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1985Fan

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Everything posted by 1985Fan

  1. 1985Fan
    The Derek Falvey disaster roster that he left behind is full of players he drafted and bet on. You can’t ignore the reality that the Twins lineup today is basically all Falvey high draft picks that have either failed, or haven’t developed as expected. Larnach, Lewis, and Wallner were key parts of the plan he had for 2026 and have failed spectacularly. Thats three Falvey first round draft picks that doomed this season and set the franchise back. They can’t be traded for anything meaningful and it will take a while to recover. A modest increase in payroll wouldn’t have made up for the big misses in this lineup and I wouldn’t expect the Twins to start spending at the level of the Dodgers or Mets (how did that turn out?). It’s going to take a while to clean up his mess.
  2. 1985Fan
    Referring to TD article about Falvey departure Quoting Falvey and TP from the post: “Ownership transitions naturally create moments for reflection and honest dialogue about leadership, vision, and how an organization wants to move forward," wrote Derek Falvey in the team's press release. "Over the past several weeks we had those conversations openly and constructively and ultimately reached a shared understanding that this was the right step both for the organization and for me personally." Those changes were also recognized by Tom Pohlad. "Over the past several weeks, Derek and I had thoughtful and candid conversations about leadership, structure, and the future of the club," Pohlad wrote in the team's press release. "We reached a shared understanding that the needs of the organization are evolving and that a leadership transition is the best way to move forward." No mention of leaving due to TP assuming Business OPs management, rather the reason given is leadership change, period. Also, researched the press releases, and Zoll was appointed GM in late 2024. Previously was minor league operations director until 2020, assistant GM until made GM in November 2024. Assistant GM is not a major decision maker. I’ll quit with this thread as I’m not a Zoll defender nor a critic, I’m just open minded to see how he handles GM duties during a full offseason. I obviously could be wrong and he’s a terrible GM.
  3. 1985Fan
    Zoll was given GM job in name only. Falvey pushed out Levine to give himself complete authority on baseball decisions, why would he listen to Zoll or anyone else? He also pushed out St. Peter. Falvey was a control freak that thought he was smarter than everyone else. No, Falvey was fired , and rightfully so. Tom P saw that his brother was under Falvey’s spell, unable to make independent decisions. Im not making the decision about Zoll or Shelton. If Zoll is Falvey 2.0, he should be fired. I don’t think that’s the case because after firing Falvey, I don’t see TP keeping a Falvey clone around either. We can agree to disagree. We’ll find out this offseason if Zoll gets the boot or sticks around. If Zoll stays, I believe Shelton stays.
  4. 1985Fan
    Since we’re not inside the FO and are offering our opinions from the outside looking in on decisions made, I dispute the claim that “he has been a major decision maker for the last 5 years”. From observing Falvey from afar, I saw him as a micromanager that would not allow others to operate freely, especially after Levine left and promoted to POBO. I don’t think Zoll had major influence on Falvey’s decisions. The roster is full of Falvey’s number one draft picks. I don’t think Zoll had major input on the draft either, I think those decisions were between Falvey and Johnson. Obviously my opinion as I’m not inside the FO. It was a major decision to part ways with Falvey, TP needs to be given credit for that. He’s also new to the FO and will be able to assess Zoll after seeing him operate for one season. If TP feels Zoll is a Falvey clone, I’m sure he’ll be gone in short order. If TP didn’t like Falvey, he probably wouldn’t keep his clone around either.
  5. 1985Fan
    After one season, it’s way too early to make organizational changes. I think Shelton is doing a great job with the players he has. After last offseason of major organization change, the new management did a good job. It’s going to take time to turn the ship around. Too early to judge Zoll and Shelton. Zoll was handed Falvey’s roster in February. No way should we expect a complete roster overhaul in one year. This team was setup by Falvey based on Buxton, Lewis, and Wallner being the main pieces. I think Zoll and Shelton made the right in season moves with Lewis and Wallner. Can’t blame anyone for Buxton injury in the second half. The jury is still out on Lewis after the midseason reset. Zoll started turning over the roster with Culpepper and Jenkins. Now we’ll see how he handles the offseason with Jeffers, Ryan, Bell and others. If he’s given the chance, which he should be.
  6. 1985Fan
    Defense and pitching…. Eight walks today in a must win game and series. Offense wasn’t good either. Keaschall, Lee, Culpepper, Lewis, and Jenkins were 0 for 16 with 5 K’s.
  7. 1985Fan
    I agree with this. The players effort has been there all year and they haven’t quit. Let’s see how they respond today after last night’s lopsided loss. I’ve been impressed by the never say die attitude. Thats all you can ask for as a fan and it makes you want to root for the team.
