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Nashvilletwin

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Everything posted by Nashvilletwin

  1. 1. Boring, bad baseball is not fun to watch. They’d better put a better product out on the field or it’s going to be a relatively sparsely attended summer. 2, Boos very evident tonight - until the broadcast cut them (lol). 3. Re Correa, Minnesotans clamor for the high-priced FAs, but when we finally get one we expect them to perform. Correa basically has had one good month at the plate with the Twins - when we were out of it late last year and he needed a good month so he could opt out and hit free agency. Twins fans will turn on him; but, don’t worry Carlos, they will jump back on the bandwagon if you turn it around. 4. Re Arraez comments above, he at least was an absolute fan favorite who essentially played every day. Fans showed up or tuned in to watch him. Lopez has been very good, but he shows up every fifth day. Among our position players, who are the fan favorites now whom people are coming to see in person or on the tube? Buxton, perhaps, but as a DH only? Not so much. Correa? Nope, he’s not performing, he’s overpaid, he didn’t really want to be here, and he was a cheater. Let’s face it, at the moment there really isn’t an exciting “face” of the team and the team itself doesn’t have an identity (Piranhas or Bomba Squad, for example) to really engender much excitement among the more casual (but incredibly important for revenue purposes) fans. Bottom line - they’d better start winning.
  2. We should not hit the panic button and start moving prospects for pitching this season at this point. If we are patient, we should be in a very favourable budget situation heading into next season. If we can move veteran position players for a solid #4-5, then maybe (but I think that’s doubtful unless Polanco can bring someone of value). Kepler, Gallo, Polanco, Gray, Mahle, and Maeda are gone next year. They are essentially replaced by Lewis, Julien, Lee, Ober, Varland, and SWR (or others). That is a lot of cash that has opened up and should be enough to pick up at least one, if not two, solid #2-4 types. Patience is the key at the moment. We are building for a multiple year open window - no reason to jeopardise that to save bad bets on Mahle and Maeda with this current lineup.
  3. Although it’s early, we had a chance to make a real statement and create the type of early separation that can demoralise chasers. We flat out blew it. We should still win the division, but this team as it’s currently playing is more of a pretender than contender. Let’s hope we can improve.
  4. I’m sorry if I offended you in some way. I certainly did not mean to do so. But yes, you are correct, even passionate fans who watch every game (like myself - I’m a 150+ game guy per year) can be disgusted with the hitting. I was only trying to make the point that some of us thought that the team would be especially light hitting this year - so we aren’t surprised by this. After all, did we really think Gallo, Solano, Martin, Kepler, etc. were going to be the answer at the plate? Are we that excited to tune in to watch that crew day in and day out? We traded the one player whom I and I’m sure others made sure we watched every AB last season (and I still tune in to admire his ABs as a Marlin). Correa and, sadly, Buxton don’t produce as compensated. But, it’s been my experience as a long time Minnesotan, that less passionate fans certainly will not invest themselves heavily in a such a team - unless maybe if the team is winning and they jump on the bandwagon - and even passionate fans like you and I will become frustrated and tune out. Your comments are perfectly spot on re getting more out of our players. I’ve written several times on these TD threads that Rocco’s number one job is to develop the young talent entrusted to him. It is terribly frustrating to see these talented kids fail to reach their potential as ballplayers. We have a great crew on the way and I fear that the likes of Lewis, Lee, Julien, Rodriguez, Wallner, Martin, Miller, etc., (not to mention the pitchers) will not end up where they belong given their talent and promise.
  5. I believe your comment about lack of interest may not be that uncommon - particularly among those Twins fans who do not frequent the TD. Several of us on this site predicted an overall light hitting team consisting of several somewhat transient players that would find it difficult to generate true enthusiasm. This lack of interest excludes the more passionate, but much fewer in number, of us fans who might appreciate this year’s strategy of winning through outstanding pitching, mostly via our starting staff. This strategy, however, relies on having a winning ball club to keep our renowned front running fan base with myriad other outdoor summer activities to pursue interested (and attending/watching!). So far, that has been more or less the case. Let’s hope we can keep that strategy working and more fans will become more invested as the summer progresses. This seems like a likely scenario still. Otherwise, a shift to Plan B (trade the transients and call up the prospects in August) might need to be implemented.
  6. Miranda needs the ABs - he’s still part of the future of this team. The issue is that he is playing the wrong position for his future role. In the future - late ‘23 or certainly by the beginning next season - 3B will be manned likely by Lee. In ‘24, Lewis or Julien will play 2B with the other playing OF or DH (when Buxton is in CF or having a rest day). Farmer first, followed by Gordon, will be the Utility IFs thru the end of ‘24 (with Farmer to be replaced by Noah Miller). That leaves Miranda’s best bet for playing time to be 1B, where he should get 2/3rds to 3/4ers of the starts with Kiriloff getting the the rest when he’s not playing RF. Likely Lewis (assuming Julien is at 2B), Kiriloff and Larnach will be our primary OFs with Buxton, Gordon and Wallner also playing. So those point is that Miranda should be getting more starts (and the associated ABs) at 1B and Solano should never start at 1B over Miranda (or Kiriloff, or even Gallo on this ‘23 team, for that matter). Solano needs to go sooner rather than later if the FO is truly interested in developing their young talent like Miranda.
