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JD-TWINS

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Everything posted by JD-TWINS

  1. JD-TWINS
    So, I realize the ball wasn’t intended to land in the middle of the Zone (nobody’s perfect) - but it’s not Funderburk’s intention to hit the guy either. My point is Taj shouldn’t be “all praise” and PEN guys be “all blame”. It was a piss poor 0-2 pitch! In a parallel, (not trying to pick a battle here) but I do not understand how so many are upset, frustrated, or unsympathetic to the Front Office (regardless of who is in charge) when ownership has essentially abandoned them. $155-$160M in ‘23 on payroll & in ‘26 the spend is $105M……….$10M to Correa & $22M to Lopez ………. this has the Team operating in 2026 with a spend of $73M for the guys on the field. I realize other Teams have injured guys as well but I really can’t imagine anyone else is fielding a Team of 26 guys for under $73M. There was no “plan” to become a frugal (Guardians - Pirates - Tampa - Cincinnati) spending Club. Without a plan do this or operate this way, the FO looks like they are clueless in some situations. An organization can’t change their approach, successfully, in 4 months nor 18 months …….. it’s a long-term philosophy. The problem with the Club, IMO, is a deficiency on some reasonable spending to be able to have a Pen with an ERA of 4.00 or less (v. 4.50) and a position player roster w/o Outman - Clemens. It’s only $25M range in sum. Expectations, as you accurately state, can’t be that “these guys need to or will, fix themselves” but rather, this is what is there to work with - particularly with Lopez not pitching an inning. Gotta get used to things not going well. GOOD baseball teams lose or have disappointments 45% of the time so it’s inherent to the sport in many ways.
  2. JD-TWINS
    Bradley looked solid for the most part ………very encouraging! The guys have to continue to put runs on board when opportunity is right in front of them. Critical maybe, but Taj cannot give up an RBI single with two outs & an 0-2 count on the batter. I live in Cincinnati and Stephenson has numerous holes in his approach at the plate………Bradley, again up 0-2 in count, throws a middle of the plate - thigh high breaking ball that got ripped. Mistakes happen but in this situation they really shouldn’t. My point here is the PEN guys are not the only ones making mistakes that cost Team runs they shouldn’t be giving up.
  3. JD-TWINS
    Wallner gets picked on here every day at TD, this is a paraphrase from someone above: Why? .183 BA 41% K rate, down from 48% ten days ago - LEADS baseball with 33 K’s OPS+ of 74 ……, Clemens OPS+ 75 OBP .275 ………. .338 Slug% Outman’s WAR with ZERO HITS & 2 Walks is -.400 ……….. Wallner’s WAR is -.600 (read that twice & try to justify him playing every day) If he was from anywhere else in the Union other than Minnesota fans would be clamoring for him to be sent down!!! He has options - let him go try to fix himself with some help in St Paul Running him out to RF daily is not working.
  4. JD-TWINS
    He has options - he started ‘23 & ‘24 worse than this ………he’d go down for up to 10 weeks and then shine the rest of the year. Something needs to change w/Wallner……… Brooks is reverting back to the .600 OPS - weak contact - no upside defensive guy at SS. Keaschall to right (maybe left w/Martin in Right?) - Lee to 2B - Kriedler/Gray platoon at SS (maybe Culpepper in a month?) - Lewis back to 3B when healthy in 7-10 days. 2 LH hitting Outfielder from AAA………Outman needs to be displaced first!
  5. JD-TWINS
    I agree - the “hopeful thoughts” for Royce are often WishThinking! Kody Clemens?….gotta be more fair to Royce than that though. Kody in ‘26, .152/.282/.333 with a 36% K rate in 39 PA’s. Royce in ‘26, .222/.378/.444 with a 27% K rate in 45 PA’s. Come on ………. Kody is brutal! Great attitude!! Sticks out occasionally with a nice swing but day in & day out he’s fringe guy who can be DFA’d any day. If Josh Bell could play a lick of defense at 1B, Clemens would be gone. Right now “he’s part of the Team” as they are winning but if that shifts OR if he doesn’t improve, he’ll be gone by June 1.
