Mike h

Idk, but maybe 1/8 of 1 mm is about the size of the stitching on a baseball? Maybe they should make a rule that the LEATHER must cross the strike zone, not just the stitching?

When I read the headline I tried to guess what the 4 reasons could be. Optimism comes from improvements which comes from changes. Whether you placed blame for last years record on the manager, the front office, or ownership, you got your wish - all three have been changed. Ok, the Pohlads still own the team but they changed their representative. They also brought in some new coaches. On the field, they said goodbye to half a dozen players who had had good resumes and potential but couldn’t produce, guys like Gasper, Bride, Julien, Miranda, and Keirsey. New players, hopefully better players, will get their AB’s. We can be optimistic that the new guys will be better. I will add that losing Correa’s contract, not the man, was good for the team due to the financial flexibility it provides. We can be optimistic that the FO will reinvest that money wisely for upgrades where needed. As for his presence on the field his leadership will be missed but at the same time his leaving brings Culpepper and Houston a little closer and if we can believe the hype they may be even better. Another reason for optimism is the alleged speed they now have. Is it possible they might have 3 players with 30+SB? Maybe 4? That’s exciting to watch and should lead to more runs. Finally, I like how Lee came to camp a little lighter and having worked hard all winter on his defense. Hopefully that will payoff and he will be improved. Wallner has had a great spring; we can hope it will carry over to the season.. I have lots of reasons NOT to be optimistic this year but that’s for a different article. I’ll just say……in balance, ….they are still a few years away. But I still love baseball!

Jeff K, I don’t either

NIf the Twins want Paredes for 1B then yes. If they want him for 3B then no. It looks to me that Parades and Lewis are almost the same player. They both hit about 1 HR/20AB. Parades had a up year in 2025, hitting .255, but his career BA is .237. Lewis had a down year in 2025, hitting .237, but his career BA is .255. Lewis is slightly taller, thinner, (more athletic?) and can steal bases better. (Paredes had 0 SB last year.) I don’t think there is enough added benefit, if any, to swap out Lewis for Paredes at 3B. Besides, Lewis has been hurt so much but has flashed so much potential when healthy that I think it would be premature to move him out just when he looks fully ready to go. amAs for trading Jeffers, I think it would be foolish to do so until they have an adequate replacement ready to take his place. Jackson is not that person.

Absolutely get him back.

If by worst move you mean the one that I would most like to undo, it would be the Taylor Rogers/Brett Rooker trade for Emilio Pagan and Chris Paddock. Of course this is hindsight, but even at the time Paddock was only competing for their 5th starting pitcher and Pagan was not popular with their fans. I say that based on some good riddance comments on their fan page. Halves should have known that neither player would be an upgrade. Imagine having Rooker in our outfield along side Buxton, and Taylor pitching instead of Pagan. On the good side I’d say signing Nelson Cruz was a better move than drafting Ryan Jeffers. I know Jeffers is very popular among posters here, but count me as one who doesn’t quite see it. And I’ll let it go at that,

I had Lawyerson pegged as a sleeper who could be a difference maker next year. Hate to see him go. i only saw him pitch in person once last season; it was an away game against Louisville so most of you probably didn’t see it. Kendry Rojas started - what a contrast between the two! Just one game, I know, but I can’t believe Rojas is rated the 8th best prospect while Lawyerson was let go. In that game Rojas had a deer-in-the-headlights look as he walked to the dugout,; he lasted only 3 innings giving up 3 hits and 6 walks . Laweryson came in and took charge, getting 4 outs on 12 pitches, 11 for strikes. What really got my attention though was the very loud pop when the catcher caught the ball. Supposedly he and Rojas throw about the same speed but idk, do radar guns lie? Again, just one game. Good luck to Cody.

