Otto von Ballpark

But seriously, I haven’t heard anything about a Twins taxi squad in 2022. I’ve seen a few notes about other clubs bringing a player or two along, sometimes when there is a developing injury situation. Also saw a note that the Cardinals aren’t bringing a taxi squad on their road trip, so maybe it’s not a universal thing anymore.

What's the statistical case against the shift? BABIP represents the rate at which balls in play turn into hits. It's down the last 2 years, but it's still above any pre-1993 marks.

I get this, but I'd stagger these changes. Pitch clock should come first. Dawdling between pitches has no real strategic motivation, it's just pulling the pace of the modern pro game out of line with the established standards of the sport. Shifting on the other hand, as well as a "three true outcomes" approach, both have some basis in strategy. And as much as we complain about them, I think we're all able to tolerate them. Maybe their presence will be even more tolerable in a faster paced game? In fact, I'd also vote to implement an automated strike zone too, before trying to regulate the shift. It's inevitable, and depending on how its implementation affects the batter/pitcher confrontation, it could naturally affect strategies such as "three true outcomes" and shifting.

I wonder if we are overrating the potential success rate? I mean, pitchers are still throwing very hard, with movement. You'll get some bunts down, but others you will miss or hit foul and just waste the pitch, or pop up to the pitcher or catcher, or not hit it far enough away from the pitcher or catcher. For example, Rizzo here -- was it some level of bunting skill that allowed him to hit it there? It seems more like a stroke of luck to me -- he stopped at home plate to watch it.

And if it's not clear, they're adding Garlick to the active roster too.

The bullpen has only given up 1 lead so far, and it was really just 1 inning and Tyler Duffey. Also, the starters have pitched pretty well. Probably have to see how they stretch out before we can render much judgment on the pitching staff.

? Losing 9 to 5, what a way to making a living ?

I thought that was a typo, and the poster meant taxi squid. As in, the Pohlads are too cheap to even buy gas station sushi. So which Twins players are experiencing the physical and psychotropic effects of suspect seafood?

The season is only one week old, and the Twins Daily community is already answering questions (and questioning answers) in the forums. Image courtesy of Twins Daily The season is only one week old, and the Twins Daily community is already answering questions (and questioning answers) in the forums. Slumps, exes, and stats were a few of the themes this week. Has a once-exciting romance fallen into a predictable pattern of disappointment? Twins fans might feel that way about Miguel Sanó, and @beterday is seeking answers: Sano Replay Maybe you're just having trouble getting your relationship off the ground? @bighat wondered how long that might continue to apply to a (now-injured) promising young hitter: Kirilloff's cold start Do you ever read about an old flame and wonder what might have been? Now you can do the Twins baseball equivalent, thanks to @Rosterman: 2022 Season Begins! - Where Are Our EX-MINNESOTA TWINS Or maybe you feel a general ennui and despair and don't know where to begin discussing it? No-prize-winning poster @mikelink45 has you covered with handy prompts to begin your baseball therapy sessions: A guide to complaining about the Twins Not all is bad news! In the minor league forum, @stringer bell foresees our Twins cashing in prospects to bolster our chances in a pennant race this year, which prompts the question: Who Gets Dealt? Finally, @Twins_Fan_In_Texas wanted to better their knowledge of the sport and naturally turned to an intelligent, trusted source. But they were closed, so they came to the Other Baseball forum, which is always open! Advice Needed Got your own question or an answer? Please share it in the forums! View full article

Fangraphs has an international board that already lists Susana at 40+ -- that may be why BTV is pegging his median surplus value at $2.9 mil: https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/international-players/summary?sort=-1,1&type=0&pg=0&pageitems=10000000000000&q=Susana Fangraphs also listed him as the #1 international pitcher (non-NBP amateur), as did MLB Pipeline. His $1.7 mil bonus was the highest for any pitcher in the class, and ~14th highest overall, I think. If Susana was the guy, or was available on a list for the Twins to select, I don't know if I would describe this PTNBL as Wolfson and Rosenthal have done so far. He's not really a normal 40+ FV prospect. Although you are right that the Padres have been aggressive in trades.

