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The Twins have Jorge Polanco at SS. In 2019 he was an all star. Now all of Twins fandom wants him at utility and hope for the team to sign another SS. I am not sure why. Our number one prospect remains Royce Lewis who is still listed as a SS who should be ready by the end of the year at least. So why do we want to demote Polanco and block Lewis? This is reasoning that does not work for me.
 
Then we have Wander Javier who came to us in the same international draft that produced Vladimir Guerrero, jr. and Yordan Alvarez. To say that he is behind them on the development level is an understatement. I am still not sure why he is rated so high as a prospect. He has had a hamstring injury during his 2016 debut, a torn labrum costing him all of 2018 and a strained quad keeping him from making his full-season debut in 2019. Then he came in and looked lost for 300 at bats. And MLB.com still has him listed at number nine.
 
Above him on the mlb.com site is Keoni Cavaco who is given great grades for athleticism, which is fine in the Olympics, but batting and fielding count in baseball. I am not sold on him. He was a fast riser in HS according to his notes. Another prospect who does not make my list.
 
At 17 is Nick Gordon. He seems to be on a slippery slope to a forgotten prospect, but I hope he will find a way to get to the majors someday. He just isn’t going to make the team as a starter.
 
Will Holland is next on the prospect list at 19. Notes about him say that he was doing great at Auburn until his Junior year where he bombed and slipped to fifth round. Then he came to rookie ball and still bombed. Not looking good.
 
Today the Twins made an big international signing – Danny De Andrade who is 16. He could be projected to arrive when Lewis runs out of arbitration and signs elsewhere. He is big, potential middle of the order project (typically that means not staying at SS). At 16 he is a project. I know what my grandsons are like at that age – I would not sign them for $2.2 million and I love them. If he makes it he will probably replace Donaldson and not Lewis.
 
Finally the second signing is Fredy LaFlor who is already projected in the mlb.com writeup to shift to second or CF. He said to be a high energy top of the lineup prospect.
 
So there is the Twins SS list. I would like to see us develop one of them into the next great SS rather than sign one who is already down the road of his career and will be overpaid. How do you see these names playing out?
 
The Athletic summary of international signings did not include the Twins - disappointing. https://theathletic.com/2326602/2021/01/16/mlb-international-signing-period-day-1/?source=weeklyemail For those of us who do not know who they are it is important to have outside opinions.

One of the greatest baseball movies of all time wasn’t played with men as the lead actors but was with women. In 1992, Penny Marshall directed A League Of Their Own. To this date it is one of the most highly regarded baseball movies of all-time and was set in a time in which there was a chance that baseball was put in the backburner to World War II. At this moment in time, while a lot of the men were out fighting the war there were a lot of the women home taking care of their families. Cub’s owner Walter Harvey (Gary Marshall) decides to talk other owners of the Major League Baseball to create a women’s baseball league to help fill the void. This movie helps capture this moment in time with a story of two competitive sisters, memorable supporting characters, and great acting.
The heart of this film rests on sisters Dottie (Geena Davis) and Kit Hinson’s (Lori Petty) competitive nature and love for each other. The movie starts off with the two going back and forth about Kit’s batting while scout Ernie Capadino (Jon Lovitz) looks on and determines that Dottie is the player he wants on his team for this new big-league team. Dottie refuses but it’s Kit that insists this is her chance to get away. Ernie tells Kit that if she talks Dottie into playing than they both can play, and she does. Throughout the movie there is a glaring difference between the two’s talent level and Dottie is a star while Kit is too stuck in playing the game her own way and often does not rise to the challenge. Kit begins to become very resentful of Dottie’s success to the point that she is traded to a new team. The movie makes it apparently clear that if each sister could trade places, that they would, and that Dottie would be just as happy at home waiting on her husband to come back from the war. It’s this moment in the movie that you wish the two could have just made up and kept winning on the Peaches. But what would be the fun it that; there had to be a rivalry with a climax that pays off this rivalry. Both sisters meet up In the World Series and the rivalry is settled. Watching this the first time, I had wished it went the other way but after repeat viewing it is a very satisfying conclusion.
The best movies have supporting characters that help carry a movie. Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), the Peaches manager who is an alcoholic has some of the best moments of the movie. He starts off treating the whole thing as a joke and then begins to warm up to the team. Everything from taking an extended pee in front of the girls to yelling there’s no crying in baseball to one of the girls is some movie magic. There’s also the teammates of the Peaches that include Mae Mordabito (Madonna), Doris Murphy (Rosie O’ Donnell), and Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh) who also become the heart of the movie as well. Their all dealing with their own issues on the field and off the field that really help audiences want to rally around them. Mae helps a fellow player how to read, Doris keeps the team engaged, and Marla finally feels comfortable in her own skin and marries a man. The team becomes a sisterhood, and they all keep each other accountable.
The acting in this movie is what make this film tick. Before the movie even started filming; all the actors had to spend eight hours a day, six days a week doing baseball drills so that the movie looks realistic. Penny Marshall wanted the film to look very authentic. Geena Davis was a perfect choice as Dottie because she does a good job of coming off as a talented baseball player and you feel like her character is genuine. Tom Hanks is a scene stealer who injects the movie with a sense of sarcasm and charm that it would be hard to imagine anyone else playing the part. Rosie O’Donnell also steals scenes with her comedic timing and her heartwarming scenes of reacting to the huge stage they were playing on. Madonna has some good moments too but at the time this came out may have been more of a distraction based off her popular music career. Even some of the smaller parts like Jon Lovitz and Garry Marshall all do a good job with what they are given. Davis has even said that a lot of the women playing baseball in scenes suffered ripped off skin from sliding home in continuous takes. All the hard work and research done in these characters really shown through the actor’s great work.
In the end, this movie packs an emotional punch with the characters returning over 40 years later to open an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. We than see the characters reminiscing and we see the fates of these characters and they all sing their team’s song one last time together. It’s movie moments like this that we remember why we love the game of baseball and why we love playing baseball and that’s because we loved playing the game with our teammates. A league of their own does a good job of letting us remember the spirit of being young and making the game about our love with it by giving us a good story of two sisters, memorable supporting characters and great acting!
 
