mikelink45

The issue is not what he has done, it is about what we get him to become. I think he has a lot more to contribute than what we have seen. But I have enjoyed this exchange.

Wow - the FO knows how to spice up the end of the year. Maybe Belisle asked for him to be his personal catcher.

Here is a fangraph comps study - I thought it might be good to bring in another opinion - https://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/the-change-max-kepler-and-statcast-power-comps/ This was in 2016 - based on his stats not much has changed. These are the comparable batters in 2018 according to Baseball Reference: Elijah Dukes (983.2) Oswaldo Arcia (979.3) Aaron Guiel (974.6) Kyle Blanks (971.6) Brant Alyea (970.3) Damon Hollins (969.3) Byron Browne (968.7) Jorge Soler (968.7) Ken Hunt (968.7) Mike Kelly (967.7) Again, this is not the list I anticipated when we brought Kepler up.

It's funny that you should mention that. I was about to go back and edit my statement. He is batting .227 - is it too much to expect a BA of 250? His career BA is 235. Is that really acceptable? His WAR is 2.4 and I am getting dizzy from this STAT - what does that mean - only that since we have won 61 games someone has to get credit for the wins. He averages 14 HR and 45 RBIs - is this what you expected when he came up as the big three - Rosario, Buxton, and Kepler. You might have seen him as an average or below batter, I had hopes of a Rosario take off. Sorry, but Kepler has really fallen short of my hopes and if he represents the future we can expect to be mediocre for a long time. Thanks for setting me off again!

Why is Busenitz having such a difficult time adjusting to MLB? I have no answer - just a question. I still say Odorizzi is a perfect multi-inning BP pitcher. Just do not let batters see him three times. Some TD posters do not like my take on Kepler, but 227 is not an acceptable BA for him. If he has a positive WAR it raises my skepticism about that stat. Kepler is not meeting anyone's projection - what next? Now the challenge for the Twins is to not lose 90 games. Good luck.

Actually I was not suggesting that he be sent down, but I do expect him to hit more than 235 and the only solution we have had for players who do not reach their goals and expectations is to send them down. I still think that Kepler has plateaued way too early and something needs to be done, but who will help him move forward. I have not seen any indication that this team knows how to do it.

Does anyone else think that Astudillo's body and enthusiasm are reminiscent of Kirby Puckett?

Is Kohl Stewart a potential Rule 5 draft candidate or do we have a roster decision to make? Are there other reasons for him to be in MLB. Like other postings I did not think he really stood out in MiLB this year. Or am I wrong and the team sees something that many of us are missing about his potential?

I have expressed my indifference on Mauer in other posts. I am not bothered with either decision on him, he is near the end, which is when players typically reach milestone numbers. But Buxton is the one who perplexes me. What I cannot know and is the crux of the question is - will Buxton in 2019 be better for having September in the majors or will he be better by taking an extra month off? I know Buxton has physical issues, but I believe that mental approach and thought process have as much to do with his success. Good luck figuring out this issue.

If this is the level you expected for Kepler, you had lower expectations than I did.

D - I am unimpressed and those who read my posts know I am a critic. They had a wildcard team and almost blew it because it shocked them. They were in the sell mode and suddenly the team was doing so well something needed to be done. These are not men without MLB experience. They hired a ton of coaches and so far I am unable to see what Pickler, Rowson, Alston and numerous others have done to help Molitor or change the culture. I was a naysayer about free agents and I remain a naysayer. I wanted to give the young players a chance instead of the mercenaries. Can anyone tell me that bringing Kennys would not have at least matched Morrison and I am not even a Vargas fan. Buxton and Sano needed a reset, why did it take so long to see it? The BP is below league standards so we sign Belisle. Give me a break. I was against Darvish - check it out - and than god we did not succeed or imagine where we would be. The minor league BP prospects are as questionable as ever, shouldn't we have figured that out by now? Since Kepler continues to under produce will we have him follow Buxton and Sano for a reset? We lost Castro and filled in with Wilson - does anyone see that as a positive? Escobar was our shining light and he is gone - can we get him back? No resolution on Mauer leaves us with a blocking decision before we take new steps. We have some really good players in the minors - we said the same thing when TR left. How do we make them major leaguers> No I do not see a plan, a pattern, a success to build on. Let me be wrong, let the team surge next year. I think Romero, Berrios, Mejia, Gibson can do it. And hopefully we will start to see some hitters come up and contribute, but do not tell me that they are better than TR. I was not a TR fan, but more than changing nametags is needed to improve.

