They had their early (Big Ten) season hiccup and adjustment and are nasty and balanced now. Win at Wiscy would be big, #2 seed if they do. If they win a couple in the tournament they would be a 4.
The abuse question is greatly overstated, especially in recent years. Might be 2-3 guys a year max, but vast majority of programs handle their pitchers responsibly. 110 pitches followed by a full weeks rest strikes me as perfectly reasonable.
Considering the options, I don't think any path can be ruled out. That said, and though I'm more willing to give Santana a spot on the roster than most, I don't see it. He's the 4th guy on the bench if anything.
I'm worried about the country and the world based on the damage he has done and will potentially do in the future. But I'm also encouraged by the continual protest, the challenging of Congress at their town halls, and the fact that Trump is cratering in polls and is the least popular President this quickly ever. And he still hasn't faced an external crisis.
This year. Winning games. Starting to flip the last 6 years. Bridging the gap until the kids are vets. I don't think the FO thinks they are realistically going to compete this year, but I imagine they absolutely want to start winning more games and building towards a near future of competing. The young kids who are going to make or break the competitive seasons in the near future are here, time to put them in the best position to succeed.
On the plus side, making things in depth and complicated makes it much harder for the Republicans to overturn it - most especially the brain surgeons running the operation now. So at least the legacy stays.
Maybe, but it is telling that they aren't looking for a veteran OF. There are certainly young guys they want to get reps. But I do agree with your first point. The purpose of vets is not just a transactional imparting of knowledge the will set up the young players going forward once the vets are gone.
The Twins probably don't *need* more data on Vargas, they seem to realize what they have. Seems likely they aren't going to get anyone clearly better to fill the role.
Reps. Top end velocity is rare in Korea, while players going up the minors will encounter it at various times. Probably the reason you see AAAA players, they can beat up most pitching but can't consistently catch up to major league velocity.
Depends on who you mean by 'we'. The number one thing a hitter has to do is catch up to a fastball. If they can't they have no chance to succeed for an extended time. If a hitter can catch up to a fastball, next issue is plate discipline, ability to lay off quality breaking stuff out of the zone.
Catching up to a fastball and hitting breaking stuff is often connected. If the bat is too slow, it is possible to cheat to catch up but then you have no chance against off speed stuff. No one really hits good breaking stuff, the best hitters are those that can lay off it.
Benches are way too small to carry a dh only who primarily plays against lh starters. Those guys are always on the scrap heap. He has to show something more.
Buxton is over 3 years younger, is an elite up the middle defender and has #1 pedigree. So no, I don't talk about Buxton the same way. I'm not opposed to giving Vargas a couple months of ABs, but I'm not that optimistic.