mikelink45

The FO continues to baffle me. Why not Reed - was it so important that Belisle continue to have innings?? The promotions and development of minor league arms continues to be a questionable attribute of the Twins. Anderson should have been up too. I would have brought all of these up! Get young arms in the BP and let them develop.

I continue to be frustrated with this front office and when I look at yesterday's lineup with Petit and field and a number of other players we do not want to have when was once we challenge for a playoff. Development and transition of minor Leaguers into major league players is not adequate and any measure. September supposed to be a month where we see the future and considering that idea this isn't a good future I'm not happy at all with how the September call UPS have been used and who they are. I believe these front office leaders have a long way to go to get belisle off the resume.

Nice summary. I know it must get harder and harder as the season winds down. The storylines are limited and we can complain about belisle only so much because the explanation for him being here it's just out of the Twilight Zone. Why field played in Buxton didn't will stay with us for a long time. It appears that our brief and colossal failure at openers is gone for now goodbye I won't miss you.Astudillo has been our one really fun end-of-the-season treat and if the twins front office has the brains that so many of you claim they do they would recognize that he is an asset to keep fans interested and perhaps buying tickets.

This is our Minnesota nice essay. It is possible to rebuild a team or one or two years and they're free agents are there in season pickups their inability to promote and move the minor Leaguers and the total lack of commitment to winning baseball does not make them The Wiz Kids they're supposed to be. It's time for them to prove themselves and for the rest of us to start analyzing and criticizing them for what they were hired to do and the way they were given to put together the support and flexibility team has provided them

Is a Minnesota nice article this one ranks high. Good drafts guys what as far as the team on the field poor signings belisle motter Gimenez LaMotte Plus Morrison and Duke and Lynn. Inability to drop and promote players to fill our needs. I'm really tired of hearing about these young Wiz Kids and all they're going to do for Twins baseball. Teams to rise in one or two years. It's time for them to earn our praise the honeymoon is over.

I can't make a definitive statement related to willians, but I can thank him for breathing some life into a moribund finish for the twins this season. He has so much energy and enthusiasm and if there's one thing this team has lacked its energy and enthusiasm. Our primary Vet as quiet and understated and we don't have anybody else to give that energy the way that Kirby Puckett did. That quality is really underestimated. I'm reading Yogi Berra's Memoir on his 10 Championship seasons and he talks in there in about some of the Players whose enthusiasm spark the Yankees. Billy Martin was one of them and of course we know about him here in Minnesota but his energy drove the team. And in addition to him there are others often players who were role players who stepped up like that to keep the team focused.

We've gotten to a point in the season where The Only Thing Worth cheering about and looking forward to just to see what the other team is going to accomplish. Nice to Berrios do well that was a positive but boy has Duffy fallen. it's been really hard to see anything positive is a sign for the future in any of his call UPS this year. I know he was upset with it twins for sending them down but he's given them nothing to work with and no promise for the future I hope he moves on to another team world is a different chance a different coaching system

A man who loses half of the year because he makes a bad choice with peds does not have the luxury to check out no matter what his teammates do

It's really hard to add any comment that means anything when we're playing the Royals other than the fact that are rookie starter and rookie reliever really have looked out of place against Major League teams even the worst major league. having Rosario back makes our lineup look a little bit more Major League too.

I love all the comments and interactions. I have to post this on each of my blog. I'm currently guiding a trip in Michigan in the u p and it does not allow me to comment on your individual postings but I really appreciate all the thoughts

I am currently guiding a trip in Michigan and pictured rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes. Unfortunately all I have is my phone and it does not allow me to comment on your individual postings. But I really enjoy all the comments and thoughts

Great article if we were the Braves Nationals or Cardinals he would be up in 2019. So I hope they make the right choice get them to double-a the beginning of next year and if he takes off like like it looks like he could be up halfway through next year.

I agree with you. I am trying to look at this position along with the other infield question marks because I am not seeing any plans for the future and the comments I keep reading make him 50/50. Since the other options are so poor I would keep him for his glove alone.

I am sorry the Twins are doing so well that they could not have this group all audition in September, but with Belisle eating up all the Relief Innings what could they have done? Sorry, I think I am starting to get bitter.

Imagine - Sano and Austin together each striking out nearly 40% - great for the pitcher statistics, but not acceptable in my ideal line up. I like to see us score without the HR. Belisle is now so well entrenched in Twins history that his story will be told generations from now over a strong shot or two. It is just unbelievable, to me, that the FO and Mgr keep putting him out or that he doesn't just shut it down. Can't we have one of those magic injuries that put him on the shelf? Five losses in a row - 76 losses total. If they can play 500 the rest of the way they can avoid 90 losses, is that important? We got to see Petit, Grossman, Field, and Gimenez yesterday - does that help the team? At least Astudillo is entertaining. Odorizzi is sure to carry over to next year - does that excite anyone? I laughed when they asked if he could be the opener in the future. Of course he said no, but in essence if he were pulled when he should be he is already an opener. Curtiss no longer looks like he is going to be an MLB arm. Something happens when he comes into the bigs. What is it? I do not want SSS as the answer, In his career he has been in 12 games and has an ERA over 10. Mental or physical?