LI have a couple thoughts. The first is that Shelton’s strength is as a hitting coach, and he has been very successful at that. I would have been very excited if he had been brought in to coach hitters rather than manage, but if he dedicates a lot of his time working with hitters anyway, I will be hopeful. My second thought is that because this is a team in turmoil, they were never going to get the A+ manager that they are looking for. Shelton may be sort of an interim manager whose job is to steer the ship through the storm, which may take a couple years, and when the chaos becomes stabilized they’ll be ready to go full steam ahead and then they can look for their manager of the future. I wish it could have happened now, but this is reality as I see it due to the hole Falvey dug for this team.

Any manager who is employed long enough will accumulate a lot of wins, even if he does so at a slow rate. But I think that using longevity as a weighty criteria for judging managers is not that accurate. Billy Martin had a very short tenure with the Twins but I think he was better than Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire. Do you think Rod Carew steals home 7 times in one year under any other manager? Martin played exciting baseball and he won. I think winning percentage would be a better indicator than number of wins. That, and the eye test. As for Baldelli, I wish you had reviewed all the Twins managers, including Quilici, Rigney, Gardner, and Mauch so I could put Baldelli beneath them all. Worst manager ever. I realize I am contradicting myself because his winning percentage is not the worst, but in his case, I lean heavily on the eye test. His team is just no fun to watch.

I’ve noticed that Wallner perspires excessively, or at least more than an average hitter. It seems like after every pitch he removes his helmet and wipes his brow. Who else does that? Anyway, it could be due to heat or due to nerves. After reading how his numbers decrease in clutch situations I am inclined to think it’s nerves. The more critical the situation the more nervous he gets. So how do you fix that? Regardless, give him a sweatband to wear around his forehead. It’s hard to see the ball with sweat in your eyes.

I remember Eric Soderholm as one of the most eagerly anticipated call ups from my younger days. His power was hyped (22hr and 28 2b at AAA in 1971) but a stat I can't seem to verify was how many grand slams he hit. It must have been some ridiculous number for that to stick in my head. Meanwhile, Steve Braun, who was one of my favorite Twins at the time, was playing 3rd and hit only 5 HR. Braun was decent; there was no urgent need to replace him, but the team would go on to finish in 5th place in the AL West. I remember screaming for Soderholm to get a chance. Unfortunately, he was horrible in his September call-up. But he made the roster the next year and seemed to be doing better, then he stepped in a sewer. Torri Hunter was similarly hyped as a prospect, so was Alex Kirilloff. Eric Soderholm was just like that.

I'm glad Johan Santana got the chance to start. Hope history repeats

Todays prospects are tomorrows starters. (sometimes) Obviously the elite prospects have the best chance, almost guaranteed I'd say. Those starters-in-waiting are so much more valuable than their fellow minor leaguers. I would put them on an equal status to players already on the 26 man roster. So when considering a trade proposal, would you give up someone on the 26 man roster, even a starter, if necessary, instead? If not, then I wouldn't trade the elite prospect either. So no, I would not trade Julien or Lee. Maybe I overvalue the minor leaguers, but I can't help thinking how horrible it would have been if the Twins had traded some of the players who came up in their system and were undoubtedly coveted by other teams. It could have happened, after all they were all unproven at the time, and all still had work to do before they were ML ready, Thank goodness they kept Joe Mayer, Kent Hrbek, Hunter, Puckett, and, well, I could go on. They may have gotten back a pitcher for one or two years; I don't care who that would been, it wouldn't have been worth it. So that's how I feel about our top prospects today.

That had to be quite a kick in the gut to be traded just three months after signing a three year contract to stay with the team of your choice. At least he didn't say he hated coming to Minnesota; he just hated leaving New York. Tommy Herr was another reluctant Twin. But as I recall he didn't play very well after he got here. The psychological part of baseball should not be underestimated.

I agree with your conclusion. Success for Buxton should be measured the same as every other player, not by some level of personal improvement over last year. Any player is a success when he contributes to team wins. Some are just more successful than others.