Rating: Grand Slam! 5 out of 5 stars.

The Twins have Jorge Polanco at SS. In 2019 he was an all star. Now all of Twins fandom wants him at utility and hope for the team to sign another SS. I am not sure why. Our number one prospect remains Royce Lewis who is still listed as a SS who should be ready by the end of the year at least. So why do we want to demote Polanco and block Lewis? This is reasoning that does not work for me.
 
Then we have Wander Javier who came to us in the same international draft that produced Vladimir Guerrero, jr. and Yordan Alvarez. To say that he is behind them on the development level is an understatement. I am still not sure why he is rated so high as a prospect. He has had a hamstring injury during his 2016 debut, a torn labrum costing him all of 2018 and a strained quad keeping him from making his full-season debut in 2019. Then he came in and looked lost for 300 at bats. And MLB.com still has him listed at number nine.
 
Above him on the mlb.com site is Keoni Cavaco who is given great grades for athleticism, which is fine in the Olympics, but batting and fielding count in baseball. I am not sold on him. He was a fast riser in HS according to his notes. Another prospect who does not make my list.
 
At 17 is Nick Gordon. He seems to be on a slippery slope to a forgotten prospect, but I hope he will find a way to get to the majors someday. He just isn’t going to make the team as a starter.
 
Will Holland is next on the prospect list at 19. Notes about him say that he was doing great at Auburn until his Junior year where he bombed and slipped to fifth round. Then he came to rookie ball and still bombed. Not looking good.
 
Today the Twins made an big international signing – Danny De Andrade who is 16. He could be projected to arrive when Lewis runs out of arbitration and signs elsewhere. He is big, potential middle of the order project (typically that means not staying at SS). At 16 he is a project. I know what my grandsons are like at that age – I would not sign them for $2.2 million and I love them. If he makes it he will probably replace Donaldson and not Lewis.
 
Finally the second signing is Fredy LaFlor who is already projected in the mlb.com writeup to shift to second or CF. He said to be a high energy top of the lineup prospect.
 
So there is the Twins SS list. I would like to see us develop one of them into the next great SS rather than sign one who is already down the road of his career and will be overpaid. How do you see these names playing out?
 
The Athletic summary of international signings did not include the Twins - disappointing. https://theathletic.com/2326602/2021/01/16/mlb-international-signing-period-day-1/?source=weeklyemail For those of us who do not know who they are it is important to have outside opinions.

The Twins have Jorge Polanco at SS. In 2019 he was an all star. Now all of Twins fandom wants him at utility and hope for the team to sign another SS. I am not sure why. Our number one prospect remains Royce Lewis who is still listed as a SS who should be ready by the end of the year at least. So why do we want to demote Polanco and block Lewis? This is reasoning that does not work for me.
 
Then we have Wander Javier who came to us in the same international draft that produced Vladimir Guerrero, jr. and Yordan Alvarez. To say that he is behind them on the development level is an understatement. I am still not sure why he is rated so high as a prospect. He has had a hamstring injury during his 2016 debut, a torn labrum costing him all of 2018 and a strained quad keeping him from making his full-season debut in 2019. Then he came in and looked lost for 300 at bats. And MLB.com still has him listed at number nine.
 
Above him on the mlb.com site is Keoni Cavaco who is given great grades for athleticism, which is fine in the Olympics, but batting and fielding count in baseball. I am not sold on him. He was a fast riser in HS according to his notes. Another prospect who does not make my list.
 
At 17 is Nick Gordon. He seems to be on a slippery slope to a forgotten prospect, but I hope he will find a way to get to the majors someday. He just isn’t going to make the team as a starter.
 
Will Holland is next on the prospect list at 19. Notes about him say that he was doing great at Auburn until his Junior year where he bombed and slipped to fifth round. Then he came to rookie ball and still bombed. Not looking good.
 
Today the Twins made an big international signing – Danny De Andrade who is 16. He could be projected to arrive when Lewis runs out of arbitration and signs elsewhere. He is big, potential middle of the order project (typically that means not staying at SS). At 16 he is a project. I know what my grandsons are like at that age – I would not sign them for $2.2 million and I love them. If he makes it he will probably replace Donaldson and not Lewis.
 
Finally the second signing is Fredy LaFlor who is already projected in the mlb.com writeup to shift to second or CF. He said to be a high energy top of the lineup prospect.
 
So there is the Twins SS list. I would like to see us develop one of them into the next great SS rather than sign one who is already down the road of his career and will be overpaid. How do you see these names playing out?
 
The Athletic summary of international signings did not include the Twins - disappointing. https://theathletic.com/2326602/2021/01/16/mlb-international-signing-period-day-1/?source=weeklyemail For those of us who do not know who they are it is important to have outside opinions.

As I read the entries on the TD sight we all imagine getting players in Free agency or big trades. This is especially true when we see the Padres making their moves. What I really liked was the WAR team ratings that MLB.com got from Fangraphs and I used for the Blog photo. This is really significant to me. It shows us ranked fifth, but there are five teams close behind us and only two in the AL ahead of us.
 
So any move we make has to keep us above the teams right behind us like the White Sox. And ideally we would catch Houston and New York.
 
This means any signing has to add WAR to our team and we have to subtract any WAR associated with the player we lose or demote. Trevor Bauer jumps the other teams, but looking at the rest of the top free agents - we do not need another catcher - Realmuto cannot get us there, does LeMahieu replace Arraez with enough positive growth - no. Ozuna could replace Cruz, but would not give us more than Cruz provided so it might be good long term, but it would not make a one year rise in team strength.
 
