Nick Nelson

Ha, I had the same thought. If they're made-up players we might as well make up their backstories. I envision Jacob Barone as the grown-up son of "Everybody Loves Raymond" sportswriter Ray Barone

Option 2: Press "Like This" on this comment if you want us to replace Ehire Adrianza with a free agent from the open market. Rajai Davis stands out as the best fit to me, though Peter Bourjos also is interesting. Feel free to name your specific choice below.

Option 1: Press "Like This" on this comment if you want us to replace Ehire Adrianza on the bench with an internal option from Triple-A. I lean toward Joe Kerrigan or LaMonte Wade, Jr., but will listen on other ideas.

With another 10 games knocked out in our interactive simulated 2020 Twins season, the boys shook off a slow start to surge back above .500, chipping away at their early deficit in the Central standings. Read on to learn what's happened since our last update, and to weigh in on our next move.To get caught up on what we're doing here, you can check out the first introductory post in the series for an explanation of the premise and setup. But the quick version is this: We're playing a progressive simulated Twins season on MLB The Show 20 on PS4, and y'all are helping guide the ship. In each installment I'll update you on what's happened since the last, and put at least one key decision up for vote. Date In Game: 4/18/20 Team Record: 11-9 Leading OPS: Max Kepler (.972 in 40 AB) Leading ERA (SP): Jake Odorizzi (2.73 in 26.1 IP) Leading ERA (RP): Zack Littell (0.00 in 6.2 IP) RESULTS Gm 11 vs CLE: L 8-7 (Berrios 3.0 IP, 7 ER, L) Gm 12 vs CLE: W 4-1 (Odorizzi 8.2 IP, 1 ER, 9 K, W) Gm 13: vs CLE: W 8-5 (Sano 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI) Gm 14: @ CWS: L 11-10 (Cruz and Garver 2 HR each) Gm 15: @ CWS: W 7-2 (Sano 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) Gm 16: @ CWS: W 13-4 (Rosario 3-for-5, HR, 5 RBI) Gm 17: @ TOR: W 1-0 (Odorizzi 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 7 K, W) Gm 18: @ TOR: W 6-3 (Avila 3-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI) Gm 19: @ TOR: L 6-3 (Romo 0.1 IP, 2 HR allowed, L) Gm 20: vs DET: W 8-7 (Polanco walk-off 2-R HR) AL CENTRAL STANDINGS Download attachment: alcstandings41820.jpeg THE RUNDOWN First, and foremost: we managed to slow down Cleveland a bit. When last we checked in, the Twins found themselves in a big early hole. Their 4-6 start was countered by a perfect 10-0 from the top division rivals, who were just arriving in town for a three-game set. Cleveland's red-hot season-opening run extended to 11-0 with an 8-7 win in the first tilt at Target Field, which saw Jose Berrios labor through three innings (9 H, 4 BB, 7 ER) in his worst start of the young season. By now the Indians were halfway to matching their 22-game streak from 2017, right off the bat. Yeesh. Luckily, the Twins were finally ready to get hot. They took the last two against Cleveland at home, a pair of three-run victories. Jake Odorizzi led the way in the first, flirting with a complete game but settling for 8 2/3 innings and a W. Then it was off to Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, where the offense flourished, pushing across 30 runs in three games to take the series. In our last installment, readers were decisive in voting their preference to stick with starter Rich Hill despite his sluggish start. That decision paid dividends in his next turn; Hill put forth six innings of two-run ball against the White Sox, picking up his first win. The Twins followed up by taking two of three from the Blue Jays in Toronto. Once again Odorizzi was spectacular here, tossing seven scoreless frames before giving way to Taylor Rogers for a two-inning save for a 1-0 victory in the series clincher. That was perhaps the team's most impressive effort of the season up until the final one we simulated in this batch. Returning home to face the Tigers and looking to stay above .500, Hill was building upon his turnaround. He'd navigated four shutout innings before everything collapsed in the fifth, where he was charged with five earned runs, putting his club in 5-1 hole. But our Twins weren't gonna go quietly. They rallied for three runs in the sixth and added two more in the seventh to take the lead. Detroit battled back with a run apiece against Tyler Duffey and Taylor Rogers in the eighth and ninth, putting Minnesota's back up against the wall, down 7-6 heading into the last half-inning. Luckily, Jorge Polanco was up for the challenge. His fourth hit of the day was a walk-off, two-run homer against Detroit closer Joe Jimenez. The Twins sit at 11-9 after winning seven of 10 in this slate, and we've picked up 1.5 games on the Indians, who cooled down with a 5-5 showing. WHO'S HOT Odorizzi looks right now much like he did during that untouchable stretch in the early portion of 2019. Across his two latest starts, he allowed one run over 15 2/3 