do you think is the most likely member of the Twins to pull a Roy Kent: rip up a bench in the locker room in a fit of rage and then tell the team "let's go get these $@&*%" and have everyone lose their minds? LOL)

too bad, it's a GREAT stadium to watch a game. I loved going to Camden when I was living in DC

Oof, a short start is not what we needed from Ober, especially with SWR the next man up. But maybe that'll be an opportunity for someone to step up. Happy to see another win. Hope the Twins can keep beating up on Balto while it's down. Think we've been disappointed in our team's start this season? Talk to O's fans to see really disappointment. Nice to Larnach doing the job. He'll lose PT when Wallner comes back, but when he's playing this well it makes it easier to wait until Wallner is 100%, be smart about Bader's PT and add options at the DH. He's always had talent with the bat, but needed to make some big adjustments once MLB pitchers stopped throwing him fastballs. He's doing a good job putting together competitive ABs. Appreciate the HR from Vazquez, from whom any offense is a bonus these days.

Maybe Martin isn't the best comp to hang our hats on, though. Austin Martin lost most of his last season in college to COVID, was sent immediately to AA after a 2020 draft that is shaping up to be quite a first round mess. Amick is in his first pass at High A in his first full pro season. Martin never even spent a day in A-ball. If they're still working Amick at 3B and he's bad there in AAA, then maybe it'll be time to get more concerned. But remember, Koskie needed quite a while before his defense really rounded into form at 3B. It does happen where guys go from average to good or poor to ok in their minor league development.

Really good pitching performances from a deep staff coupled with effective defense and just enough offense is the formula for victory for this Twins team. If Royce can find himself and Wallner doesn't need another month to be Wallner again, this team could do some damage. And if Brooks Lee can get things going against LHP, we should start feeling pretty good about him: he's what we thought he would be defensively, and doing ok at the plate. I think there's more in there as a hitter, though. Pretty great homestand. Sure, Balto is a mess right now, but SF was coming in hot. A fine week.

Amick is splitting time at 3B and 1B. dumping him down the defensive spectrum while still in A-ball is probably too soon: we've seen guys develop defensively before to where they can be at least passable, and if Amick can be a 3B-1B guy he'll have substantially more utility. Other than getting injured, he's doing everything the Twins could ask for from him, though and is off to a nice start for his first full professional season. McCusker is in a tough spot, not being on the 40-man. With this front office, they're unlikely to DFA someone they might lose to another organization just to promote McCusker unless absolutely forced to, either because of positional scarcity or McCusker annihilating the baseball at such absurd levels they look stupid leaving him down there. They're probably not there yet; while McCusker has done great, Saint Paul is a bit of a bandbox. Team OPS is sitting at .797, which is pretty wild. And notably, Mickey Gasper, who looked somewhat overmatched in MLB has gone back to AAA and is destroying the baseball again.