Springer is great, but Kiriloff might be, Buxton might play a full year. He might give us a rise, but not all the way. Is Siemian enough of a SS and WAR player to lift the team when Polanco is subtracted from the WAR total? No.
 
Sugaro? Who knows? He might be the wild card and maybe he can lift the bottom of the rotation enough to make the difference that we need.
 
Hendriks would definitely give us a boost, especially since we have jettisoned so many, but if we subtract those we lost what would the net gain be?
 
So we are in a rut. We are good, we will stay good, but will we rise? I think Trevor Bauer might be the only one who can do that for us and I do not feel like he is on our radar.

Today Maury Brown put an article out at Forbes that illustrated some of the economic impact across baseball in relation to a pandemic shortened 2020 season. While the league as a whole spent roughly $2.5B less on salaries, the per game adjustments note a step forward. The Twins can and need to afford a similar path in the year ahead.
 
In 2019 $2,472,194,292 more dollars were spent on payrolls across baseball. Obviously, there were also 102 more games played that season. Adjusting the calendar to be in line with what we experienced during 2020 however, a 12% increase in player salaries would’ve been realized.
 
On the Twins front, Minnesota paid out $52,627,942 in salaries during the 2020 season. That was good enough for 19th in baseball. They paid a total of $125,205,980 in 2019, and that comes out to an adjusted amount of $46,372,585. It makes sense that the Pohlad family would push more finances into roster construction during an open window and following a length period of cost savings, but it’s glad to see that come to fruition.
 
After going big on Josh Donaldson to the tune of a four-year deal worth at least $100 million, Minnesota again finds themselves in a position to spend. Although payroll positioning isn’t indicative of talent of future finish (just ask the Tampa Bay Rays), stockpiling more assets is hardly a bad practice. Coming off a second straight AL Central division title and looking to supplement an already strong core around a star like Donaldson, another step up makes plenty of sense.
 
Despite the down revenues for the league as a whole in 2020, the reality is that Scott Boras’ assessment is likely factual. Teams didn’t actually lose money as much as they simply didn’t take in typical profits. Coming off years of record growth financially however, that should hardly be the sole motivator, and especially not for organizations in the midst of prime competitive windows.
 
Minnesota has a respectable farm system and one that has both established depth while harboring some very high projected prospects at the top. Even Royce Lewis though shouldn’t be considered a cornerstone on a Major League team for the next one or two seasons. That’s a point in which most of the Twins core is looking into their 30’s while the big contract for Donaldson is a year from lapsing. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine can’t throw caution to the wind, but they’ve built a sustained winner, and now is time to continue adding pieces.
 
There have been rumblings about what the Twins plan to do at the shortstop position, and there’s no doubt they have holes in the starting rotation as it would currently be constructed. Minnesota is never going to be able to compete with big market clubs purely from an enticement factor but saving dollars doesn’t make much sense given the state of the competitive opportunity and the challenge Chicago will certainly present.
 
It’s good to see that even in a year with decreased revenues and unprecedented hurdles the Twins stepped up on the bottom line. Now they need to continue to weather the storm and do it again for 2021.
 
For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Welcome to a new era of Minnesota Twins baseball. This isn’t the Terry Ryan regime anymore, and it hasn’t been for quite some time. What was ushered in with Derek Falvey represented a more progressive way of thinking. Unfortunately, the downside to that is having other organizations looking to play copycat. Now that is beginning to come full circle.
 
Last offseason the Twins lost their hitting coach. James Rowson was the architect behind a lineup that hit the most home runs in Major League Baseball history, and his championing of launch angle and exit velocity was a far cry from the contact approach of yesteryear. Rudy Hernandez and Edgar Varela remained, but Twins fans often wondered if Rowson’s departure didn’t explain some of the step backwards this season.
 
While the offseason is hardly aged yet as we head into 2021, the Twins have seen a few coaches poached from their minor league ranks as well. Although it’s big league losses like Rowson and Derek Shelton that resonate most with the casual fan, it’s the absence of names like Tanner Swanson and J.P. Martinez that really signify the strength of organization infrastructure.
 

 
Today it was announced that Twins General Manager Thad Levine is a “significant player” in the Phillies search for a new head of baseball operations. That’s an appealing job no doubt, given Levine’s hand in retooling the Twins organization. Philadelphia has fallen flat on developing prospects, and now they are Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, and Zack Wheeler with little else to make a serious run. Orchestrating that turnaround on his own without sharing credit under Falvey has to be an exciting premise.
 
Initially that would seem like a brutal blow for Minnesota. Levine and Falvey have seemingly been connected at the hip, and since their introductory press conference they’ve consistently talked about a collaborative environment. What has become apparent since that time, however, is that Falvey is no stranger to identifying and hiring the right people in the right positions. It’s because of the Twins infrastructure that he has orchestrated that teams are interested in pulling from the club.
 
Ken Rosenthal recently wrote a piece that included bit praising the Twins throughout the contract negotiation period with their arbitration eligible players. Agents noted that Levine was great to work with and that comes across as a glowing report for Minnesota’s GM. Expecting Falvey to find someone internally or externally to replace those shoes is hardly unfathomable, however. That’s not to say losing Levine is without consequence but trusting in the process from the top down has truly become something easy to buy into.
 
I’d prefer not to see Minnesota lose Thad Levine prior to reaching the peak with a World Series that this organization is now directed towards. However, as architectural as he has been throughout the years here, I believe the process and structure in place will continue bearing fruit regardless of the replacement. The Twins have turned themselves into an organization akin to the Tampa Bay Rays from a front office and coaching perspective. That’s more than an enviable reality to look into.
 