innings, with a 16-to-4 K/BB ratio. Take out the clunker in his second outing of the season, at Seattle (3.2 IP, 6 ER), and his 2.73 overall ERA drops to 0.74. In the bullpen, Zack Littell has yet to allow a run through 6 2/3 innings. Randy Dobnak is getting the job done in long relief, with a 1.59 ERA in 11 1/3 frames (conspicuously accompanied by a 3-to-5 K/BB ratio). Taylor Rogers has been leaned on heavily, appearing 11 times through 20 games, and he has come through with a 0.82 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and five saves. The offense has also been very good, as hoped. Eight of the nine regulars currently have an OPS above .800, with Max Kepler's .962 (.333/.398/.564) from the leadoff spot pacing the lineup. Josh Donaldson's seven home runs tie him with Randal Grichuk for sixth in the AL. The hottest hitter during this latest stretch, though, was Miguel Sano, who went 15-for-32 with two homers, two doubles, and seven RBIs in his eight starts. Sano's 17 RBIs lead the team and rank seventh in the AL. WHO'S NOT Byron Buxton is the lone laggard in a lineup that's otherwise been incredibly productive. He's been unable to find his rhythm and is slashing just .172/.250/.250 with 18 strikeouts and six walks in 64 at-bats. He does have five steals. I'm thinking we'll just keep playing him at the bottom of the order, and hope he and hitting coach Edgar Varela can conjure a breakthrough. After rebounding from his lackluster early performance with a win against the White Sox, Hill once again looked terrible at home versus Detroit, allowing five runs (two earned) on three hits and six walks in 4 2/3 innings. His ERA sits at 7.91 through four starts and he's handed out 13 free passes (with 23 K) through 19 1/3 innings. Not great, but the voting results on last week's Hill decision were emphatic enough that we'll keep the leash extended for now. That said, I'll be keeping a close eye on him. Same goes for Homer Bailey, who unsurprisingly hurdled back to Earth after leading the rotation in ERA through 10 games. His last two starts saw him cough up eight earned runs in 6 1/3 innings, raising his ERA to 4.43... which I guess is about what we expected. No rotation changes are on the table at this moment, but I'll note that Devin Smeltzer (1.50 ERA) and Jhoulys Chacin (1.64) are making their cases early on at Rochester. DECISION TIME: HOW CAN WE ADD MORE SPEED TO THE BENCH? While pulling the strings during these simulated games, the one thing I really find myself wishing for is some speed off the bench. On a typical day, we've got Alex Avila (Speed Rating: 10 out of 100), Ehire Adrianza (39), Marwin Gonzalez (29), and Willians Astudillo (6) available to pinch-run. In particular, Adrianza feels like a bit of an unnecessary piece; he's functionally redundant with the superior Gonzalez, and has mustered a team-low 20 ABs as a result, slashing .150/.227/.150. I'm thinking we swap out Adrianza for someone who can offer more speed. Here are the most suitable internal options at Triple-A: Jimmy Kerrigan, OF (Speed Rating: 79 out of 100)Drew Maggi, OF (68)Zander Wiel, OF (67)LaMonte Wade, Jr., OF (65)Nick Gordon, SS (64)Jake Cave, OF (58)Worth noting: Kerrigan is pegged as a center fielder, so he could potentially slot in for Buxton on occasion and provide him some extra breaks. Cave, whose speed seems to be underrated a bit in the game, is slashing .444/.500/.556 through seven contests at Rochester. There's also free agency, if we want to go that route. The top speedsters on the open market: Rajai Davis, OF (Speed Rating: 83 out of 100)Peter Bourjous, OF (78)Pablo Varela, SS (75)Jacob Barone, 2B (68)Yasiel Puig, OF (66)Addison Russell, SS (58)Mixed in with a couple of fictional players (Varela and Barone, who are 22 and 23) are a couple of real names that raise some intrigue. In particular, I'm looking at Rajai Davis, who's 39 years old with a 66 overall rating. His speed is the highest of anyone we've looked at, and his base-stealing ability rates at a maximum 99. Signing another free agent will force us to do some roster juggling, but Davis – at his requested one-year, $530K contract – could be a great veteran pickup to round out the bench. Download attachment: rajaiFA.jpeg So the choice I need help with before moving forward: Should we tap free agency or our own internal pipeline to address this need? You can vote in the comments section below. COMING UP 4/18: vs DET 4/19 vs DET 4/20 vs SEA 4/21 vs SEA 4/22 vs SEA 4/23 vs SEA 4/24 vs BOS 4/25 vs BOS 4/26 vs BOS PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS Part 1: We Can Build This Thing TogetherPart 2: 10 Games In, 6 Games BackMORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Nice. I took a shot at doing something similar a couple years back. Landed on some similar choices: http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins/introducing-the-minnesota-twins-2011-2018-all-star-team-r7348

