Lesser Dali

Being that I am around the same age as Jeter, I have been fortunate to have been cognizant as an adult his entire career. To me, he is the face of Major League Baseball and probably will be until he calls it a career. He is a passionate leader, fiery competitor, and as clutch of baseball player you will find when everything is on the line. The 2010-2011 seasons were not his finest, but I would not think anyone would have thought he would retire before attaining 3,000 hits. It is nice to see Jeter having a bounce back year and I hope he has a few more left in the tank. To answer the title of this thread "When will Jeter Retire", ~ I think Jeter would be open to playing a different position, but once his bat goes the way of the Dodo, he'll hang it up ASAP, much like DiMaggio did. When that will be? Who knows?

Who can take a fastball hit it to the moon Thrown by an Aussie who needs a miracle or two? The Grandyman can

He already has the most batting titles as a player at the catcher position and a good defensive catcher at that. One more batting title as a catcher would serve him well. His fellow Cretin-Derham Hall Alum went to the Hall of Fame playing half of his career at DH and was an average 2B/3B the other half. I am not too sure many would argue against Paul Molitor's inclusion in the HOF. Not to give Mauer too much credit, but he is 29 and has a ways to go in his career. A career of which, I think will make Twins' fans proud.

I think it happens. I feel in my baseball bones that he has another blockbuster season left in his tank to go along with a handful of excellent seasons. .350+BA, 15-20HR's, 90+RBI's

I've never seen a triple crown either but if Mauer manages to win five batting titles, he's pretty much a lock for the Hall. Therefore, I'm cheering for Joe to win the title. Agreed, but 4 might do it.

Mauer is definitely picking up the pace in the BA race and I really am pulling for him to win it, but I do have some mixed emotions about the situation. In my lifetime I have never witnessed a Triple Crown take place. It would be excellent to see something rare and historical happen in this 2012 season. I am leaning towards a first time 4-time batting champion catcher (I say this knowing that their is a chance some might bust my balls for proclaiming Mauer a Catcher).

Leadership Being a leader can be a pain in the ass. One can subscribe to this term as an added amount of pressure that makes the execution of one’s tasks or job much more difficult. It is not a job for the majority of us. The Twins’ lack a leader who is a player. Maybe all Free Agent efforts need to be put in that basket, whether it be a pitcher of position player. The Twin’s need good starting pitching, much like a severely stricken diabetic needs dialysis. That does not mean the Twins should not be looking for a player who can fill the void of leadership on the baseball squad for the 2013 season. As our team stands now Mauer, Morneau, Span and Willingham would seem to be the guys to carry this mantra. The reality of the situation is they are not those kind of players. They do not call other players out, they do not incite a riot within the essence of their teammates’ passions. They just do their jobs and hope to lead by example. Is having a vocal leader on a baseball team overrated? Good Pitching is a must, but passion and ferocity is needed on the field of play and in the clubhouse. I am under the impression that element has been missing for a long, long time. Can it be found or is it a relic of the past?

Leadership Being a leader can be a pain in the ass. One can subscribe to this term as an added amount of pressure that makes the execution of one’s tasks or job much more difficult. It is not a job for the majority of us. The Twins’ lack a leader who is a player. Maybe all Free Agent efforts need to be put in that basket, whether it be a pitcher of position player. The Twin’s need good starting pitching, much like a severely stricken diabetic needs dialysis. That does not mean the Twins should not be looking for a player who can fill the void of leadership on the baseball squad for the 2013 season. As our team stands now Mauer, Morneau, Span and Willingham would seem to be the guys to carry this mantra. The reality of the situation is they are not those kind of players. They do not call other players out, they do not incite a riot within the essence of their teammates’ passions. They just do their jobs and hope to lead by example. Is having a vocal leader on a baseball team overrated? Good Pitching is a must, but passion and ferocity is needed on the field of play and in the clubhouse. I am under the impression that element has been missing for a long, long time. Can it be found or is it a relic of the past?

As everyone know this ball club's pitching is atrocious. The lineup has some nice pieces, but has no soul to it. Let's say the Texas Rangers are the Marvin Gaye/Aretha Franklin/Sam Cooke of a congealed, productive, powerful line up. The Twins are the "American Idol" try out losers or David Hasselhoff's German music career.

Good guy, bad pitcher, bad contract, and no use to hold out anymore hope. Maybe Blackburn is one of the black clouds that float over this organization. Maybe he now signifies a bad omen for the Twins. The reason the Twins are no good is a small part his fault, but so minute you can barely see it under a microscope. He cannot and should not be given the opportunity to show he is able to prove he can get the job done. Blackburn is Game Over.

This is just my guess. Scioscia is fired from his managerial position for the Angels. He replaces Bobby Valentine as the BoSox manager. Dave Martinez is hired as the Angels' Manager. Gardenhire remains in his current position. Bobby Valentine never manages again in Major League Baseball.

St. Paul also produces half way decent trailer parks, a small town night life, and questionable 1980's hairdos and facial hair styles. I think Poison and Motley Crue are all the rage in St. Paul right now. You are right on the MLB Baseball player topic. It's hard to go wrong with Winfield, Morris, Molitor and Mauer.

If that is the case - stick with the likes of Deduno, Hendriks, or John Doe and hope for Gibson to enter the scene with some gusto. Jeremy Guthrie at 10M per - Disgraceful!!!