For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Seventy five for a seventy five year old
Okay, it is my birthday and I love life and all my ex-students, friends, participants in the guided tours, neighbors and family. So I am reflective and that means I have to think of 75 memories – there are many more. But here are 75 Twin memories.
1. Ushering during season one
2. Mudcat Grant – you want colorful – this is it.
3. Vic Power taking over first base in a way I have never seen anywhere else.
4. Jim Kaat just delivering and delivering and delivering.
5. Harmon Killebrew with a swing that seemed to cut the night air into pieces.
6. Rod Carew just toying with the fielders.
7. Sandy Koufax showing us what HOF means – despite out loss it was great.
8. Tony Oliva doing everything and then those knees just radiated pain.
9. Joe Mauer being so Minnesota that everyone in MN complained he was too plain.
10. Tovar playing everywhere and playing so good.
11. Everyday Eddie coming in day after day and giving us ulcers everytime.
12. Calvin Griffith reminding us that owning a team did not make a man into a good man.
13. Sid Hartman telling us everything MN was great even when it wasn’t.
14. Metropolitan Stadium, a dream for all of us with erector sets.
15. The dome collapsing like a big pimple.
16. 1987 Twins being champions when they looked like a below average team
17. 1965 Twins being the best team in our history, but losing to a historic event
18. Hrbek doing his wrestling move on first base – I am still laughing
19. Sitting in the upper upper deck of the metrodome at game 7 1991
20. Jack Morris refusing to quit – HOF for no other reason
21. Kirby Puckett showing that determination can change an outcome
22. Dan Gladden a non-star who gave us grit
23. Herb Carneal giving us a transistor seat at all the games
24. Halsey Hall so outrageous that we loved him even if we did not know what he was talking about
25. Cool nights with a breeze from right field in the sixties
26. Lousy hot dogs that still were satisfying in the early decades
27. Bob Allison looking so fit and intimidating
28. Nelson Cruz reminding us old guys that old does not mean feeble
29. Kirby Puckett taking over game six
30. Hrbek’s WS grand slam
31. Knoblauch at second base
32. Knoblauch returning to a shower of boos and hotdogs
33. Jim Perry 1970 Cy Young
34. Tom Kelly blowing it with Ortiz
35. Zoilo Versalles 1965 MVP
36. Byron Buxton in Centerfield
37. Torii Hunter robs Barry Bonds in All Star game
38. Frank Viola Cy Young 1988
39. Harmon Killebrew MVP 1969
40. Billy Martin and the marshmallow salesman
41. Johann Santana Cy Young award 2004
42. John Castino – rookie of the year 1979
43. Seeing Carew leave
44. Johann Santana Cy Young 2006
45. Paul Molitor at DH 1996
46. Dean Chance No-hitter
47. Joe Mauer 2009 – major league player of the year
48. Camilo Pascual’s curveball
49. The collapse of the Metrodome
50. Marty Cordova Rookie of the year 1995 (or last rookie of the year)
51. Justin Morneau MVP 2006
52. Mitch Garver in 2019
53. The Turtle running the bases
54. Bob Allison’s sliding catch
55. Randy Bush pinch hitter with 13 hits in one year
56. Gene Larkin’s walk off pinch hit
57. Puckett to the HOF
58. Harmon Killebrew’s 520-foot Home Run June 1967
59. The last playoff game won by the Twins 2004
60. 18 game post season losing streak 2020
61. 1984 Dave Kingman hits a 208 foot double – straight up and into the metrodome roof
62. Tony Oliva wins batting title in 1964 and 1965
63. 1971 Rod Carew Rookie of the Year
64. Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle came together for one great year
65. 1977 Rod Carew batted 388
66. 1969 Harmon Killebrew hit 49 HRs
67. Billy Martin gets in fight with his own 20 game winner – Dave Boswell
68. 2016 Twins lose record 103 games
69. 1987 home team wins all the games in WS and we have four home games
70. Watching the famous Hrbek game in Sierra Vista AZ bar as the only Twins fan in the place
71. Killebrew in the HOF
72. Rod Carew in the HOF
73. 2002 Pohlads agree to contraction – we almost lost the team
74. 2006, the year of the Piranhas
75. Bert Blyleven in the HOF