In my unbiased opinion, the management has been exceptional. It is the players who are blowing it!

Option 2: Press "Like This" on this comment if you want us to bump Rich Hill. Who's got time for this. We'll move him to long relief and replace him with another option (feel free to name your choice below).

Option 1: Press "Like This" on this comment if you want us to stick with Rich Hill in the rotation. It's early. He's finding his rhythm.

We've gone through two turns of the rotation in our interactive simulated Twins season on MLB The Show 20. The club has been okay through 10 games, but it's a scorching hot start from the top division rival that has us on our heels out of the gate. Read on for updates, and more decisions to be made.To get caught up on what we're doing here, you can check out the first post from Monday for an explanation of the premise and setup. But the quick version is this: We're playing a progressive simulated Twins season on MLB The Show 20 on PS4, and y'all are helping guide the ship. In each installment I'll update you on what's happened since the last, and put at least one key decision up for vote. Date In Game: 4/6/20 Team Record: 4-6 Leading OPS: Max Kepler (1.030 in 40 AB) Leading ERA: Homer Bailey (1.29 in 14 IP) RESULTS Gm 1, @ OAK: L 1-0 (Berrios 8 IP, 1 ER, L) Gm 2, @ OAK: W 4-2 (Cruz solo HR) Gm 3: @ OAK: W 6-1 (Odorizzi 7 IP, 1 ER, 12 K, W) Gm 4: @ OAK L 8-5 (Hill 5.1 IP, 6 ER, L) Gm 5: @ SEA W 16-2 (Donaldson 2 HR, 6 RBI) Gm 6: @ SEA L 4-3 (Rogers BS) Gm 7: @ SEA L 6-1 (Odorizzi 3.2 IP, 6 ER, L) Gm 8: vs OAK L 4-3 (Duffey 1 IP, 2 ER, L) Gm 9: vs OAK W 5-4 (Bailey 8 IP, 1 ER) Gm 10: vs OAK L 10-4 (Hill 3.1 IP, 7 ER, L) THE RUNDOWN The vote was unanimous on our first group decision of the year. Oddly-available free agent Jordan Balazovic was signed to a one-year contract, replacing Devin Smeltzer as a long reliever in the Twins' bullpen. The 21-year-old rookie joined an Opening Day roster that kicked things off in Oakland on March 26th, against Sean Manaea and the Athletics. The opener was a hard-fought battle. Manaea struck out Mitch Garver in the season's first at-bat, then exited with an injury. He was replaced by Mike Fiers, and the Twins offense had no answer for him, nor Yusmeiro Petit or Liam Hendriks. In a clash of contrasting strengths, the Oakland arms managed to shut out Minnesota's potent lineup on Opening Day. Max Kepler had Minnesota's only extra-base hit, a double. Download attachment: od_box_offense.jpeg For his part, Jose Berrios was outstanding, going toe to toe with the A's staff through seven innings. Unfortunately, a solo homer by Khris Davis in the eighth proved decisive, and Berrios was tagged with a complete-game loss. He basically got the other end of what happened to Corey Kluber on Opening Day 2019. Download attachment: od_box_pitching.jpeg Our Twins bounced back with victories in the next two contests. Jake Odorizzi was dazzling in his first start of the year, fanning 12 over seven innings of one-run ball in Game 3. But we dropped the fourth to split the series in Oakland. Then, it was off to Seattle, where the first game was quite reminiscent of last year's trip to T-Mobile Park. Minnesota teed off for 16 runs against an overwhelmed Mariners staff, with the top of the lineup leading the charge. Kepler delivered four hits and five RBIs, while Josh Donaldson followed him with two homers and six RBIs. The Twins piled up 14 hits and nine walks. With a huge lead, Balazovic got his debut in this one, tossing two innings with one run allowed. Unfortunately, Minnesota seemed to use up all its magic. The next night, Taylor Rogers blew a save in the ninth and Sergio Romo gave up a walk-off in the 10th. The offense again failed to show up in the series finale, a 6-1 loss. We struggled in our home-opening series at Target Field, dropping two of three against the A's and narrowly avoiding a sweep with an 11th-inning walk-off. So, through 10 games, we're 4-6. Okay. Not where we wanted to be, but certainly not disastrous. So why am I alarmed? Well, I don't wanna blow this out of proportion, but... THE CLEVELAND INDIANS ARE OFF TO A 10-0 START. 10-0! Granted, they opened with an extremely soft schedule (DET, CWS, DET), but the Indians took full advantage by winning every single game. Jose Ramirez is hitting .419 with 13 RBIs. Francisco Lindor has a 1.143 OPS. Mike Clevinger's 3.46 ERA is the rotation's highest. Whew. That puts the Twins in a six-game hole already. Luckily, we'll have a chance to ding their early momentum and make some fast inroads, as a home series against Cleveland awaits on the docket. Let's run through who's hot and who's not, then we'll hash out our next group decision ahead of this critical early showdown. WHO'S HOT? The Bringer of Rain is delivering thus far as a Twin. In nine games Donaldson is sporting an .842 OPS with three homers and nine RBIs. Kepler's batting .375/.405/.625 through 40 ABs. The rotation has mostly been strong: Berrios (1.93 ERA) and Maeda (1.46) are doing their thing, and Bailey (1.29) has been the early talk of the town. Willians Astudillo's only been able to find 6 at-bats so far, but he's got four hits in them for a .667 average. I'd ask you guys if we should play him more but I assume that's a given. WHO'S NOT? Miguel Sano has 10 RBIs through nine games, in part because one of his two homers was a grand slam, but he's slashing .184/.238/.368 with only three walks. Byron Buxton is batting .200 with seven hits, though naturally five have been doubles. The most conspicuous poor performer thus far is Hill, who has been battered for 13 earned runs and four homers through 8 2/3 innings. He's 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA and 2.19 WHIP through two turns. Which brings us to... DECISION TIME: SHOULD WE DEMOTE RICH HILL FROM THE ROTATION? Look, it's still very early and I'm not trying to overreact. Then again, why not? The fact is that Hill's doing nothing for us right now. He's been the worst pitcher on the team by a country mile and at his age it's tough to be too lenient. We've got Randy Dobnak and even Balazovic waiting for a shot on the big-league roster. Not to mention Smeltzer, Michael Pineda and Lewis Thorpe in the minors. Then again, maybe Hill just needs a bit of time to get going. He does have 12 strikeouts in his 8 2/3 innings, for what it's worth. And he's rated higher than Bailey, who's been immaculate. I'll let you all make the call by voting in the comments section. COMING UP 4/6: vs. CLE 4/7: vs. CLE 4/8: vs. CLE 4/10: @ CWS 4/11: @ CWS 4/12 @ CWS Click here to view the article

