Kelly Vance

Anybody else think Wilson's swing couldn't break a pane of glass?

Happy for Garver, who showed two games innarow that he can play. Twins may still be open to a new catcher, but I think he holds the fort for now. Rosario is money, He just makes things happen. And he is having a great year already. Another good outing for Gibson, who seems to have maintained what was working for him last year. Maybe his light bulb has finally clicked on. A lot being made today about Trout’s nice slide on that play at third. That’s ok. Sliding is almost a lost art. I am glad to see that part of the game get airplay. Trout made a nice slide, no doubt. He earned the base. But if Eddie had been at the base instead of six feet off, Rosie woulda thrown there. And the throw would have beaten Trout by a mile. Eduardo would probably admit that after seeing film. But mental errors don’t count as errors. Did anyone else get a kick out of Buxton’s hat flipping so high in the air?

Happy for Garver, who seems to have quieted his critics -- at least for now.

George Mitterwald where are you?

One month into the season and the white flags already go up? Look, we've had injuries to two of our best young players and our #1 starter and you don't replace 3 position player starters (including Polanco in this) and a #1 SP on a young team without a hiccup. Meanwhile, the funk set in and we played bad defense. That needs to get fixed, pronto. And it won't get fixed playing Grossman in right and Kep in center. Rather play LaMarre in center and leave Keps where he is comfortable. Starters and relievers need to stop walking batters and stop hanging curves and leaving fast balls floating over the middle. Lynn showed up out of shape it seems. Based on his history, he will get better. Odor has been mostly respectable. . Gibson looks improved and Berrios is solid, but had a bad stretch (for him) which he will put behind him. If Erv comes back soon I hope it doesn't mean Romero goes down. I want to see if the kid can put together a good stretch. But I'm not waving any white flags. This team has a bunch of streak hitters on it and if they get hot, they could easily run off a ten game winning streak. They were only about 5 games back last I checked and it is only Cinco. There are signs of a resurgence. LoMo is starting to hit and looks like Dozier's slump could be over. But it is true, there is much room for improvement. I would like to see Buck hit enough to justify a leadoff spot. Mauer, Dozier, Keps, etc would be better if they had speed on base ahead of them. I like Rosario's swing a lot better than some of you. So I'm hanging in and not hanging my head. There is a lot of season left

Sorry for the long post. Ryan played his way onto the roster in Spring Training. He earned the spot. He is also swinging a hot bat. Any manager worth his salt would exploit that and ride that horse while the streak lasts. Ryan should get starts and ph opportunities, so he stays hot. As for Lomo, he started cold and the Twins want him to break out. If he heats up, it is good to have a #5 hitter who is raking. So any manager worth his salt would give a high ceiling RBI guy a chance to work through some things. But when these two things come into conflict, you would still play the hot hand. Unless you believe Ryan is a mirage. This is where those who think he is a waste of a roster spot and those who think he is a stud on an upward trajectory to greatness are both wrong. 12 at bats are not meaningless, not any more than his last 12 at bats in October will be. These ABs tell us something, if only to show us a flicker in a long season, they still happened. We now know Ryan is both capable of getting hot and swinging a hot bat right now. I think the fairest assessment is that Ryan started off hot and should be allowed to prolong his hot streak. We can use him on offense, especially with the spotty offense we have now. With Buck out there is a vacancy he can fill. I think Molly pulled a Gardy and played the more veteran OFer. But any manager worth his salt does what his instincts tell him and doesn't listen to the critics in the cheap seats. Our opinions don't really matter, and I doubt Paul Molitor reads TD Ryan seems well liked, as shown by the mob scene after his walk off. Maybe Molly will give him more of a chance now that he gave the first nod to Grossman. And finally, I like watching Ryan hit. When he comes up its like with Eddie. You sit forward in your chair because you think something is probably going to happen. And for me, that is worth something too. I'm hoping a month from now there is a bigger sample size and its all good.