Seventy five for a seventy five year old
Okay, it is my birthday and I love life and all my ex-students, friends, participants in the guided tours, neighbors and family. So I am reflective and that means I have to think of 75 memories – there are many more. But here are 75 Twin memories.
1. Ushering during season one
2. Mudcat Grant – you want colorful – this is it.
3. Vic Power taking over first base in a way I have never seen anywhere else.
4. Jim Kaat just delivering and delivering and delivering.
5. Harmon Killebrew with a swing that seemed to cut the night air into pieces.
6. Rod Carew just toying with the fielders.
7. Sandy Koufax showing us what HOF means – despite out loss it was great.
8. Tony Oliva doing everything and then those knees just radiated pain.
9. Joe Mauer being so Minnesota that everyone in MN complained he was too plain.
10. Tovar playing everywhere and playing so good.
11. Everyday Eddie coming in day after day and giving us ulcers everytime.
12. Calvin Griffith reminding us that owning a team did not make a man into a good man.
13. Sid Hartman telling us everything MN was great even when it wasn’t.
14. Metropolitan Stadium, a dream for all of us with erector sets.
15. The dome collapsing like a big pimple.
16. 1987 Twins being champions when they looked like a below average team
17. 1965 Twins being the best team in our history, but losing to a historic event
18. Hrbek doing his wrestling move on first base – I am still laughing
19. Sitting in the upper upper deck of the metrodome at game 7 1991
20. Jack Morris refusing to quit – HOF for no other reason
21. Kirby Puckett showing that determination can change an outcome
22. Dan Gladden a non-star who gave us grit
23. Herb Carneal giving us a transistor seat at all the games
24. Halsey Hall so outrageous that we loved him even if we did not know what he was talking about
25. Cool nights with a breeze from right field in the sixties
26. Lousy hot dogs that still were satisfying in the early decades
27. Bob Allison looking so fit and intimidating
28. Nelson Cruz reminding us old guys that old does not mean feeble
29. Kirby Puckett taking over game six
30. Hrbek’s WS grand slam
31. Knoblauch at second base
32. Knoblauch returning to a shower of boos and hotdogs
33. Jim Perry 1970 Cy Young
34. Tom Kelly blowing it with Ortiz
35. Zoilo Versalles 1965 MVP
36. Byron Buxton in Centerfield
37. Torii Hunter robs Barry Bonds in All Star game
38. Frank Viola Cy Young 1988
39. Harmon Killebrew MVP 1969
40. Billy Martin and the marshmallow salesman
41. Johann Santana Cy Young award 2004
42. John Castino – rookie of the year 1979
43. Seeing Carew leave
44. Johann Santana Cy Young 2006
45. Paul Molitor at DH 1996
46. Dean Chance No-hitter
47. Joe Mauer 2009 – major league player of the year
48. Camilo Pascual’s curveball
49. The collapse of the Metrodome
50. Marty Cordova Rookie of the year 1995 (or last rookie of the year)
51. Justin Morneau MVP 2006
52. Mitch Garver in 2019
53. The Turtle running the bases
54. Bob Allison’s sliding catch
55. Randy Bush pinch hitter with 13 hits in one year
56. Gene Larkin’s walk off pinch hit
57. Puckett to the HOF
58. Harmon Killebrew’s 520-foot Home Run June 1967
59. The last playoff game won by the Twins 2004
60. 18 game post season losing streak 2020
61. 1984 Dave Kingman hits a 208 foot double – straight up and into the metrodome roof
62. Tony Oliva wins batting title in 1964 and 1965
63. 1971 Rod Carew Rookie of the Year
64. Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle came together for one great year
65. 1977 Rod Carew batted 388
66. 1969 Harmon Killebrew hit 49 HRs
67. Billy Martin gets in fight with his own 20 game winner – Dave Boswell
68. 2016 Twins lose record 103 games
69. 1987 home team wins all the games in WS and we have four home games
70. Watching the famous Hrbek game in Sierra Vista AZ bar as the only Twins fan in the place
71. Killebrew in the HOF
72. Rod Carew in the HOF
73. 2002 Pohlads agree to contraction – we almost lost the team
74. 2006, the year of the Piranhas
75. Bert Blyleven in the HOF

As has been the expectation now for week, the St. Paul Saints will officially join the Minnesota Twins organization in 2021 per reports from the Star Tribune. Previously playing in the American Association as an Independent Baseball team, they’ll now assume the role of the Twins Triple-A affiliate.
 
For years there has been talk about the convenience having an affiliate just down I-94 would provide the Twins. Then during the pandemic shortened season, CHS Field acted as the alternate site for the Major League club. With Major League Baseball throwing around its weight and controlling baseball across the country, a massive reshuffling has taken place. Gone are roughly 40 minor league clubs as 120 total affiliates is the new number. Regional restructuring has taken place, and new draft feeder leagues have emerged.
 
Impacting the Twins is a new partner at the highest minor league level. Having been affiliated with the Rochester Red Wings since 2003, the Minnesota Twins will now turn a new chapter in their developmental history. The Saints were founded in 1993 and were originally part of the Northern League prior to joining the American Association.
 
As it’s the Saints joining the Twins organization, they’ll inherit talent from within. Minnesota will now send Triple-A destined prospects to St. Paul rather than Rochester. This means that the players previously under contract with the Saints will be displaced throughout Independent Baseball. Per reporter Chelsea Ladd, there have been talks the American Association will hold a draft of sorts to find those players new teams.
 
Also, of note is the Twins swapping their Double-A affiliate. After just one season working with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Twins will now join forces with the Wichita Wind Surge. The Wind Surge were originally scheduled to operate as the Miami Marlins Triple-A affiliate, with 2020 being their first season. Obviously with the pandemic that never happened. It’s not great news for Wichita, who will drop a level in with the affiliation, but Minnesota inherits a closer Double-A club and one that is opening a brand-new ballpark and facilities.
 

 
Certainly, Major League Baseball expanding its reach across Major League, Minor League, and now even amateur baseball is a suboptimal development. Having such a monopoly over the sport, ownership groups continue to line their pockets while paydays for future generations of talent can continue to be stifled. However, if you’re simply a Twins fan, having the ability to watch future franchise pieces just 13 miles from Target Field, and a driveable journey to Wichita as a possibility, isn’t the worst silver lining.
 
For years, the St. Paul Saints possibility has been kicked around, and now in the first year it will happen top prospects like Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Jordan Balazovic, and Jhoan Duran should all be featured for a time in St. Paul. We may have to wait through the waning stages of a pandemic to see them in person, but a new era of baseball in Twins Territory has been ushered in.
 
For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

I am always looking for outsider opinions on the Twins since it is too easy to have hometown bias. All of us who root for the Twins follow them with much more emotion and fan hopefulness that allows them to rise higher in our opinions than an outsider might see them. So, I was interested in the Athletic’s fantasy baseball rankings. I know fantasy and reality are not the same, but it is one way of comparing players. Derek Van Riper just posted his fantasy ratings of players https://theathletic.com/2199503/2020/11/16/2021-fantasy-baseball-rankings-2/?source=dailyemail and here is where the Twins rank.
 
Starting pitchers (160 ranked)
13 Kenta Maeda (between Kershaw and Nola)
27 Jose Berrios (Between Burnes and Paddock)
45 Michael Pineda (Between May and Corbin)
54 Rich Hill (Between McKenzie and Musgrove)
63 Jake Odorizzi (Between Ohtani and Bassett)
 
We have a starting rotation here!
 
Relief Pitchers (38 ranked)
11 Taylor Rogers (Between Hand and Yates)
17 Trevor May (Between Smith and Pomeranz)
37 Tyler Duffey (Between Adams and Garrett)
 
Rogers rating surprised me - too high, Duffey too low.
 