Nelson Cruz has one job, and he did it absurdly well in 2019. Defying the ostensible effects of age, he looked as good as ever at the plate, leading the charge in Minnesota's record-setting power display and earning team MVP honors. Cruz's debut season with the Twins will be a tough act to follow, and once he's gone, the same will be said for him.Projected Starter: Nelson Cruz Likely Backup: Miguel Sano Depth: Jorge Polanco, Willians Astudillo Prospects: Alex Kirilloff, Brent Rooker THE GOOD It's almost impossible to overstate how good Cruz was at hitting last year. Forty-one homers and 108 RBIs would be outstanding production in a full campaign, but he amassed those numbers while limited to just 120 games. Among qualified MLB hitters, Cruz ranked fourth in OPS, behind only Christian Yelich, Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger – two MVPs and a runner-up. His wOBA he was behind Trout, Yelich and Alex Bregman. Same for wRC+. By almost any of today's most trusted offensive measures, Cruz was absolutely elite, placing alongside the very best players in the game. He hit for average (.311, T-4th in the AL) and power (second to Trout in SLG at .639). He got on base at nearly a .400 clip. He was good in the first half (.921 OPS) and absolutely unconscious in the second half (1.147 OPS). He elevated his performance in clutch situations of all types. His Statcast measurements, much like Josh Donaldson's, were nuts. Download attachment: cruzstatcast.png There is really not one single valid thing to nitpick about Cruz's 2019 performance, other than the quantity, which suffered from his bouts with a wrist injury and his inability to play anywhere in the field during interleague play. The Twins are wise to anticipate a similarly partial workload in whatever form of season lies ahead, and in fact they might be wise to plan for it, giving the veteran slugger – who turns 40 in July – plenty of rest and downtime. Their abundance of depth makes it easy to rotate guys like Josh Donaldson, Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano through the DH spot to keep legs fresh. Let Cruz get his naps in plentifully during the summer, so that he'll be a sleeping beast ready to awaken in October. (And November? December?) THE BAD The parallels between Cruz's first year with the Twins in 2019, and Jim Thome's first year with the Twins in 2010, are unmistakable. Both were legendary sluggers verging on 40 when they signed with Minnesota to provide seasoned power at the DH spot. Both surpassed all expectations on the way to stunningly great seasons, dotted with memorable moments and jaw-dropping dingers. In fact, their OPS figures were almost identical (1.039 versus 1.031). But both also showed the initial signs of wavering durability, with Thome's finicky back limiting him to 108 games and Cruz's nagging wrist limiting him to 120. Neither was much worse for the wear, but Thome came nowhere near the same level during his encore in 2011, dropping to a far more human .243/.351/.476 in 71 games before getting dealt to Cleveland in late August. His back was a constant issue. Not many ballplayers remain productive into their 40s. Once you get to this point, skills can diminish sharply and the body becomes far more prone to breaking down. These are just physiological realities. Aaron Gleeman did some research for The Athletic, and found that Cruz faces long odds to repeat in his age-39 season. "At that age, declines appear suddenly and are often irreversible — a cliff no one saw coming until they’re plummeting down it." Some examples you might recognize: Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Edgar Martinez. While this is technically supposed to qualify as Cruz's age-39 season, there's a strong likelihood that he'll have celebrated his 40th birthday on July 1st before another meaningful game is played. His ruptured wrist tendon is of course a volatile factor in his outlook. The slugger played through it with remarkable effectiveness last year, posting a 1.023 OPS in 33 games after suffering the injury, but it's tough to count on this sort of superhumanity lasting forever. Easy as it is to believe Cruz is some sort of demigod, he is to my knowledge a mortal man. The good news is that even a fairly significant reduction in output would still make Cruz a valuable designated hitter. And if he reaches the cliff, there's no shortage of quality bats to step in. The Twins could shift Sano to DH and replace him with Marwin Gonzalez, or rotate regulars through the position with backups filling in defensively. They could call up Brent Rooker, whose prodigious bat looked ready in Rochester last summer. Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach are not far behind. THE BOTTOM LINE Cruz is a linchpin in the lineup, but Minnesota is a long way from being scarce on good hitters if he can't keep Father Time at bay. In that respect, there is one other player comp I'd like to close with – one bearing some familiarity. Gleeman's analysis found that "only two players in baseball history have hit as well and played as often at 39 as they did at 38: Barry Bonds and David Ortiz." David Ortiz. Now there's an interesting name. A highly gifted and sturdily built Dominican player who started his career with the Twins and went on to become one of the greatest designated hitters the game has ever seen. He hit 35 homers with an .873 OPS for the Red Sox at age 38, then improved to 37 and .913 at age 39. The real pièce de résistance came at age 40, Ortiz's final season, when he went off for .315/.401/.620 with 48 homers and 127 RBIs as Boston won the AL East. Cruz is a highly gifted and sturdily built Dominican player who's ending his career with the Twins, and has grabbed Ortiz's torch as the game's foremost DH. Wrist issues notwithstanding, he showed no signs of fading last year, and was absolutely cranking in exhibition action before spring training shut down. In 23 at-bats he hit .435 with three home runs. We have every reason to believe Cruz will keep playing at a high level, and the Twins have reportedly even discussed extending him through age 41, so the end isn't necessarily imminent. But needless to say, his time is fleeting. And that's mostly fine, because the organization is deep on bat-first players capable of becoming assets in the DH spot, both now and in the future. ~~~ Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Catcher Twins 2020 Position Analysis: First Base Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Second Base Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Third Base Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Shortstop Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Left Field Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Center Field Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Right Field MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

