Otto von Ballpark

Why couldn't that be enough to win this lightweight division?

Coulombe did have two minor league rehab appearances, earlier this week.

Keuchel was in the last guaranteed year of his contract, earning $18 mil this season, plus a $1.5 mil buyout on a 2023 team option.

Cano optioned, Coulombe back on the IL. Moran and Minaya called up from AAA (the latter of whom had to be added to the 40-man roster).

Gilberto Celestino on the COVID-IL Danny Coulombe activated from the IL

Last year's gong show has turned celebratory in the TD forums, as the Twins continue to crush their Central competition like a T. Rex. Image courtesy of Twins Daily Last year's gong show has turned celebratory in the TD forums, as the Twins continue to crush their Central competition like a T. Rex. The Twins Daily community was excited to once again revel in positive player performances, but still kept a discerning eye on the present and future roster. @shortround81 calls our attention to the latest Twins clubhouse gimmick, ringing a gong, in Good Vibes Only. First goats, now gongs -- what's next? The smart money may be on glockenspiels. Sampling Kool and the Gang, @PopRiveter asks Can we just celebrate Luis Arraez for a moment? He's got mad hits (and playing first base) like he was Rod Carew. Whether a batting title (or seven) is in his future, it's certainly a fun ride right now. @DocBauer takes a look at player trends in NY State of Mind: Urshela and Sanchez Re-visited. Are they still in that Uptown Funk, or have they elevated to a North Star State of Mind, where the Grain Belt Beer sign inspires you? Everyone knows that the Twins won't trade their superstar free agent signing while they are contending. What @farmerguychris presupposes in Deadline Trade of Correa is, maybe they will? Is Gilberto's BABIP for real, or is it too much, Magic Bus? @stringer bell debates giving him a ticket to ride for the starting lineup in Not Yet on the Bus for Celestino. Did you know Twins Daily has a whole forum devoted to the minor leagues? @Seth Stohs certainly does, and he relays the latest report from the farm in Miller: Pitch Clocks.. Speed up game, but Players hate it. Which side of the issue do you take? You now have 14 seconds to post your opinion -- go! TD also has an "Other Baseball" forum, where you can discuss any aspect of the game you want. This week, @Trov asks that timeless baseball question, What is your definition of an 'ace'? Are we seeing any emerge on the Twins staff, or will we have to settle for a Gene, a Paul, or a Peter Criss? Want to join the celebration? Or rain on the parade? There's room for all that and more in the Twins Daily forums. View full article

First pitch is now at 1 PM, actually.

Good question! I might have to crunch some numbers, but I'd say there are 3 key factors to consider: Performance (obviously) Durability/availability How many aces are there? 15? 30? Is it a range? Can it vary by season?

No slight on Larnach. The point was, some people said we couldn't option Miranda to keep Lewis because Miranda would need to be optioned when Larnach was activated. That evidently wasn't the case.

Back to the topic of optioning Lewis: Larnach, Miranda, and Gordon are all in today’s Twins lineup.

Kirilloff was playing 1B last night, but he is in LF tonight.

Edman was drafted as a shortstop out of college, and also started 231 games at SS in the minors. He’s well established as a MLB hitter too.

In fairness to Smeltzer, I'm guessing most players feel the same, even if some chose different words to express themselves.

Reports I've heard from the minors is that no one really notices the clock itself, and there's no buzzer that I am aware of. There is a rule on the books already: Unfortunately, that rule only deals with half the equation: the pitcher. The batter is covered by a separate rule that doesn't have a specific time limit. Also, the pitcher rule doesn't say anything about when a runner is on base, which is 42.4% of pitches so far this season. It's not that umpires are lazy, but rather, trying to enforce these two separate rules at the same time in a consistent, subjective manner is virtually impossible without a clock.

If nothing else, they probably have good refreshments!

Per Cot's Baseball Contracts, Correa has a limited no-trade clause right now, which allows him to block deals to 5 teams. (The specific teams have not been disclosed.) If he doesn't opt out after the season, it becomes a full no-trade clause.

Even the double negative of injury and demotion failed to slow the Twins this past week, and conversations in the TD forums kept pace. Image courtesy of Twins Daily Even the double negative of injury and demotion failed to slow the Twins this past week, and conversations in the TD forums kept pace. As foretold by both Macbeth and @mikelink45, Paddack was called to surgery and Lewis to St. Paul, but the Twins gained two series wins to stay in first place. The Twins Daily community discussed those moves and more. After being swept at home last week, @alexthegreat looked back and asked, What did we learn from the Astros series? Maybe just "win"? Too simple? How about, "don't not win"? Whatever the lesson, the Twins bounced back. @ScottyB looked ahead and called the Next 17 Games Crucial. Perhaps it's because the upcoming schedule is filled with non-contenders, or perhaps Commissioner Rob Manfred copied the Harlem Globetrotters' "four-point circle" and made these games worth double. Either way, there's an opportunity for the Twins to pad their division lead. Wins seem more frequent with our star centerfielder in the lineup, which prompted @stringer bell to discuss Handling Byron Buxton. Recommendations for the Twins ranged from the Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care" to protect Buxton, all the way to the Georgia Satellites "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" and let him play every day, in the first-ever Twins Daily forum thread fully translated into 1980s rock songs. Yogi Berra once allegedly said, "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded." That's apparently not the case at the Twins ballpark, where "The Wave" looks pretty pitiful these days according to @strumdatjag's Rant on Empty Seats At Target Field. If you are one of the multitudes following from home, Twins Daily game threads are a wonderful substitute for authentic ballpark chatter (even featuring optional waves ??). Finally, @wsnydes revived an old Twins ad campaign. No, not the Pete Redfern Miracle-Gro giveaway, but rather Get To Know 'Em - Twins Daily User Edition. Featuring introductions from new and old posters alike, you can take a break from ball and learn about the people behind the screens. After you introduce yourself, go ahead and ask a question or share an idea in forums. Unlike the Twins, contributors here are guaranteed not to be optioned to the minor league forum! View full article

Thanks! Some of the Chipper Jones parallels are great: - first overall pick, just like Lewis - per B-Ref, Jones exclusively played shortstop in the minors, as you note (even moreso than Lewis, apparently) - missed his entire expected rookie MLB season to a torn ACL (very similar to Lewis in 2021) - next year, had his rookie MLB season spring training shortened by a labor dispute (like Lewis 2022) - made the team as a rookie playing 3B and occasionally LF (Lewis 2022, now that Correa is back?) A difference was that Jones was a poor defensive shortstop, it appears -- 56 errors in his first full minor league season, followed by 32 and 43 the next two years. I don't know that he was ever expected to play shortstop in MLB, but the record suggests they were in no rush to convert him. And of course, the Braves won the World Series in Jones' rookie season. Hopefully that becomes another parallel with Lewis!

Manny Machado played 2 games at 3B in the minors before he was called up to play the position every day in MLB. (And that was before widespread shifting, when 3B and SS had less overlap.) Yes, Manny Machado is/was a special talent -- but so is Lewis!

No prob. Wasn't sure if you were among the folks who think 3B should be off-limits to Lewis.

No need to make him learn "2 or 3" new positions. 3B plus DH plus occasional SS is enough to have Lewis in the lineup almost everyday. And since we shift the 3B over to SS nearly 50% of the time anyway, 3B is more like half of a new position to Lewis. Seriously, though, the positions are pretty closely related in modern MLB.