Catchers (29 rated)
11 Mitch Garver (Between Nola and McCann)
24 Ryan Jeffers (Between Murphy and Suzuki)
 
1B (44 ranked)
14 Miguel Sano (Between Smith and Vaughn)
 
Fantasy loves bombs
2B (47 ranked)
25 Luis Arraez (Between Madrigal and Alberto)
 
Singles don't rank as high in fantasy
 
SS (47 ranked)
18 Jorge Polanco (Between Villar and Rosario)
 
 
3B (53 rated)
10 Josh Donaldson (Between Moncado and Chapman)
44 Marwin Gonzales (Between Frazier and Lamb)
48 Ehire Adrianza (Between Bote and Drury)
 
 
OF (118 ranked)
23 Byron Buxton (Between Blackmon and Soler)
26 Eddie Rosario (Between Lewis and Pham)
38 Max Kepler (Between Hernandez and Myers)
96 Alex Kiriloff (Between Polanco and Larnach)
97 Trevor Larnach (Between Kiriloff and Oliva)
 
Where is Cave? They like our rookies, but where is Rooker? Once again Max ranks below Eddie.
 
DH (8 rated)
1 Nelson Cruz (ahead of J. D . Martinez)
 
Cruz is the highest rated at his position, Donaldson is second at number 10 among 3B, but how in the world does Garver get rated #11. I know catchers are hard to find, but still!
 
It is fun to see this ranking and I will look for other outsider views this off season. But my take away from this is that we have a good team with a lot of players ranked in the middle at their position, but other than Cruz and potential Donaldson we do not have the superstars that the great teams have. We have no one on a HOF track.

Since the main TD articles keep talking about Eddie Rosario being traded, cut, cursed or whatever you want to call it I thought it might be instructive to do a comparison of all the six year players on the roster. In a move that we all thought would make the future of the Twins we had Eddie, Byron, Miguel, and Max arrive the same year and it did not take long before they were part of a home run hitting behemoth and twice got to the playoffs where they, like their predecessors failed. (I chose not to include pitchers since there is no way to have equivalent values between pitchers and position players.) Now all the discussions are about Eddie being too expensive and not needed. Why?
 
Over the same six years here is there worth in Baseball Reference WAR -
Max Kepler 12..3
Byron Buxton 11.7
Eddie Rosario 11.6
Miguel Sano 7.6

That makes the case for Eddie a little stronger as his WAR is not far off the top two and Miguel is the bottom (he was -0.2 this year).
 
How about OBP?
Sano 332
Kepler 319
Eddie 310
Buxton 289

OBP seems to consistently be the knock on Eddie, but in comparison he is not looking as bad as all the articles seem to hint.
 
Okay let's try OPS and spruce up the data:
Sano 829
Eddie 788
Kepler 763
Buxton 719

Sano blows them all away, but look who is second!
 
Home Runs?
Sano 131
Eddie 119
Max 101
Byron 51

Eddie looks pretty good here too.
 
So being a traditionalist - what about RBIs? I know some of you do not believe in them, but what do you do when no one brings in the baserunners? I know - lose the playoffs.
Eddie 388
Miguel 344
Max 303
Buxton 172

Like I have commented elsewhere, Eddie has a knack for bringing in runners and in this lineup, who doesn't have an opportunity?
 
Another old tradition is BA - so let's check it out.
Rosario 277
Sano 241
Buxton 238
Kepler 237

What about scoring runs? Yes runs win games.
Rosario 400
Max 324
Sano 317
Buxton 204

So who stays on the field? Games played
Rosario 697
Max 601
Miguel 539
Buxton 432

I know - you can say just think of the stats that the others would have if they played the same number of games - the trouble is they didn't. Max missed more than the number of games in last years short season - actually he missed the equivalent of 1 1/2 of last years games. Miquel is 158 games short - close to a full season and Buxton is 265 games shore - one full season plus 100 more! Can we say that Eddie is dependable?
 
Someone will say, ya, but he can't field. I do not like a lot of fielding metrics but for the sake of this essay here is 2020 Fangraphs fielding for the four players
Buxton 2.5
Rosario 1.2
Kepler -0.7
Sano -2.2

Everyone told me that Kepler was such a valuable fielder and Rosario was terrible.
 
So baserunning - yep Rosario is a loose cannon here - I cannot justify his 2020 ranking
Kepler 2.3
Sano 2.3
Buxton 0.4
Eddie -2

So there are all the various listings that seem to be part of the discussions. That is 10 statistical comparisons - if I treat them all as equal - I leave it to you to argue - then the one with the least points (if someone finished 1st in all they would have 10 points) should rate highest. Here are the point totals
Rosario 20
Sano 23
Kepler 24
Buxton 29

At this point in their careers I would say Rosario was the most valuable of the four, but beyond statistics that is also my bias. Prove me wrong or agree with me, but don't just say I think!

Since the main TD articles keep talking about Eddie Rosario being traded, cut, cursed or whatever you want to call it I thought it might be instructive to do a comparison of all the six year players on the roster. In a move that we all thought would make the future of the Twins we had Eddie, Byron, Miguel, and Max arrive the same year and it did not take long before they were part of a home run hitting behemoth and twice got to the playoffs where they, like their predecessors failed. (I chose not to include pitchers since there is no way to have equivalent values between pitchers and position players.) Now all the discussions are about Eddie being too expensive and not needed. Why?
 
Over the same six years here is there worth in Baseball Reference WAR -
Max Kepler 12..3
Byron Buxton 11.7
Eddie Rosario 11.6
Miguel Sano 7.6

That makes the case for Eddie a little stronger as his WAR is not far off the top two and Miguel is the bottom (he was -0.2 this year).
 
How about OBP?
Sano 332
Kepler 319
Eddie 310
Buxton 289

OBP seems to consistently be the knock on Eddie, but in comparison he is not looking as bad as all the articles seem to hint.
 