This week, with the help of Out of the Park, we’ve simulated the 91/19 World Series, a seven game matchup between the 1991 Twins and the 2019 Twins. Reeling after a stunning blowout loss in Game 1, the 2019 Twins needed to bounce back. Sure enough the resilient bunch did just that in a gritty effort behind Jose Berrios, earning a 9-4 victory to even the series at one.Baseballs have been flying around the Metrodome thus far in this generational showdown. Game 1 saw the two offenses combine for 19 runs, and the bats collectively tacked on another 13 in Game 2's a 20-hit barrage. Presumably in this case the Dome's vents have been blowing outward to favor both lineups, although this paradoxically hurts both pitching staffs. World Series hero Jack Morris didn't have 10 shutout innings in him this time around. He held his own in the early innings, and actually headed into the sixth with a 3-2 lead, but was removed after yielding a one-out double to Max Kepler. Right-hander Steve Bedrosian entered in relief, and retired Miguel Sano on a fly ball to center. That set the stage for Eddie Rosario to step in with the tying run on second and two outs. You can probably guess what happens next. The left fielder watched strike one pop harmlessly into Brian Harper's mitt. He stepped out of the box and adjusted his batting gloves, eyes scanning the Metrodome's packed outfield stands, as if searching for a desired landing spot. Apparently, he found one. Rosario turned on the second pitch from Bedrosian and launched it high over the baggy in right field, pushing his team back in front with a two-run blast. "I just needed to see one, and get a good look at him," said a grinning Rosario of his take on Bedrosian's first offering. "Then I was ready." Evidently his teammates were ready too after watching Rosario turn the tides with a game-breaking bomba. First baseman C.J. Cron followed with an eight-pitch at-bat that ended with a double down the right field line. Then Byron Buxton ambushed Bedrosian on a first-pitch ground ball single that escaped the reach of Greg Gagne at short and scored Cron, who beat left fielder Shane Mack's throw to the plate by a hair. As Rick Aguilera warmed up in the bullpen, Jorge Polanco coaxed a seven-pitch walk, putting runners on first and second for Luis Arraez, who delivered a bloop single to center. Kirby Puckett fielded it, saw Buxton racing around third base, and thought better of even challenging him at home. At this point, Tom Kelly finally made his slow trot to the mound, removing Bedrosian with a fierce pat to the backside and calling in Aguilera, who ended the rally by striking out Nelson Cruz on three pitches. But the damage was done. The '19 Twins had pulled ahead 6-3. "One out," uttered a raspy-voiced Kelly in his postgame briefing. "We get one out there, it's a completely different ballgame. One damn out." Two innings later, the visiting team struck again to push this contest out of reach. Third baseman Mike Pagliarulo's one-out error on a hot grounder off the bat of Cron sparked another rally, culminating three batters later when Arraez came through with a three-run double off Carl Willis. Berrios, who got through five solid innings, combined with three relievers to hold the '91 Twins to four runs on eight hits following the onslaught in Game 1. Rocco Baldelli credited his pitchers for battling against a tough, confident lineup, and also credited his hitters for wearing down the opposition with relentless at-bats. But he made no secret of his opinion as to where the game was won. "That hit from Eddie was everything," said the typically understated '19 Twins skipper. "I know these guys believe in themselves, but when we fell behind in the early innings there, you could definitely sense that 'Here we go again' sinking in." "Felt good to deflate that place a little bit," he added with a laugh. Tied at a game apiece, the two teams will now travel across Downtown Minneapolis and ahead several years, with the series moving to Target Field. Michael Pineda will toe the rubber for the 2019 squad, opposite Denny Neagle for the '91ers. You can find the boxscore and pitch-by-pitch results for Game One attached below. If you would like to learn more about Out of the Park 21, please click on this link. If you would like to try it, you can also download it for 10% off the regular price using the code TWINSDAILY. Download attachment: MLB Box Score, Minnesota 2019 Twins at Minnesota 1991 Twins Game 2 (1).pdf Download attachment: Mnnesota 2019 Twins @ Minnesota 1991 Twins Game Log Game 2.pdf Click here to view the article

Rest assured I will deflect all blame.