  6. JD-TWINS
    Love this thought - bad news is I think Lewis would pout every day until he was traded if they moved him to 1B (forcefully)…….could be sculpted to “help preserve his legs” …. to remove most stress on the defensive side regarding movement and throwing. Don’t see it materializing but I like it a lot.
  7. JD-TWINS
    The piggy back outing was not really in the norm for him and he wasn’t sharp - that’s on him. That first start, the weather wasn’t really conducive for success for anyone. He didn’t pitch well. I do think that many here (fans) expect some level of statistical perfection to denote a “nice outing”. If Max Sherzer or Verlander or deGrom or whoever works through trouble in 3 of 6 innings, they are doing it with guile and mental toughness. Seems there’s some slant here that Abel was just lucky. He was dominant in his 4th appearance. I’ll take 13 straight scoreless and not pick apart how he got there.
  8. JD-TWINS
    He wasn’t “fine” when he had his previous velocity. Pitch mix & LOCATION is what he and every other pitcher needs to master. He doesn’t need to average 96-97 to be effective. His “margin for error” may get a touch bigger with more velocity?
  9. JD-TWINS
    He was a draft pick in the mid teens, a flyer - he went through 3 levels in Minors in 3.5 months 2 summers ago - the Team needs to get him focussed with fewer options in his pitch repertoire - Duran, Jax, Sands, MeGill, Varland were all “failed” starters………numerous others in Twin’s organization & essentially every other reliever ever, were failed starters. Definitely, as you point out, overrated by writers and too many expectations too quickly. I think he can have real value from PEN - but that’s a fan opinion & nothing else.
  10. JD-TWINS
    He was already throwing 6 pitches coming into the year………adding another pitch? …….., with lack of success, seems pairing down to 3-4 pitches (focus) and shifting to PEN to help increase velocity to a maximum & thus providing VALUE in ‘26 seems to be a decent path for Zebby & the Team.
  11. JD-TWINS
    I know Keaschall’s got that Pete Rose energy (doesn’t do much for box score) but he leads the Team in PA’s and has 3 XBH. I am pretty sure I’ve seen him get 4 different “infield hits” ……….. regardless of the announcers continuing to state that he’s hitting the ball hard ……… his results at the plate are more of a concern. His OPS+ is 63 & his BA is .222.
  12. JD-TWINS
    Agree in general - the flip side of those RISP numbers are that, yesterday’s numbers late (4 in the 9th, down 8) are pretty meaningless and there were FOUR games early (over 20% of games played to date) that the team scored only 1 run in and they won a fifth 2-1. 6 runs over 5 games. Stats level over time - occurrences of both extremes.
  13. JD-TWINS
    Wallner -.600 WAR only 19 games into ‘26 …. (.191 BA - leads baseball in K’s - poor defense - 6 RBI with 2nd most AB’s on the Team - 8 guys have more RBI - while he plays every day) He projects to have 53 RBI with 600 AB’s. Last year, 40 RBI with 41 XBH. Gotta be one of the least clutch players in the game!!! Outman -.400 WAR (20 PA’s - 2 Walks - 10 K’s - zero hits) still has a better WAR than Wallner Lee -.300 WAR (not fixed yet) ……..his recent RBI streak gives him some grace Clemens & particularly Outman should be displaced. Lewis comes back - Kriedler stays to play OF with Outman getting DFA’d?
  14. JD-TWINS
    They seemed to be handling lefties just fine until yesterday. …….. Kriedler may take Wallner’s spot (hoping) with Gray being the LH bat in the line—up? Keaschall REALLY needed the day off - leads the Team in PA’s and tied for most games played in A.L. I get the reality check with SWR’s earned runs, however, being pissed off because of clown-like defense and having to throw a bunch more pitches ………..gotta think that doesn’t help focus on the mound. He’s responsible for his location of pitches, no matter the circumstances.