Okay let's try OPS and spruce up the data:
Sano 829
Eddie 788
Kepler 763
Buxton 719

Sano blows them all away, but look who is second!
 
Home Runs?
Sano 131
Eddie 119
Max 101
Byron 51

Eddie looks pretty good here too.
 
So being a traditionalist - what about RBIs? I know some of you do not believe in them, but what do you do when no one brings in the baserunners? I know - lose the playoffs.
Eddie 388
Miguel 344
Max 303
Buxton 172

Like I have commented elsewhere, Eddie has a knack for bringing in runners and in this lineup, who doesn't have an opportunity?
 
Another old tradition is BA - so let's check it out.
Rosario 277
Sano 241
Buxton 238
Kepler 237

What about scoring runs? Yes runs win games.
Rosario 400
Max 324
Sano 317
Buxton 204

So who stays on the field? Games played
Rosario 697
Max 601
Miguel 539
Buxton 432

I know - you can say just think of the stats that the others would have if they played the same number of games - the trouble is they didn't. Max missed more than the number of games in last years short season - actually he missed the equivalent of 1 1/2 of last years games. Miquel is 158 games short - close to a full season and Buxton is 265 games shore - one full season plus 100 more! Can we say that Eddie is dependable?
 
Someone will say, ya, but he can't field. I do not like a lot of fielding metrics but for the sake of this essay here is 2020 Fangraphs fielding for the four players
Buxton 2.5
Rosario 1.2
Kepler -0.7
Sano -2.2

Everyone told me that Kepler was such a valuable fielder and Rosario was terrible.
 
So baserunning - yep Rosario is a loose cannon here - I cannot justify his 2020 ranking
Kepler 2.3
Sano 2.3
Buxton 0.4
Eddie -2

So there are all the various listings that seem to be part of the discussions. That is 10 statistical comparisons - if I treat them all as equal - I leave it to you to argue - then the one with the least points (if someone finished 1st in all they would have 10 points) should rate highest. Here are the point totals
Rosario 20
Sano 23
Kepler 24
Buxton 29

At this point in their careers I would say Rosario was the most valuable of the four, but beyond statistics that is also my bias. Prove me wrong or agree with me, but don't just say I think!

Since the main TD articles keep talking about Eddie Rosario being traded, cut, cursed or whatever you want to call it I thought it might be instructive to do a comparison of all the six year players on the roster. In a move that we all thought would make the future of the Twins we had Eddie, Byron, Miguel, and Max arrive the same year and it did not take long before they were part of a home run hitting behemoth and twice got to the playoffs where they, like their predecessors failed. (I chose not to include pitchers since there is no way to have equivalent values between pitchers and position players.) Now all the discussions are about Eddie being too expensive and not needed. Why?
 
Over the same six years here is there worth in Baseball Reference WAR -
Max Kepler 12..3
Byron Buxton 11.7
Eddie Rosario 11.6
Miguel Sano 7.6

That makes the case for Eddie a little stronger as his WAR is not far off the top two and Miguel is the bottom (he was -0.2 this year).
 
How about OBP?
Sano 332
Kepler 319
Eddie 310
Buxton 289

OBP seems to consistently be the knock on Eddie, but in comparison he is not looking as bad as all the articles seem to hint.
 
Okay let's try OPS and spruce up the data:
Sano 829
Eddie 788
Kepler 763
Buxton 719

Sano blows them all away, but look who is second!
 
Home Runs?
Sano 131
Eddie 119
Max 101
Byron 51

Eddie looks pretty good here too.
 
So being a traditionalist - what about RBIs? I know some of you do not believe in them, but what do you do when no one brings in the baserunners? I know - lose the playoffs.
Eddie 388
Miguel 344
Max 303
Buxton 172

Like I have commented elsewhere, Eddie has a knack for bringing in runners and in this lineup, who doesn't have an opportunity?
 
Another old tradition is BA - so let's check it out.
Rosario 277
Sano 241
Buxton 238
Kepler 237

What about scoring runs? Yes runs win games.
Rosario 400
Max 324
Sano 317
Buxton 204

So who stays on the field? Games played
Rosario 697
Max 601
Miguel 539
Buxton 432

I know - you can say just think of the stats that the others would have if they played the same number of games - the trouble is they didn't. Max missed more than the number of games in last years short season - actually he missed the equivalent of 1 1/2 of last years games. Miquel is 158 games short - close to a full season and Buxton is 265 games shore - one full season plus 100 more! Can we say that Eddie is dependable?
 
Someone will say, ya, but he can't field. I do not like a lot of fielding metrics but for the sake of this essay here is 2020 Fangraphs fielding for the four players
Buxton 2.5
Rosario 1.2
Kepler -0.7
Sano -2.2

Everyone told me that Kepler was such a valuable fielder and Rosario was terrible.
 
So baserunning - yep Rosario is a loose cannon here - I cannot justify his 2020 ranking
Kepler 2.3
Sano 2.3
Buxton 0.4
Eddie -2

So there are all the various listings that seem to be part of the discussions. That is 10 statistical comparisons - if I treat them all as equal - I leave it to you to argue - then the one with the least points (if someone finished 1st in all they would have 10 points) should rate highest. Here are the point totals
Rosario 20
Sano 23
Kepler 24
Buxton 29

At this point in their careers I would say Rosario was the most valuable of the four, but beyond statistics that is also my bias. Prove me wrong or agree with me, but don't just say I think!

Since the main TD articles keep talking about Eddie Rosario being traded, cut, cursed or whatever you want to call it I thought it might be instructive to do a comparison of all the six year players on the roster. In a move that we all thought would make the future of the Twins we had Eddie, Byron, Miguel, and Max arrive the same year and it did not take long before they were part of a home run hitting behemoth and twice got to the playoffs where they, like their predecessors failed. (I chose not to include pitchers since there is no way to have equivalent values between pitchers and position players.) Now all the discussions are about Eddie being too expensive and not needed. Why?
 
