The Mad King

I just hope he can stay healthy

I just hope he can stay healthy

Royce isn't normal?

Wait until next year.  Keep the chemistry that is currently on the Twins and plug in a couple high performing prospects.  We really don't need what Buxton has given this year and we can't spend the time to experiment when the post season is approaching.  I would be more excited to see Taylor back on the team. 

Obviously when your say "best lineup" you mean batting-wise. His defense warrants him being part of the best lineup but, yes, he needs to be moved down. If he turns it around and produces from the bottom of the order, all the better. That's how good teams win. I'm all for seeing Walner and Lewis moved up. I'm also all for letting Walner & Julian hit against lefties. How do you learn if you don't get the chance? 

Nice article Ted

Nice article Ted

Nice article Ted

I'm gonna be the old curmudgeon who says "stop babying these guys. Walter Johnson threw  44 billion innings!" You can limit his innings now and let a lesser pitcher pick them up, or you can let him pitch until he breaks down and then... Let a lesser pitcher pick up...
As for his missed time, I'm not sure what his previous injuries were but off the top of my head I don't remember it being a rotator cuff or needing TJ. Having hamstring strains and whatnot is not really a reoccurring fear unless your name is Donaldson... Let him pitch

I really hope there is more nuance to the plan than just that.
Simple math: in an era of 13-man pitching staffs, a 6-man rotation leaves 7 relievers instead of the current 8.  That makes it more important, not less, for most of the starts to be of the longer variety.  A sequence of four-inning starts such as Sonny Gray gave us the other day will wear down a 7-man bullpen fast.  And the guys who we think of as mop-up pitchers will be thrust into even more frequent high-leverage duty.
And who is the one being added to such a rotation?  A guy coming off the injured list, likely to be on a pitch limit, with a ceiling of 5 innings or so, at least for a while?
Shuttling arms up and down from AAA is not a sustainable solution, due to roster rules that require minimum stays in AAA.
Very little margin for error, with such a plan.  So I hope there is another rabbit they can pull out of the hat. Or else that the plan is only a couple of times through the rotation in the expectation that something will sort itself out.

The better question is: SHOULD Ober's innings matter?  
Or any other starter, for that matter.  The game has turned starters into nothing more than long relievers.  If they cannot handle the innings, or the number of pitches, then admit you have 13 relievers and plan your innings from there.  But if you are unwilling to stretch out a starter, and let him pitch his game, then don't pretend he is a starter.  I have been scolded for that old school opinion before, so feel free to let me have it again.  😉