  15. JD-TWINS
    Pitch around SAL, the Rookie 1B - he’s doing a lot of heavy lifting for their offense………was hot coming into last night & then hit 2 opposite field HR’s (3 runs each). I live in Cincinnati and watch if Twins aren’t in action………may check out the 12:40 game downtown v. Giants today. Williamson Friday has over 5.00 ERA - Abbott on Saturday (lefty) so hope we keep the heat on from RH box - Singer is scheduled for Sunday but was hurt (showed signs) when leaving dugout in last outing.
  16. JD-TWINS
    “Non-existent offense” for a portion of the game is going to happen 4-5 times per week. There’s a difference between a “shaky rotation” and 3 or 4 bad outings though 19 games. There’s a reason that playoff Teams lose 45% of their games & poor starting pitching is one of them. Hoping these 5 can stay healthy & fans have to roll with the inconsistencies. The PEN is what it is - not special!! The offense has a mix of disappointing guys that go on streaks 3-4 times per year…….some new guys providing a shot in the arm. Can’t maintain the recent level of power and run production. Starting pitching………Bradley (4 starts) 1.25 ERA ……….. Abel pitched in relief & in cold & rain in first two outings………13 scoreless since ……… SWR having to throw high stress extra pitches due to ugly defense giving extra outs in last couple games, along with lack of command ……. looked decent prior. Ober is going to be along the “edge” all year. With a couple more guys from St. Paul, similar to Morris, (Klein - Festa - Matthews - Prielipp - unknown) Team can fill deficiencies in the PEN through the year. I think they have a chance to play at or just above .500 from here on out. 85 wins seems attainable.
  17. JD-TWINS
    Buxton improved his BA (and thus OBP) 63 points from .183 to .246 in two ball games. Jeffers did a similar thing starting maybe 5-6 games ago, even with a couple days off. Lee is in the midst of a nice run of half dozen games. Gray has been a nice occasional shot in the arm & Martin’s filled his role extremely well! If Keaschall can get his energy and decent contact into a few more base hits, they’ll be humming about as well as anyone could have imagined. OFFENSE, to me, has always been the probable weakness of this Club - primary weakness. Recent BROAD results across the line-up are encouraging & it’s understood things will ebb & flow. The fact that they are hitting Skubal - Valdez - Crochet - Gray makes it feel more real going forward. Caratini & Bell are working out as well as possible. The EVIL extension of Trevor Larnach seems to be a good move when using him in a platoon role!
  18. JD-TWINS
    I appreciate you taking the baton on posting Matt’s strikeout stats today - I was tiring. I am routinely critical just because he doesn’t seem to be able to “change anything” in his approach! Surprise ……. in his defense, the Team has decided that he’s going to be the LH bat to face LH pitching……… probably not fair to a guy who already strikes out at alarming rates in a platoon situation …….. he’s seen 10 of 18 guys from left side. Now, back to being critical, he hasn’t hit any better v. RH pitching in ‘26. He has options - he’s somewhat fixed himself with AAA stints in the past. They won’t do this until they move Outman …….. nor until somebody at AAA is on fire. Can’t upset the “vibe”. If things go south in win/loss Matt may head East to St Paul soon after. Reality ……. he’s tied with a HITLESS, yes hitless guy, Outman at -.500 WAR to this point. That says a lot!!
  19. JD-TWINS
    LEE - I’ve ridden Brooks, and still wonder at how SOFTLY he hits the ball to 2B nearly every game, but his emergence from the right side of the plate has helped his confidence and stat line! It’s also starting to shift over to the left side of the plate. We all know he’s not Greg Gagne at SS but he’s got legit 20 HR power with 500 AB’s. An RBI in 6 straight games ………. hopefully, evolving into what Team thought they drafted. SMALL sample but very encouraging! 104 OPS+ ……. will take that from him forever.