  8. 1985Fan
    He may have given the offense a small spark on call up, but it certainly wasn’t a jolt. They’re not winning a lot of games with both rookies in the lineup. I’m not blaming either player, but I wasn’t expecting great things either, which seemed to be the expectation of people here. Thats my point. If the team is going to rely on prospects to come up and push the team into the playoffs, that’s not realistic.
  9. 1985Fan
    We should pass judgement on the idea that calling up prospects during a playoff chase to give the “team a jolt to the offense” as I read here so many times. It’s unfair to Jenkins and others. And it doesn’t work. Prospects need time to figure out MLB pitching, if they ever do figure it out. No guarantees they turn into All Stars or ROY either.
  10. 1985Fan
    Yeah, we should tamp down the hype on Lackey. I’m sure he’s talented, but give him a little time. It sounds like he has the throwing and blocking down pat, but catching is such a demanding position that not rushing him to MLB would be the prudent thing to do. I would like to see the Twins work with Jeffers on a short term contract. With the lockout imminent, maybe he’d be willing to accept a one year deal close to the QO to get him back on the FA market when the dust settles on the CBA. Twins shouldn’t plan on Caratini being the primary catcher next year. I don’t mind Jackson as a defense first catcher as he’s an improvement defensively over Jeffers, but they’re going to miss Jeffers offense next year.
  11. 1985Fan
    To clarify my previous post, I should have said that Falvey’s player drafting and development philosophy has so far been the real failure. He drafted bat first, no defense players that did not develop the defense side of their game. Then they were promoted through the system based on offense only. The Twins are a poor defensive team today as a result. They also don’t run the bases well either. Player development failed at teaching a lot of the fundamentals. Thats on Falvey. Give Falvey credit for the current pitching pipeline. The current youngsters may salvage his reputation if they turn out to be the successful core of future teams. We’ll have to wait and see.
  12. 1985Fan
    The “failure” of this years roster falls heavily on Falvey. Pohlad made the right move in getting rid of him, but you can blame him for not doing it earlier in the offseason. Remember that Falvey bet on Correa, Buxton, Lewis, Wallner and Lopez/Ryan. Not to mention guys like Julien, Miranda, Gallo, etc…We saw those teams collapse down the stretch in ‘24 and ‘25. Say what you will about Joe Pohlad and payroll reduction after the 2023 season, but Falvey still had comparable payrolls to other AL Central teams and the Twins performance didn’t compare to Cleveland, for example. The failure of the position player pipeline to produce major league ready players to step in and contribute to the core is/was the problem. You can give Falvey credit for the pitching pipeline and the current crop of youngsters. We’ll have to see how Jenkins, Keaschall, Culpepper, Rodriguez, and others turn out. If you watched last years team after the trade deadline, your expectations should have been low. I consider this years mediocre team a success. Many will argue that Pohlad or Zoll are to blame for not completing the sell off and rebuild during the offseason (I expected it to continue), but who was really in charge? Falvey was around until January so he was still calling the shots. It’s going to take more than one offseason and trade deadline to turn the ship around. The process is underway now, so full steam ahead. As others have said this wasn’t a collapse at all. It actually was the team playing at or above expectations.
  13. 1985Fan
    I sure hope he can make it all the way to the Twins BP. What an effort to stick with it all these years of rehab. Most guys would have thrown in the towel by now. Good luck and good health to you, Matt. We’ll be following your progress closely and pulling for you!
  14. 1985Fan
    This is what comes with the prospect hype. He’s been touted as the next greatest Twins player to save the franchise. The Mauer hype was probably more intense due to him being Minnesotan and a 1,1 pick. High draft picks have high expectations. Mauer’s career turned out well. Lewis is trying to adjust to falling short of expectations, and we’ll see how Jenkins and Lackey handle the pressure. Of course it’s not fair to expect so much from a young rookie, but that’s the situation of today’s game. I’m sure the Twins will be patient, so I hope the fans and press will be as well. The main thing Jenkins needs to prove is he can handle the pressure and scrutiny that comes with the hype.
  15. 1985Fan
    Hope this game is the start of a Lewis hot streak. Jeffers is on a heater and Clemons is coming out of his slump. If these three guys can get rolling at the same time, this offense might carry this team to much needed win streak. Keep it going into Chicago.