By overwhelming consensus (as I expected), we will be signing Jordan Balazovic for the bullpen. I'll follow with another update later this week after we get through 10 games.

My plan is just to sim them a single time and accept that as a result. But that's a good thought. Maybe if the results are wonky on first run-through I'll consider taking that route.

Option 2: Press "Like This" on this comment if you want us to leave Balazovic on the open market and enter the season with our roster as is.

Option 1: Press "Like This" on this comment if you want us to sign Balazovic. He'd likely join our bullpen and displace one of our long relievers.

Alright, so the MLB season won't be starting as planned, and real-life baseball might not be back any time soon. We can either continue to wallow in sadness or we can try to have a little fun. Today I'm kicking off 'The Show Must Go On,' an interactive simulated Twins season where you all get to call the shots.Last week, Sony released MLB The Show 20 for PlayStation 4. This franchise sits among baseball video game royalty (behind the king, MVP Baseball, of course) and the latest installment features up-to-date rosters, rules, AI, etc. While the details and player ratings aren't always spot-on (as we'll learn), the folks behind this game take baseball seriously. In general, The Show's accuracy and authenticity are very respectable. So here's the deal. We're going to start a season as the 2020 Twins and chronicle it here. I won't be actually playing through the games myself, so my (lack of) skills will not be a factor. Instead I'll run through them in "Quick Manage Mode," which basically means every AB is simulated and only in-game decision making is controlled. I shall do my best to channel Rocco Baldelli while guiding the ship from day to day. Incrementally throughout this fictional season, I'll post stories here updating the team's record, trends, notable performances, injuries, rising prospects, and so forth. And each of these updates will include at least one decision up for vote – a promotion, a trade, a signing, a shakeup of the batting order – so readers can shape the journey as it unfolds. I'll also be very open to suggestions of any kind in the comments section. The wackier the better. MLB The Show has budget limits and trade fairness thresholds that'll prevent us from dealing Ehire Adrianza for Mike Trout, but we're not exactly bound to the constraints of reality. With the ground rules laid out, let us begin... THE COUNTDOWN TO OPENING DAY First things first, let's get acclimated to the Twins roster in the context of this video game. Minnesota ranks here as the fifth-best team in the majors, with the following breakdown: Contact: 6thPower: 2ndPitching: 7thDefense 16thSpeed: 27thThe teams ahead of the Twins overall are, in order: Yankees, Astros, Dodgers, Nationals. Sounds about right. As we get our season underway, here's a look at the top 10 highest-rated players in the Twins organization, which will give you a good idea of the game's... wavering accuracy in evaluation: Download attachment: top10players.jpeg Rosario is too high. Berrios is too low. Plenty of quibbles to be had. But for the most part, the ratings are all reasonable enough to resemble actual expectations. One glaring exception further down the list: Michael Pineda has a 68 rating. For context, that is lower than Cody Gearrin (68), Jhoulys Chacin (69), and a fictional 19-year-old A-ball pitcher named Reid McMahon (72). I don't get it. Speaking of Reid McMahon, another point of clarification: MLB The Show 20 does have minor-league teams, and – for the first time – many actual minor-league players! But there are still plenty of computer-generated randos, like our young southpaw McMahon. It would be possible to tailor the entire Twins system to reality, and also to edit Pineda's blatantly underrated attributes, but even in quarantine, that sounds too tedious. Throughout this exercise, the rule shall be: play it as it lies. With this in mind, here's our season-opening pitching staff: Download attachment: openingdaystaff.jpeg In video game land, we get the luxury of having Rich Hill right out of the gates. I did take the liberty of sending Matt Wisler to the minors since I was given the option. With the expanded roster, we're rolling with a 13-man staff, which includes two long relievers. Gotta be prepared for anything (and Dobnak/Smeltzer are higher-rated than alternatives). Our virtual Opening Day takes place on March 26th against the Athletics in Oakland. It'll be Berrios against left-hander Sean Manaea. Here's the lineup I plan to trot out: Download attachment: odlineup.jpeg My thinking: stack righties at the top, and distribute lefties throughout, while bowing somewhat to the game's rating system. I'm very open to altering this approach if anyone has strong opinions. Feel free to share 'em in the comments section – all compelling cases will be considered. Soon enough, I'll proceed with simming through the first slate of games. Then, we'll check back in with an update, and with more decisions to be made. But first, an unexpected one lies before us. DECISION TIME: SHOULD WE SIGN JORDAN BALAZOVIC? So, I mentioned earlier that while MLB The Show generally gets things right, roster-wise, there are invariably hiccups and inexplicable oddities. Here we have a prime example: for some reason, Jordan Balazovic is a free agent. Yes, the top Twins pitching prospect, who is 21 and hasn't pitched above Single-A, is in the video game but is also – inexplicably – at the top of the MLB free agent pool, with a shockingly high 79 rating. That puts him ahead of fellow FAs like Yasiel Puig, Ben Zobrist, Scooter Gennett and Pat Neshek. (It would also tie him with Trevor May for fifth-highest rated pitcher on the Twins pitching staff... right now.) Download attachment: balazovicFA.jpeg Why has this happened? Who knows. But we gotta sign him, right? An initial inquiry tells us he'd likely accept a one-year, $100K deal, which seems strange but hey we're living in strange times. I do assume it would be an MLB contract and we'd have to keep him in the big leagues, which creates some complications. Should we do it? I'll present the two options as comments below this article – whichever gets the most votes is the way. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY Want more MLB The Show content? Cooper Carlson is through May in his more hands-off 2020 season simulation. It's going quite well! Ted Schwerzler wrote about the game's popular Diamond Dynasty mode. Click here to view the article