Repeating what I posted previously in a milb thread, and touched on here, he was a starting catcher at Clemson until he had an arm injury. I can't recall if it was TJ or a shoulder issue. But he spent his senior season as a 1B/DH. Thus, he was a later pick who signed for the $10K minimum. And the Twins did work him at catcher initially. One of the Twins pitching prospects, Winder I think, spoke about working with Williams behind the plate and pretty much raved about him. (Year or so ago). While I can only speculate, and while catchers don't have to be great athletes to play the position, he either has something athletically limiting him behind the plate, OR, his arm has just never recovered. I'm betting it's the latter, which has lead him to the transition to being a 1B/DH, who CAN catch.
I LOVE to grab a piece of paper, even a napkin, and work out lineups on a consistent basis. It's my fanatical fandom, amateur GM persona. But there are always obvious restrictions. I mean, in this case, Williams is just going to fit as an OF, lol. And while I love me some prospects, and love Lee's potential, I've never seen him ready for 2023. He's always been 2024 and beyond in my personal prospectus. And there is a lingering question to be asked in the near future about the fate of Polanco, a tremendous player and one of my favorites, who's legs might just be 35yo even though the rest of him is yet to turn 30. Add in the fact that Lewis could, POTENTIALLY  be a stud at 2B, CF, or either corner OF, and things get more complicated.
Work with me and follow me here.
The VERY BEST INF the Twins could put together, really soon, is a combination of Correa at SS, Lee and Lewis at 2B/3B, and Kirilloff at 1B. Where does that leave Julien? Well, ideally, playing almost every day at 2B/1B/DH, and MAYBE some LF. Again, this leaves no room for Polanco. What about Miranda? I had high hopes he'd cover both INF corners and DH. AK can still play some corner OF as well. And for 2024 at least, Farmer would make a hell of a great utility player. What an amazing INFIELD!
BUT, despite being a bit of a late bloomer at 26yo...25yo in "prospect years" if you follow my standard covid missed year logic...Williams is showing a legitimate ML bat and hitting potential. He just might be a real 1B/DH talent who replaces Solano on the roster, even though they are very different players. But there probably isn't room for both he AND Miranda. So in theory, Williams and Miranda would be in competition for a RH power 1B/DH bat with Miranda being able to also play 3B...which might not be a big deal looking at the rest of the roster...and Williams being a functional 3rd catcher. And all of this variable roster construction still allows Lewis to maybe move to the OF, and for Kirilloff to also continue to play at least some corner OF.
Nice to have so much depth and so many options right? We aren't even talking about OF talent and depth, just so many options to have one of the best INFIELDS in all of MLB, even IF we dismiss Polanco,  which is NOT an easy IF. 
All that being said...the Buxton situation changes a TON of things, and lineup projections!
I am SO TIRED of, frankly, flippant thoughts that Buxton moving to CF cures everything. Byron will probably always be a bit of a streaky hitter. But DAMN is he good and dangerous when he's on! And he's one of the best CF I've ever seen. But if his knees and hip allowed him to play CF right now, don't you think he'd be out there? And conserving him this year, maybe he'll be there for the playoffs. And maybe he'll still play a greater CF role in 2024 and beyond and he will open up the DH spot at least part time.
It's so frustrating to hear demands to move him to CF tomorrow, with the expectation he will break down again, and also then hear complaints he can't be relied on. The Twins are trying to keep him healthy and productive as can be for 2023. NOBODY is saying his CF days are done. BUT...I think we all might have to accept that it might be true. From that point, it's up to Buck to FIND A ROUTINE AND ATTITUDE that ALLOWS him to be a bat only player. 
I don't know that anyone complained when Cruz was added as a DH only player for the Twins. I don't know that anyone complained when Molitor was brought on board years ago as a DH only. Pretty sure Boston never complained about a certain X Twin that converted to full time DH.
The problem with a full time DH is it restricts your 13 man roster. But if you have a special hitter for that spot, do we care? If  Buxton can "convert" mentally and physically to that role, he could be excellent. But it would mean building up the remaining 12 position players to be the best they could be, not unlike the AL for decades before the 26 man roster. And when you look at a potential lineup of names that include not only Buxton, but Lewis, Correa, Lee, Julien, Kirilloff, Larnach, Wallner and more than a few others, the future looks pretty bright if everyone just finds their place. 
Unfortunately, despite roster depth and versatility, a full time DH, Buxton in theory, provides one less spot for a position player. That's bad news for a potential bat like Williams. The good news is increased versatility from the rest of the roster might allow a bat like his to find a spot. And while I wish MLB would return to the covid 28 man roster as I believe it would make more sense in today's world of MLB, Williams has a shot if he can continue to do what he's doing. If you can continue to do what he's been doing, an opportunity will open for you. 

Well ya see, Norm, it's like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers.

This Brewers analyst sounds like Cliff Claven

It's frustrating to watch a one run game and not seeing BB or C4 pinch hit in the 8th or 9th inning. If they're not healthy enough to do even that, you need to make a move.

It's frustrating to watch a one run game and not seeing BB or C4 pinch hit in the 8th or 9th inning. If they're not healthy enough to do even that, you need to make a move.

It's frustrating to watch a one run game and not seeing BB or C4 pinch hit in the 8th or 9th inning. If they're not healthy enough to do even that, you need to make a move.

It's frustrating to watch a one run game and not seeing BB or C4 pinch hit in the 8th or 9th inning. If they're not healthy enough to do even that, you need to make a move.

What looked good in the beginning of April does not look so good anymore. I'd hate to be stuck for the next two years. Is there a buyout?

So basically what you're saying is that in reality, there's no help coming from the farm. And over usage and injuries. Starters have been going on avg. an inning longer than last year? So the bullpen shouldn't have as many innings. Correct? And who's been injured other than Thielbar? Alcala gets a pass as he hasn't come back anywhere close to his old self. I think this may be where the Twins put to much stock in his return

I really hope it's not Garlick.

Great article! I really think Jeffers has the ability to improve upon these numbers. Handing him the starting position last year may have been a tad too soon in his development. Next week... How did Garver stack up on these metrics?

I dunno... He didn't injure his knee playing cf last year. He was... Running bases. A couple years back he came back from injury for the last game (in time for playoffs) and proceeded to get beaned in the head. And let's not forget the broken tooth eating a steak.
 
Now get off my lawn...

I dunno... He didn't injure his knee playing cf last year. He was... Running bases. A couple years back he came back from injury for the last game (in time for playoffs) and proceeded to get beaned in the head. And let's not forget the broken tooth eating a steak.
 
Now get off my lawn...

I dunno... He didn't injure his knee playing cf last year. He was... Running bases. A couple years back he came back from injury for the last game (in time for playoffs) and proceeded to get beaned in the head. And let's not forget the broken tooth eating a steak.
 
Now get off my lawn...