  16. 1985Fan
    Bring back Jeffers by offering the QO. I agree that the CBA uncertainty will make the QO a viable option for him. He’s a veteran and it allows the Twins another year to develop a catcher, even a stop gap guy until Lackey is ready. I think they’ll start the season with Lewis at 1B, probably gets the first half to see what happens. If he’s still more miss than hit, then he can be traded or released, but at least they will have given him every opportunity before moving on. I see Clemons as a starter next year until someone pushes him to the bench. Not sure if Ross is ready to step up and take 2nd base job next year. Or if Morissette is an option. But Clemons is great LH bat utility guy. Kreidler should be a bench guy based on his defense and ability to play SS and other infield spots. They need to add another RH bat with some pop. Jeffers and Buxton have the RH pop when they play. Can’t really count on Lewis, but it would be great if he started next year hot to prove he is for real. I have my doubts. Twins don’t have confidence in Sabato or Rosario, so they may have to go outside via a trade or FA. I hope they don’t get a DH type guy to take DH AB’s away from Keaschall as he should only play OF on a part time basis.
  17. 1985Fan
    I don’t think he can learn to play defense at any position. I think that’s the sad reality after watching him misplay so many chances at both 2B and OF. If they go full rebuild, then maybe they could keep him on the roster as an intern. It looks like Twins don’t want full rebuild and will try to be competitive instead. Keaschall’s bad defense is going to cost games and be painful to watch. As fans, we’re paying MLB prices for little league play.
  18. 1985Fan
    After watching Keaschall in last nights game, I’m ready to see ERod play CF. Even if they play him in RF or LF and put Kreidler in CF, that’s ok too. Whichever position they want to play him in, it’s time. I’m a little apprehensive that he hasn’t learned the basic fundamentals, but it’s worth finding out. Keaschall needs to be optioned to AAA to learn how to play defense.
  19. 1985Fan
    Keaschall’s defensive problems aren’t due to him playing out of position. His number one position in the minors was DH, followed by 2B, and CF. The problem is that he was rapidly promoted after spending most of a season recovering from TJ surgery and playing DH. They need to option him to the minors to teach him how to play defense at either LF, CF, or 2B. The way he’s playing now, he doesn’t have much of a future. He doesn’t hit enough or for power to be a DH. He looks like Julien playing 2B, so I think the Twins have decided infield is not an option for the future. After watching him at 2B, I agree. If he can’t learn to be an average to good OF, they will need to consider trading him. They need to field a team that is focused on defense and pitching.
  20. 1985Fan
    They’re going to have to figure out what to do with Keaschall. He missed two fly balls that should have been caught. He has played himself out of 2nd base and CF. I don’t think he can be hidden anywhere on the field. Thats not a bright outlook for him. This is what you get when they drafted him knowing he had a weak glove and then rapidly promoted him without teaching him any fundamentals.
  21. 1985Fan
    Buxton’s slump isn’t going to get him pulled from the lineup. They’re going to keep plugging him until he says he can’t go. It’s too bad that the slump comes at a crucial time, but that’s baseball. You stick with the your stars. If they go down in a ball of flames with Buxton in the lineup, so be it.
  22. 1985Fan
    The point was that if Jenkins is on the 40 man roster when the expected strike happens, if that extends into next season, players on the 40 man will be barred from playing or practicing baseball.
  23. 1985Fan
    I think all of the Padres RBI hits in that last inning were opposite field. Twins could learn something from that. twins had bases full with one out and couldn’t add on….
  24. 1985Fan
    Lewis is going to be interesting to watch the rest of the season. The last couple of games looks like some bad habits of trying to pull everything with his legs looking unstable under him. Could be just bad AB’s and nothing to worry about, but we’ll see. I like his defense at 1B, so I hope they don’t move him around. Playing one position I think helps certain players at the plate. He looks confident, which is the most important factor with him. Keaschall’s hitting is for real. I think he can maintain his OB rate as he can put the bat on the ball consistently. I question whether he can learn to be a good outfielder. He has speed and athleticism. I’m just not sure about his baseball instincts and IQ. His arm is another problem. If that’s still recovering from TJ surgery, then that might improve. He has a lot to work on before he can be a passable OF. They knew this when he was drafted, so I’m really disappointed this problem wasn’t addressed in the minors.
  25. 1985Fan
    Great questions for the offseason. Right now they’re playing (and not playing) the pitchers and players to win. Not calling up Jenkins means they’re not concerned with evaluating players, just winning. Matthews is a starter between now and the end of the year due to necessity. That also gives them more data to evaluate what to do next year, but I think there are enough questions about the so called SP depth that he is considered a SP in ST. Can’t count on Festa at all IMO, wait until ST to see if Lopez can revert to form (I doubt it), Abel is not a proven entity, and I have serious doubts about Ober both this year and next. I’ll wait to see Ryan pitch again (hopefully this year) to reserve judgement on him, but he may be gone next year anyway. That leaves Bradley, Kremer, Prielipp, and Matthews to pencil in next spring. I don’t see the SP bench AAA, so Matthews is a starter until someone steps up and performs better than him next year.
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