I have been a critic for this FO for a long time. They will become good when they stop thinking that they only have to have statistics and not watch the game. September for a team as poor as this should have seen a flood of young players getting a taste of the bigs, getting rid of the first time jitters, developing a taste for the big time. But we waste it on players who are never going to star, who have already had time and opportunity. I am not against them getting time towards their retirement, but bring them up and leave them on the bench. But give some new players a reward! This isn't even about Buxton, but rather a culture of reward and promise. Tonight's game is about to start in less than an hour and already I question why do we have Odorizzi starting. We know him, get some new looks. Grossman is batting third! Adrianza is at third. I think I read we have an outstanding minor leagues prospect list - where are they? Field is in the OF - why? Even minor leaguers who are not expected to be great should be getting an end of the season chance. I look at this lineup and I have to think if I was an Astro I would be having a good laugh.

Because someone sure loves him on this FO/Mgmt team.

Okay, we know Joe is on first, but we do not know if Joe wants to stay there or go home and be a dad. Actually we do not know how Mrs Joe feels about this. Joe is the perfect compliment to our existing infield, not because he hits well, he and Robbie Grossman are the walk guys if you like that for your batters. But right now it is Joe's glove that is saving this rather mediocre group of fielders. First base is a nice place for Austin or Sano or Grossman, but we do not have the greatest fielders and they can use the security of a really good fielding first baseman. Ask the pitchers what they think. So Joe can play the I am not sure card and the FO can say we traded for Austin and Cave and have Sano and others ready for 1B and all can provide the tradition 1B power. Have fun with the negotiations - Joe is not coming back cheap. So who wins? Fielding and nostalgia or power and youth? I am not sure. This is the list of possible 1B for 2019 - how would you arrange them? Joe Mauer Tyler Austin Miguel Sano Robbie Grossman Jake Cave Brent Rooker Or do you sign a FA and set back all the young guys? The infield is not as strong as the outfield, the answers are much more complicated - defense versus batting.

I think we are all in this conundrum. For years we have looked forward to this graduating class and now they have been here for three years and the performance is not there. Do we keep hoping? Can all of them step up? The Twins fans are in a difficult place.

Yes people still go to games with great pitching - the starter makes a difference. Do you think that having Verlander start does not add to the incentive to go to the game? Or Kershaw or Kluber or Sales...

I suspect he will be back. After writing blogs about SS, 3B, 2B I have come to the realization that they only really good fielder in the infield is Joe and we have to have him until we get real talent at the other three positions. And if he comes back he will be pushing for all the money that he can get. He seems like one of those really nice guys that probably has a streak in him that the public does not see (but his wife does) and he will not be easy to sign for a good price. The FO needs to know their limit and stick to it.

That would be exciting, but I am not sure our FO has the courage.

Who's on second does not have the ring of who's on first, but it is a legitimate question. After my last two blogs puzzling over SS and 3B where we are below league average in fielding, we need some strength up the middle. I will not speculate on Dozier and his half year greatness routine because I do not see him coming back. I hesitate to speculate about Escobar which is a big fan favorite for every infield position, but he has now seen the bigger world and knows he can make some choices. So there is Logan Forsythe. He has had 2700 ABs and has a lifetime average of 249 and a total WAR of 12.9 so he is not a terrible choice. He will not have the HR power of Dozier, but he should not have the 1/2 year splits that Dozier did either. His defensive WAR accumulated over 8 seasons is 12.9 - not spectacular, more league average. In fact, if you look closer, he accumulated just under 1/2 of that WAR in one really good year - 2015. If SS and 3B were great we could tolerate league average, but with league average being the highest of the three positions I am not sure that we can look at this as a championship infield. Of course Polanco could slide to 2B or 3B and then we have to figure out SS, but I am not looking at signing or trading players in this essay. I want to see what is in the cupboard. Adrianza is our backup for all three positions. This year, according to Baseball Reference Adrianza has a -0.3 WAR for 2018. Good utility, but too much exposure is not good. Who is in the minors - Petit is our fall infield call up. Gregorio is 33 years old and has a 0.1 WAR over parts of six years. I do not nominate him for second base full time. For the Rochester Redwings we had Alex Perez play 14 games and bat 244 and Taylor Featherstone played 55 and batted 167. I do not believe either of them is going to make MLB this next year. As a matter of fact I do not remember reading about them in TD minor league stories. Travis Blankenhorn, who is listed as a prospect for reasons I do not know, is 2B in Fort Myers where he played 124 games and batted 231! And he was backed up by Alex Perez who hit 208. Not going here. If we go down to Cedar Rapids Michael Helman in 27 games hit 355, Jordan Gore in 63 games hit 305, and Jose Miranda in 104 games hit 277. I do not know their fielding prowess, but I suspect the answer for next year is not at this level. Those are the in-house answers. So I do have to look at FA options - Machado and Donaldson are the best infield options, but not at second. Elvis Andrus is a possibility for SS or 2B, Brian Dozier is the person we know best, but I do not think Brian liked how things went this year so do not expect him back. Daniel Murphy is not going to leave the Cubs! DJ LaMahieu is coming from the Rockies - do you trust their stats? My prediction - Logan Forsythe is the 2019 2B, but we better do something to increase the infield fielding! Maybe this will insure Mauer is back since we need a glove at 1B no matter how the person hits and Austin, Sano, Cave, or Rooker is not going to anchor the infield with their gloves.

I believe the frustration comes as we watch other teams bring up even younger players - St Louis, Nationals, Yankees, Braves are great examples this year and their players, even younger than ours come in and play well, sometimes exceedingly well. So we have a right to expect players in their 25 - 26 year old years with 2 - 3 years of MLB experience to begin to shine. Polanco has digressed in the field as far as my eyes go. I think I will write a blog about my 2B thoughts too. The infield is a mess and that cannot take us to the championships we all crave.

Optimism is good, but the FO should be planning for both possibilities.