I would be concerned, but I have no doubt the Twins will not make a foolish, big money offer on any of the free agent pitchers. Greinke will get paid, but other than that it would be foolish to offer big yearly money with years attached to it to any of the other FA's. In my opinion, Greinke is worth no more than 3 years at 36M. Although his mental state has leveled off a bit, I still here stories of him being aloof and not being a very good clubhouse guy. This is not an individual I would invest 100M into.

I would guess that the Rays will be looking to move James Shields and his $9M salary this offseason. I'm sure they wouldn't be willing to trade him straight-up for Span but if you add in a little something else to spice up the package, maybe it happens. James Shields is a nice pitcher, but isn't he a Free Agent after the 2013 season? Would that really make sense to trade Span and a few others for one year of Shields? The Twins would really have to be confident they could seriously make a run at the whole Sha-Bang if they make that kind of move. I am sceptical about this concept, but I do appreciate you throwing something my way. I am assuming that you think that Archer or Cobb could not be had in a Span trade.

The Twins' DH is really playing like he wants a batting title.

I could not guess what the Rays would be willing to give up, but I think Span would do well playing at Tropicana Field. Fake turf, a controlled environment. I would guess his average would increase along with his power numbers. Also we might actually see a 30 stolen base season out of him because of Maddon's style of play. What would be the return? Cobb or Archer? That seems like a stretch, but maybe grabbing one of those guys is within the realm of possibility. Anyone?

With all due respect, the chances of Baker starting 33 games with 215 Inning Pitched next year are the same as Joe Mauer Batting .390 with 48 HR's.

Scott Baker can be had for a reasonable price. Whether we retain him or not, he will not make much of a difference. Baker is not part of the chemistry make-up in the medicine that is needed to cure the Twins Organization's disease. At best he is temporary pain killer. The worst case scenario is that we sign him and he does not pitch next year.

What about that sloppy bowl of goulash known as Adam Dunn. Doesn't he deserve consideration for MVP? His .213BA and 39HR's must merit consideration. His stats are Kingmanian, while playing for the division leader none the less. Also, he is a gold glove Designated Hitter.

Even though Plouffe is not the Plouffe of June. Pinch running for him in that situation is going to come back to haunt the Twins.

That's "best team in baseball", not "contending". My sense of imagination got away from me.

For the Twins to be competitive, let alone a contender. The following things need to happen: Starting Pitchers: 1. Twins sign a Shaun Marcum type and he blossoms winning 20 games, with very good peripherals, taking advantage of the pitching friendly environment of Target Field. 2. Liriano Misses Anderson and Gardenhire and he signs a team friendly contract. Reaching deep within himself, he is able to harness his enigmatic pitching abilities. Winning 17 games, Striking Out 230, with very good all around peripherals. 3. Scott Diamond has a comparable season to the one he is having with 200 innings pitched. 4. The 4-5 Starters (Baker, Gibson, Deduno. John Doe 1, 2, or 3) are able to pitch to the level of a contending teams 4 and 5 starters Relief Pichers: 1. Perkins and Burton continue their progression as successful late inning relievers. 2. The Twins leave Duensing alone and let him establish himself in the bullpen and he rewards them by being the shut down left handed specialist. 3. 2 more relievers emerge from the woodwork and do an above acceptable job. Position Players: C - Mauer has an elite BA season. .340+BA, 90RBI, 550+PA's 1B - Morneau. He reclaims the ability to hit .300+, 30HR+, 100+RBI 2B - Someone who plays good defense and hits over .250 (not holding out too much hope) SS - See 2B 3B - Mr. June spreads his wealth around the other months playing serviceable defense, hitting .250+ with 25+ HR's LF - Willingham repeats this season. CF - Revere (I hate speculating on trades, but I will go with the overall concensus that Span is traded for a few decent prospects who won't be able to help immediately). Revere bats .300+, 100+ Runs Scored, 50 stolen bases. RF - Parmelee: .280+ Average, 20+HR's, 85+RBI's DH - Doumit repeats this season Bench: Mastroianni, Carroll, Herrmann, Some Joe Cool bench player who can hit a HR off the bench once in a while. This is within the realm possibility, Right?

I want to see the Twins play with some dignity and pride. I will be one of the group that continues to watch their games till the end of the season. The White Sox series, for the Twins, was lacking of those two elements. I wouldn't mind a Mauer Batting Title or Willingham hitting 40 home runs, but a lot of extremely extraordinary things will have to happen in the next 15 games for that to happen. I'm not betting the farm on it.

As a new subscriber to this website, I see there is a lot of disdain for Drew Butera. I guess it should not come as a surprise. One look at his offensive stat sheet is a clear give away. I agree with the majority that Butera does not belong on a MLB active roster (one sided players do not work these days). But this is not why I responded to this thread. I watched Chris Herrmann's first at bat yesterday and nothing significant came of it, not that I expect a magic moment from every rookie's debut. Herrmann hit the ball sharply, but right at the second baseman. Positional flexibility is an important part of the game of baseball and I feel hard pressed to think that Herrmann cannot be a valuable back-up catcher and outfielder who gets 350 PA a season and hits .260+ with a little bit of thump in his bat (doubles hitter). As far as I am concerned, Herrmann seems like an important piece to have on a ballclub. Not every baseball prospect is a starter or a star in the making. Herrmann seems to be damn solid because he can be the back-up catcher at some point in the near future and he is not just relegated to that position, backing up the corner outfield positions. Also, from what I read, he is rated a good athlete.