  20. JD-TWINS
    Seriously? If ANYONE on the staff is in the 5th - 6th - 7th innings without surrendering a run (in any season) nor having any dips in velocity, they aren’t getting pulled. This is the 2026 Taj Bradley profile. Bradley & Ryan’s actual RESULTS are what’s driving innings - Abel’s scoreless 6 last week - Ober’s last two outings with a bit of success - same with SWR when sharp. Not sure what you don’t get about having a MUCH, Much stronger PEN in ‘25, at least through July. If one has a strong PEN (strength of the Club) one uses it………regardless of the Manager’s name. After July deadline they had Bradley (mediocre) Festa - Matthews (both hurt off & on) - Abel a couple starts - ………….guys that are tender or not getting hitters out are going to get pulled, again, regardless of Team nor Manager’s name. You gotta substantiate the, “even with big leads Rocco had a quick hook” …….just saying things doesn’t make them true. When a manager has little choice with a fairly putrid PEN, he’s going to lean on starters for innings.
  21. JD-TWINS
    Martin is playing routinely because they’ve faced 10 LH starters in 17 games. Keaschall & Buxton have been in some combination, in the Top 3 spots, and neither have been nearly as productive as expected. It’s much more about fairly consistent AB’s …….,, whether a guy hits 2nd - 5th - 7th doesn’t really affect guys IMO.
  22. JD-TWINS
    Gotta say that not too many players/agents are pursuing “below market extensions” when they hit below .230 with not much power and have an inability to stay on the field more than 30 games in a row due to frequent injuries. Lewis, while showing energy regularly and occasional flashes of greatness, may be the most disappointing guy on the club with the talent he has.
  23. JD-TWINS
    Seems like a lack of context to me. Rocco had Stewart - Jax - Varland - Duran ……. with Topa - Sands - Coulombe - Funderburk. This year’s PEN is truly mediocre and NOT a strength, regardless of Team’s record to date. Hence, any Manager would try to avoid using that group and certainly they wouldn’t “overuse” them. Also, Bradley & Ober had 7 & 9 run leads going into that extra inning that pushed them both toward 100 pitches. It’s not Managerial rocket science to send those two guys back out for another inning. Line-up consistency being a BENEFIT is a bit of smoke & mirrors view, IMO. Lead-off hitter (previously #3) is hitting .200 & current (prominent) #3 hitter is hitting .215. Larnach has hit 7th & 2nd ….. Wallner occupied 4th spot many, many games while charging to the League lead in strikeouts. He’s been in the 7th spot over most of last handful of games. His contribution last night was taking one in the ribs. They started 3-6 ………guys haven’t been profoundly shuffled to a “new set line-up” over last 8 games that’s created 6 runs plus per game. Players play - things are going well right now! The Manager’s control over the outcomes in the batter’s box are minimal at best.
  24. JD-TWINS
    A bit skewed. Players play. Line-ups were altered routinely LOOKING for somebody to hit. There was no Caratini - Bell - Keaschall (routinely) ………….different animal. Team started 3-6 and scored 1 run in 4 of those games. They are now hitting and it’s not the batting order, IMO. Keaschall & Buxton are routinely in the 3 & 1 spots …… .215 & .200 BA’s.
  25. JD-TWINS
    I try to be positive about the Team. I am often not supportive of the sum of the parts. Lee frustrated me much of last year, for a number of reasons that don’t need to be run through now. Wallner has frustrated me for much of his 3 plus years with the Team. He started ‘24 terribly - went down for 10 plus weeks and then came back gang busters. ‘25 didn’t start well nor did it go well through the season (hurt a couple times). He had some nice “peripheral numbers” but he had 40 RBI with 41 XBH. Right now (last 10 days) he is actually showing signs of being able to get a half dozen or so hits per week - that’s the start of potentially something good! Wish him well! He still has 29 strikeouts in 64 PA’s and leads baseball ……….. he is also TIED with a HITLESS Outman with -.400 WAR on the season. To me, Keaschall realizing some statistical success with “all these hard hit balls” & Buxton hitting .255 with some pop instead of his current .180ish BA, these would go a long way for consistent Team success. I think the PEN will be an adventure all year! I don’t think anyone at TD is surprised by “how well they are playing” because they have yet to play really well. They’ve had some timely pitching - some key hits - have managed to draw walks - but they haven’t shined a bunch in any 1 phase and the defense has been generally mediocre. They CAN play better and they currently lead the A.L. in total wins! Reason for continued optimism!!
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