  7. Couldn’t agree more. Why is he getting precious AB’s vs. others who need them (other than being right handed)? Lewis can’t get here fast enough.
  8. Nice HR by Gordon and a great catch in CF. There is no chance he gets DFA’d - regardless of how many TDers are calling for it. A batter really only has one job to do leading off in the 10th - at a minimum move the runner to 3rd. Vasquez couldn’t get that done. We need to lay off the high cheese. Was Ryan gassed after 87 pitches? Perhaps, but Gray just threw 107 and Ryan was still dealing. Who knows. What is up with our late inning relievers walking the lead-off man in the 8th and/or 9th innings? Happened twice against KC and last night in the 9th as well. That is the cardinal sin. Lucky we didn’t lose in regulation last night. But if we continue to do that, we deserve to lose. Period.
  9. First, if I’m Gordon, I’d welcome a new start somewhere else to get a chance to play regularly and exit this environment. However, second, there is no chance I’d give up on Gordon at this point. Castro goes first. Solano second (the guy cannot field to save his soul), and Kepler third. Those three will not be here next season. Gordon has more upside at the plate than those three, and except for Kepler in the OF, is a better fielder with more positional flexibility. Third, the Twins may want to have him next year when Buxton still is not playing CF and Martin, Gallo, and there three players mentioned above are all gone. The conundrum is how to get him more ABs to get on track. It’s hard to see that happening. So, going back to the first point, if I were Gordon, I’d be looking for a new home where I could jumpstart the rest of my career. Get out of here - find a place where I will get a chance to show last summer/fall was the hitting, versatile spark plug of a player he really is. Maybe get some appreciation too.
  10. Noah Miller is making his case. Stud fielder now with an emerging bat. This kid is putting it all together. If he keeps this up, he’s a lock for the ‘25 big club roster if he’s not traded for potential top line pitching.
  11. Great article, Melissa - I enjoy reading your posts. A couple of other takeaways: 1. The Twins legitimately have at least three, and possibly five, All-Star pitchers at the moment in Ryan, Lopez, Duran, Gray and Lopez. 2. Solano has me worried - his play in the field is atrocious. His hitting has been a huge spark plug, but if that falls off, he will be a liability.
  12. You and me both. Haha Hang in there though. Hope I’m wrong, but one month does not a season make. He sure looks good, though.
  13. A World Series contending Twins team will not have a such a limited “core”. Sure, it will have leaders and high(er) priced veteran players (who btw, need to produce more - looking at you CC and BB). But the true “core” for the truly next multiple year “open window” is going to comprised of young(ish), cheaper, rising players - both in the field and on the mound. Lee, Lewis, Julien, Rodriguez, maybe Kiriloff and Larnach, Ryan, Ober, Prielipp, SWR, Varland, Raya, Duran and others - some or most of these players are going to be the true “core”. These are the players that need to reach their potential (that’s right, looking at you Rocco and staff - that’s your most important job over the next three years) and be here on relatively cheap, controllable contracts for multiple years. That’s how small/mid-market teams like the Twins can truly compete over several years,
  14. Nice outing by Ober. He’s proven over last year, spring training and now his first big league start this year that he is no worse than #6 in the pecking order. Not clear which of Varland or SWR is #7 and which is #8.
  15. Spencer Steer having a strong start for the Reds.
  16. Pretty standard Twins loss tonight: some cheap hits (Jax is the tough luck kid this year), a complete mind-bending fielding faux pas, and no runs after two on and no outs in the 9th. So a combination of bad luck, stupid baseball, inability to move runners over, lack of hitting, and possibly (note I said possibly) questionable managerial decisions (maybe the shift and deciding not to move the runners over). Pretty much par for the course. Having said that, Mahle had a great outing and Gallo hit a rope HR. Those are encouraging events - I hope they keep it up. (As an aside, I’ve had the under on the performance of those two and they (thankfully) are proving me wrong). Get ‘em tomorrow.
  17. Most of these players - Julien, Lewis, Wallner, Varland, Ober, maybe even Larnach and Kiriloff (less likely Lee) will be up and down this year based on injuries and performance. Gallo, Solano, Martin, Farmer, Polanco, Kepler, Mahle and Maeda are probably sticking around for the season - maybe one or two get moved around the deadline, but I’ve got the under on two. Castro is the only one who could be asked to head to St. Paul. The good news is that a) we are winning with this strategy and b) all of them except Farmer should be gone next year.
  18. Haha. Like that - here’s another family favorite. Greggory - the poster - is like the farmer tending his crops - he’s “out standing” in his field.
  19. Fantastic deal. Great job by the FO! This takes the sting out of the deal by a great deal. Hat’s off to all and congrats to Pablo as well. We will get one more - hopefully Gray or some other FA next offseason - to go with Ryan and Lopez. Then we have the youngins’ on the way. The starting staff vision is very rosy.
  20. Great post. I think I’ll save it for further reference. Thank you.
  21. Trade working for both teams. Arraez hit for the cycle tonight - first in Marlins’ history.
  22. Did Vasquez bust it down the line in the 8th. Kinda looked like he got a late jump after assuming the ball was going to bleed into right. Ah, maybe not.
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