Getting Odorizzi and Lynn, instead of Yu, lessens the risk of having nothing to show for it if an injury benches the newly acquired starter. IOW, it is, theoretically at least, half as likely that both starters get hurt than if we added just Yu. Other than that, it is far too early to tell about the acquisitions, but Morrison will likely bounce back and Fernando looks to still have some gas left in the tank. If he fails, Reed is a great addition. The other side is always greener does not just apply to humans though. It is why cows stick their necks through the wire fence to eat the longer unmowed (and ungrazed) grass in the ditch. Sometimes, the grass IS greener on the other side of the fence.

MLBPA would have no case, unless this is prohibited by his union membership, which I doubt it is because I doubt it would even remotely have been considered by the union. I think there i s a loophole. . It is a matter of contract between the parties. He might get beaned his first 100 at bats though

because we need to demote a guy who is 4 for 8 and hit .485 in the spring in order to activate a guy who will get lit up like a Christmas tree in his three or four starts before we have to cut him. Yeah, go Twins

You know, I had this idea that Joe ought to sign a blank contract and give the Twins the right to write in the number. Andre Dawson did that in 1987 with the Cubs and guess who is in the HOF? But you know, Joe could become known as the greatest team player ever if he said "I've been given a lot by the Twins. I'll play 2019 for free." Things like that make a man immortal. It is so rare... that is why it will never happen. Still, my naivete aside, it would set him apart from everybody

forgetting, of course, that Mauer is more versatile than allofthoseguys

deliberately miss the point much? Fans revere Carew, Killebrew, Oliva, Kirby. But Joe is bringing in revenue way beyond those guys combined.

In a word: NO. Why worry with only 11 games played? That's just weak. He has proven his natural ability and he will learn to be a more complete hitter. His ceiling is still extremely high. He is a 40-50 HR guy.

all of which ignores that he is the face of the franchise, puts butts in seats and sells #7 jerseys. Ever been to a Twins game? They are everywhere

what you said.... I'd rather have JT (who made the Dodgers and is doing well in the show) or Burdi than a guy Molly won't even send out until all is lost.

From your lips to God's ears.

Don't be so optimistic. But imagine if he got to hit against Twins pitching all those years. His numbers would be way higher. I don't mean to be overly snarky, but don't you think he could have hit Hughes and company? Anyway, I too was surprised to see his walk numbers so low, especially given what a picky hitter he is. But Mauer is a pure hitter at this point. If he hung on, he might get close to 3000, and I am hoping he makes it. It will all come down to how long he wants to play, and a little luck.

As a former coach (and third base coach) I offer these observations. Eddie is not dissed because of his skin color. His skin color has nothing to do with 27 homers and all those throw outs in his rookie year. He is still a raw talent. He is not afraid to throw the runner out at the plate, and we love that. But he is an instinctive player, and those guys make mistakes. Still in all, I want that kind of guy on my team. Miggie runs through a stop sign. (Nobody suggests that he did that because he was black. Or did they and I missed it?) He has up a head of steam, and went with his instinct. I like the desire and hustle. If I'm coaching third, I am pissed he runs through. But when he is safe, nobody grins bigger than me. Then I tell him "Don't ever do that again." But my takeaway is I am glad that Miggie wants to win.

or at all.

They are out drinking with the ghost of Earl Weaver.

I agree. Its Spy v Spy, for all you Mad Magazine fans. But hey, the bunt was in the game before the shift. At least I think. Anyway, I say the bunt against the shift is the only way to get rid of that silly shift strategy. I mean.... come on.... 5 infielders? Where is Connie Mack or John McGraw when you need em?

I agree. You take what they give you

"Unwritten rules ain't worth the piece of paper they ain't written on." --Kelly Vance 2018

I would bunt to get on in that situation. Its not bush league to try to get on base by any means necessary. Complaining about it is. Besides, teh third base side bunt is kryptonite against the shift. Now if the Twins had bunted with a 7 run lead, THAT might be bush league.

The original whizzinator was a helluva football player. I would bunt against the shift allatime. Anytime you can use the other side's strategy against them, you should.