It goes without saying: The fallout of our global pandemic is far from ideal for anyone, in baseball or beyond. An indefinite delay of the league's 2020 season – one which seems likely to extend into July at least – creates challenging circumstances for each team and player. But as I look up and down the roster, there are five Twins who, based on timing in their careers, stand out as especially unfortunate victims of this season in limbo.I feel for each of these guys, who will be dealing with shutdown disruption at critical junctures. Nelson Cruz, DH The veteran slugger's 40th birthday, July 1st, is a pretty reasonable over-under at this point for Opening Day – if not a tad optimistic. He looked incredibly good last year, giving no warning of imminent decline, but his age puts him up against the clock. This delay will remove a significant portion of the remaining games Cruz has left in the tank. And given how brilliantly he's still playing (including this spring, where he mashed three homers and two doubles in 23 at-bats), that's a shame. Trevor May, RHP It's been a long journey for May. He was a fourth-round pick of the Phillies in 2008, traded to Minnesota in 2012. He debuted in the majors in 2014 as a starter, transitioned fully to relief in 2016, then lost basically two full seasons to Tommy John surgery. Last year, at age 29, May finally broke through, posting a stellar 2.94 ERA and 11.1 K/9 rate as one of the team's highest-leverage relievers. This included a 1.38 ERA in 23 appearances between August and September. May was carrying a full head of steam into the biggest season of his career, with free agency coming at the end. Due to his ill-timed elbow injury and role-switching, the right-hander has burnt through most of his team service time without truly establishing himself, in spite of his immense talent, dedication, and intelligence. That's why he finds himself looking ahead to the open market already, with fewer than 300 total MLB innings. He's yet to earn a salary over $1 million. The 2020 season represented a huge opportunity for May to make his case on a big stage. And yes, that opportunity should still be awaiting him whenever baseball resumes. But I sure would've liked to see him ride all that built-up momentum. After putting it all together at long last, being forced to wait has gotta be especially painful for him. Rich Hill, LHP One might argue that Hill actually stands to be the beneficiary of a suspended season. He wasn't expected back until June at least, so a months-late start could make him available for the Twins from the jump. And should the season get extended later into the year to include more games, it's possible the Twins could get more starts from Hill than they ever expected upon signing him. It's possible. But any theoretical notion of Hill joining the club midseason, in classic form, was always steeped in hopeful optimism. The reason he and his immaculate track record were available to the Twins at such a fine value is that Hill is a longshot. He turned 40 a week ago and is trying to come back from rarely utilized elbow surgery. In a situation like this, you need a lot to go right. Like all players, Hill will have to deal with the auxiliary impacts of a total league shutdown, including the loss of access to his team's world-class trainers, equipment, and rehab regimens. The southpaw will certainly stick to his own program but there's no replacement for the steady, organized ramp-up process with assorted milestones and benchmarks. If the entire season is lost, this could very well be it for Hill's career. Jake Odorizzi, RHP Much like May, Odorizzi is heading into a pivotal year. In accepting Minnesota's qualifying offer, he opted to bypass a multi-year contract in favor of the short-term payday. Coming off an All-Star campaign, he was set to make $17.8 million and then hit the open market. Now, his plan is in flux. In a shortened season, would players receive prorated salaries? It stands to reason. And in such a scenario, Odorizzi's perfectly logical gamble stands to backfire. He wouldn't earn the full 2020 figure that enticed him, and he would end up auditioning for his next contract in a weird, partial campaign. Maybe that's not how it plays out. Hopefully baseball can find a way to ease the relative burdens for players in such tough positions. While these examples all obviously pale in comparison to the thousands of less-wealthy individuals who work at ballparks and fill their stands, there's an unmistakable difference between a player in Josh Donaldson's position of total security, and one in Odorizzi's. Not to mention a fringe player trying to seize what might be his biggest chance. Randy Dobnak, RHP His 2019 season was one of the best real-life underdog stories in memory, and there was more to Dobnak than just a fun narrative. He pitched extremely well, displaying poise and precision beyond his years. From undrafted independent-leaguer to ALDS starter, the right-hander is on a journey like no other. He was set to continue it under favorable circumstances this spring. A spot in the Twins rotation was for the taking, and his case was strong coming off a dazzling debut. But a delayed start shifts those circumstances. Suddenly, the starting corps could become crowded much more quickly, with Hill and even Michael Pineda potentially entering the fold sooner, and no injuries to open up spots. Minnesota's 2020 roster was meticulously built for the rigors of a 162-game season, loaded with depth and contingencies. A shortening of the season wouldn't negate this strength, but it would be costly for players like Dobnak on the fringes. Everyone knows how difficult it is to carve out a niche at the highest level of this game. Hard-working young men who are at the apex of their opportunities will lose time they can't get back. That's just one of many harsh realities rippling from this occurrence. But to look on the bright side, baseball will be back eventually. And when that happens, so many of its players – these five especially – will be poised for inspiring tales of perseverance and success in the face of adversity. I can't wait to write about them. Click here to view the article