A couple years ago, Fangraphs pegged the value of a 40 FV position player prospect at $2 mil: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/putting-a-dollar-value-on-prospects-outside-the-top-100/ That fits with Baseball Trade Values pegging Rooker at $1.9 mil in this deal. They also estimated a 40+ FV pitcher at $3 mil, and a 40 FV pitcher at $1 mil. So one way to look at it, we might just be exchanging Rooker for someone younger or a better positional fit for us.

Just to be clear, $2 mil is the recommended bonus/slot for the #35 pick but that isn't really reflective of the player's value. Fangraphs estimated the #35 pick to be worth $8.8 mil in 2019 https://blogs.fangraphs.com/an-update-on-how-to-value-draft-picks/

I wonder about the Upton side of this equation. Perhaps part of the reason he still hasn't signed (and part of the reason the Angels released him when they did) could be that he's not too eager to take on a reduced role yet Not that he's likely to get more playing time from anyone else right now, but he might not be in a hurry to sign either, especially in a new place which may or may not be a contender. He's got two young daughters, one of whom has Emanuel Syndrome, and lives in CA, with his parents back in Virginia: https://mlbbro.com/2021/05/29/justin-upton-is-proudly-and-publicly-leading-the-fight-against-emanuel-syndrome/

For those looking for no-fee second-hand tickets, I had a good experience with Tick Pick: https://www.tickpick.com/mlb/minnesota-twins-tickets/

Looks like each $4 ticket bought online had a $2 fee added, plus another $4 fee added to each order. Not sure about the per-ticket fee on the $25 ones (it appears the normal per-ticket fee is $4.25+ -- guess it was hard to charge that for a $4 ticket ). So a single ticket would have cost $10 after fees, and a single order of 4 tickets would have cost $28. Not sure if this particular promotion was also available at the Target Field box office, but that would have been a way (albeit inconvenient for most) to avoid the fees.

On Kershaw, it's also worth keeping in mind what happened to him in 2021. He was out over 2 months with an elbow injury from early July into September, and after coming back for a few games at the end of the season, got shut down again with elbow/forearm issues and missed the Dodgers postseason. This was his first competitive game back since then, so I think it's understandable why both he and his team would approach it with some caution.

That's an interesting idea, although health is kind of a subjective criteria. We've seen how it affected trades with San Fran and Boston in recent years. It's hard to imagine that could swing the PTBNL value too much, or it would be prone to manipulation.

I think injured players can be traded without any such maneuvers. From The Cub Reporter - Restrictions on Trading Players: For example, Nick Madrigal was traded while on the 60-day IL last season:

I think the vast majority of PTBNL don't have any trade restrictions attached -- they're just marginal guys on a list, and the acquiring team just has some time to decide. I'd guess that's the case here too.

Jeremy, I believe you are mis-using the tool. You're looking at the surplus value estimates now, so you're double-counting the cash. Rogers at full salary was only valued at $7.2 mil; with the Twins cash, his surplus value to the Padres is now $13.8 mil ($7.2 mil plus the $6.6 mil cash). Baseball Trade Values actually posted about the trade and according to them, the Padres actually overpaid by $1.7 mil in surplus value: Given that, it seems doubtful that the PTBNL will be of any particular significance.

I don't think Morejon even technically fits Doogie's profile. Even if you twist "non-roster" to mean "actually on the roster but not currently counting against it" (a distinction I've never really seen apply to the term), Doogie's full quote said "non-roster minor leaguer." I don't think there's any way to classify Morejon into a "minor leaguer" at the moment, given that he is on the MLB IL, hasn't pitched in the minors since July 2019, and even has MLB postseason experience since then (2020).

I was going to say Garlick too, but didn't realize he was 1-for-27 this spring, which is a little rough! Only 7 Ks though, plus 3 walks and 1 HBP, so perhaps some bad luck. Garlick is already 3-for-8 with St. Paul, including a HR, a triple, and 4 walks. FWIW, Upton was 5-for-15 this spring, with 3 HR, 3 BB, and only 1 K. But the Angels still cut him...

Thanks! I didn't realize there was a digital version.

Bump! Today is the last day to redeem this promotion for the 2022 season. Reminder, even if you don't have T-Mobile, there are still people trading their unused subscriptions at Slickdeals.net today. Looks like the going rate is five dollars or less, in the form of an Amazon gift card code.