I do not think this is the case. There are a lot of jobs on the line. What we have is a case of limited ability and some team confusion. The call ups are necessary and I know everyone will be excited that on Sunday Falvey's pregame interview said that Belisle is almost ready to come back.

I am starting to sound like a Molitor apologist, but lets talk about Pickler. He is our stats specialist on the coaching staff. Here is a key statement from the Pioneer Press introduction to Pickler: "Pickler’s duties will include outfield instruction as well as advising all coaches and players on game preparation and strategy. Set to turn 41 in January, he also will coordinate communication between the major leagues and player development." He is the conduit between FO and Manager. As the complaints about Molitor continue its time to start looking to specific responsibilities and individuals.

What a great nostalgia! So glad you have those memories. For me, my memories date back to the 1950s when I would travel to Milwaukee with my parents for Milwaukee Braves games - Aaron, Spahn, Matthew, Adcock, etc and we would always go for a series with the Dodgers - Spahn/Drysdale, Burdette/Koufax...I loved it, but even today it was the pitching matchup - the starters taking the mound even with all the HOF batters - that really excited. You are right about the unwritten rules and the potential for injury that taking the fielder out or throwing at the batter created - stupid. Unfortunately in our highly stat minded game those unwritten rules persist.

I cannot agree with this. I do admire pitchers like Verlander, Kershaw, Bumgartner, but the difference with the old 19th century game does not hold for me. Even though I do enjoy reading about it. The pride to not strike out meant that the Ks of the 50's - 2000 meant that success in striking out a batter meant something. ESPN had a great story about Albert Pujols and how much he hates to strikeout. Albert has a lot of HRs, but in relationship to our Sano and other sluggers he had nothing. In fact, despite having 633 HRs, in 18 years he never once struck out 100 times. I am glad to still enjoy the game, but I do not have to prefer the way the game has changed over the wonderful decades I have loved the game.

That is so true and I am glad you said that. Baseball's combination of individual performance and team ability is what makes it so great and I wish baseball could promote that more.

I like good stories. Of course I like my team to also have really good relief pitchers. Sometimes the two stories are not always equal.

I agree, but now that we are diminishing the starter significance we do not have that heavy weight champion to take the mound and carry us through either. A Verlander and Kershaw is still a delight for me, but Baseball is the craziest game of individualism and team combined.

I feel like we are all looking for something that is not there. In another day or two we will have 70 losses. The Twin record for Mauer's career is 1172 - 1228. Our average place in our division is 3rd. Nice player, but not a difference maker. Of course I will also upset the baseball world by saying Trout is an exceptional player, but he has not done anything to raise his teams record either. That is baseball. Baseball really is a team game. (Sorry stat heads it is not a stats only game). This is a nice posting for a team where we are running out of story lines. We emphasize one good player contribution in a game, but in the end we lose. I am worn down and my optimism has been tampered. I do like some young players and I do see some good future, but it is hard to extract that from these games. We play a good team and we lose and that good team as far as I can see does not have a great rotation or more than a handful of great players. What is our excuse and what can we do about it?

That might be true, but I would walk that just to see them pitch again. That is why wins counted in their days.

First news - we lost again. Okay now that that fact is on the table, Austin really gave us a treat. He is driving the ball like Sano, but he has so much more awareness of the strikezone (I know he still strikes out a lot) and I hope he moight motivate Sano who should be challenged by him. Berrios struggled, the BP blew it. Next is Cleveland. Glad to have some positive story lines to follow besides the fact that we are one loss from 70.

The most disappointing aspect of Gonsalves second failure is your description of the visit by Alston - they knew he would swing at the first pitch! Okay, another loss against a good team, when do we get back to our own division? Ah yes, the next series, but it is the Cleveland team, so what do we expect?

I hate to say it, but Buxton's two Ks really stood out to me. He still does not have control of the strike zone and if he is like this in AAA he is not ready for MLB. Is Buxton really a great fielding AAAA player?

Thanks for your response - tthis really is about the fact that we are so desperate that we worry about one run in the middle of one game.

i love how this is gaining so much attention. Because of the quality of the Twins bats I want bunts, stolen bases, hit and run (they might not be able to do this). Sano 210, Austin 239, Kepler 233. Those are the big bombers? This team can play for one run early, get a lead, get confidence and swing for the fences in other situations. Rosario is the only player left on the team with more than 50 RBIs. Who do I trust? Rosario, Garver, and Kepler are the only players on the team with an offensive WAR over 1.