Max Kepler has arrived, and he ain't going anywhere. At 27, he's a consummate star right fielder, excelling offensively and defensively as a key lineup fixture. The only thing that might supplant Kepler from his position is a familiar turn of events with the player to this right. But the Twins are rather well equipped for such a scenario.Projected Starter: Max Kepler Likely Backup: Marwin Gonzalez Depth: Jake Cave, LaMonte Wade Jr. Prospects: Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach THE GOOD Reading through the 2019 fWAR leaderboard at right field is a veritable "who's who" of MLB stardom: Christian Yelich, MIL – 7.8 Cody Bellinger, LAD – 7.8 Mookie Betts, BOS – 6.6 George Springer, HOU – 6.5 Aaron Judge, NYY – 4.6 Bryce Harper, PHI – 4.6 Max Kepler, MIN – 4.4 Does Kepler belong in the conversation with the premier class ahead of him? Many signs points to yes. A year ago, Kepler was one of the most obvious breakout candidates in baseball, with an offensive profile that overshadowed his modest track record. Sure enough, after three seasons of consistently mediocre production, the right fielder turned a corner, belting 36 home runs to dwarf his previous watermark of 20. His .855 OPS was a 16% improvement over his previous best. In 134 games, Kepler crossed the plate 98 times, and drove in 90 runs. He thrived offensively as leadoff man for one of the most potent offenses in MLB history. Notably, he performed better against lefties than righties for a second consecutive year, after struggling mightily versus same-siders in the early stage of his career. The German native has worked tirelessly on his game and developed into a tremendously refined ballplayer at the age of 27. He takes good at-bats and rarely strikes out; in fact, the only MLB players to hit 35+ home runs with a lower K-rate than his (16.6%) were Cody Bellinger, Alex Bregman, and Nolan Arenado. He's solidly above average in almost every Statcast measure. Download attachment: keplerstatcast.png And as the above chart shows, his defense was flat-out elite. Kepler brings the range of a solid center fielder to a position that's frequently manned by plodding sluggers, making him a key asset on the field. When he's in right and Byron Buxton's in center, it's awfully tough for baseballs to find landing spots in Minnesota's outfield, which is a strength well suited to the team's fly ball pitching staff. Kepler's ability to capably slide over to center in Buxton's absence is a key value-booster, and one reason why the depth could easily be tested in right field. But if the reigning Twins Daily MVP can stay mostly planted where he's best, there aren't many better. Icing on the cake? He's on the front end of his prime and under team control at favorable rates through 2024. THE BAD One could argue that no Twins player in 2019 was a more obvious beneficiary of the juiced ball than Kepler. He set a very stable baseline for himself in his first three big-league seasons: 17 HR, 19 HR, 20 HR, with slugging percentages that never topped .425. Then, he went out and blasted 36 homers and slugged .519, at a time where power numbers spiked across the league. He was due for some positive regression, given his launch angles and ability to control the zone, but that's a stark jump. And one issue plaguing Kepler did not disappear: Since 2016, he ranks 285th out of 292 MLB hitters in BABIP. Every player behind him on that list is either old, or slow, or both. Kepler's an above-average runner who makes tons of contact, and hits the ball reasonably hard, mostly in the air. But for whatever reason, he is stunningly ineffective at turning batted balls into hits. While his .244 BABIP in 2019 was a slight improvement over 2018's .236 mark, it was still fourth-lowest in baseball and a far cry from the league-wide standard of .300. This is a big deal with material impact on Kepler's value. If he would've hit .280 instead of .252 last year, his overall production would've been dramatically better – especially in the OBP column, where his .336 was rather uninspiring for a leadoff man. An abnormally low BABIP would in most cases be cause for optimism about a hitter's prospects of rebounding, but this has become Kepler's norm. And if it persists while his power numbers come back down to Earth, you've got the recipe for a return to ordinary levels of production. THE BOTTOM LINE Kepler's a great player who has risen to the precipice of superstardom by combining tremendous athletic gifts with a steadfast will to improve. He still has hurdles to get past, but I wouldn't bet against him. Given that he's under guaranteed contract for another four years, and stellar defensively, Kepler is as firmly entrenched at his position as anyone on the roster. Meanwhile, the organization's No. 2 and No. 3 prospects both play that same position. Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach are both verging on major-league readiness, presenting a welcome quandary: What to do with so much high-caliber talent? I'm sure the Twins will find a way deal with it when the time comes. Maybe Buxton's persisting lack of durability answers the question on its own. Or maybe they'll leverage the impending vacancy (?) in left field. ~~~ Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Catcher Twins 2020 Position Analysis: First Base Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Second Base Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Third Base Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Shortstop Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Left Field Twins 2020 Position Analysis: Center Field MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article