Over the same six years here is there worth in Baseball Reference WAR -
Max Kepler 12..3
Byron Buxton 11.7
Eddie Rosario 11.6
Miguel Sano 7.6

That makes the case for Eddie a little stronger as his WAR is not far off the top two and Miguel is the bottom (he was -0.2 this year).
 
How about OBP?
Sano 332
Kepler 319
Eddie 310
Buxton 289

OBP seems to consistently be the knock on Eddie, but in comparison he is not looking as bad as all the articles seem to hint.
 
Okay let's try OPS and spruce up the data:
Sano 829
Eddie 788
Kepler 763
Buxton 719

Sano blows them all away, but look who is second!
 
Home Runs?
Sano 131
Eddie 119
Max 101
Byron 51

Eddie looks pretty good here too.
 
So being a traditionalist - what about RBIs? I know some of you do not believe in them, but what do you do when no one brings in the baserunners? I know - lose the playoffs.
Eddie 388
Miguel 344
Max 303
Buxton 172

Like I have commented elsewhere, Eddie has a knack for bringing in runners and in this lineup, who doesn't have an opportunity?
 
Another old tradition is BA - so let's check it out.
Rosario 277
Sano 241
Buxton 238
Kepler 237

What about scoring runs? Yes runs win games.
Rosario 400
Max 324
Sano 317
Buxton 204

So who stays on the field? Games played
Rosario 697
Max 601
Miguel 539
Buxton 432

I know - you can say just think of the stats that the others would have if they played the same number of games - the trouble is they didn't. Max missed more than the number of games in last years short season - actually he missed the equivalent of 1 1/2 of last years games. Miquel is 158 games short - close to a full season and Buxton is 265 games shore - one full season plus 100 more! Can we say that Eddie is dependable?
 
Someone will say, ya, but he can't field. I do not like a lot of fielding metrics but for the sake of this essay here is 2020 Fangraphs fielding for the four players
Buxton 2.5
Rosario 1.2
Kepler -0.7
Sano -2.2

Everyone told me that Kepler was such a valuable fielder and Rosario was terrible.
 
So baserunning - yep Rosario is a loose cannon here - I cannot justify his 2020 ranking
Kepler 2.3
Sano 2.3
Buxton 0.4
Eddie -2

So there are all the various listings that seem to be part of the discussions. That is 10 statistical comparisons - if I treat them all as equal - I leave it to you to argue - then the one with the least points (if someone finished 1st in all they would have 10 points) should rate highest. Here are the point totals
Rosario 20
Sano 23
Kepler 24
Buxton 29

At this point in their careers I would say Rosario was the most valuable of the four, but beyond statistics that is also my bias. Prove me wrong or agree with me, but don't just say I think!

Recently I was on Twins Daily’s Offseason Live with John Bonnes and Ted Schwerzler and discussed the Minnesota Twins payroll outlook for 2021. Most years it has been relatively easy to make an estimation on the team’s payroll but a year of COVID-19 has made it anything but easy.
 
While having payroll conversations, it became a quick reality that if the Twins need to at all cut payroll from a 2020 payroll just shy of 140 million, the dollars will be spent quickly. As that realization hit, I began to form my own list of priorities for the Twins this offseason and wanted to share those thoughts here.
 
Find a 4th/5th Starter
 
While the Twins farm system is better stocked with high level arms than in previous eras, it would seem foolish to go into 2021 assuming they would be ready to perform on a World Series contending team. With two starting rotation spots open next to Jose Berrios, Kenta Maeda, and Michael Pineda, the Twins need to sign another starter.
 
That would leave a spot still open to someone like Randy Dobnak to fill for the duration of the season. Everyone is going to clamor for Trevor Bauer. While that would be great he will almost definitely cost too much for the Twins this offseason. If the Twins can bring in a starter somewhere in the $8-12 million range that would help raise the talent level of that group which will be important moving into 2021. A trade is also very possible here!
 
Utility player with the ability to play shortstop
 
I recently wrote in more detail about this move over at Twins Daily. With both Marwin Gonzalez and Ehire Adrianza hitting free agency, this will be an important role to fill. Especially with the injury question marks surrounding both Jorge Polanco and Josh Donaldson.
 
I am on board with Adrianza returning to the Twins because of his ability to play shortstop. Other possibilities if they become available would be the likes of Kike Hernandez, Jurickson Profar, and Jose Iglesias. An even more drastic shuffling of the deck would be trying to supplant Polanco as the starting shortstop and move him into a utility role.
 
I really doubt that the Twins would move Polanco into a utility role unless Royce Lewis is ready to make the jump to the big leagues. Today I think the most likely scenario for the Twins would be to make Travis Blankenhorn one of the utility players and then either resign Adrianza or trade for a somewhat blocked player on another roster.
 
A trade scenario could be someone like Mason McCoy who finds himself somewhat blocked on the Baltimore Orioles organizational depth chart. He has made it to Triple-A but has two shortstop considered bigger prospects than him ahead of him in the organization. McCoy likely lacks the MLB experience the Twins may want if they bring someone in from outside the organization, but the situation fits the sort of player the Twins could pursue.
 
Bullpen arm, preferably with some power.
 
The Twins will be watching Trevor May, Tyler Clippard, and potentially Sergio Romo hit the free agent market. The Twins should try and bring in one more bullpen arm and preferably a power arm like May.
 
If the Twins tender Matt Wisler and Caleb Thielbar in theory they will have an arm like Romo’s. That in mind gives freedom to the Twins to let Romo walk and not pick up his option. Bringing May back may be the most ideal, but if he gets too expensive there will be other routes to bolster the pen.
 
Re-sign Nelson Cruz
 
To be clear, I really want Cruz back in a Twins uniform. As the money slips away from the payroll it simply becomes hard to commit to. The Twins are also in theory much better prepared to replace a DH bat with Alex Kirilloff and Brent Rooker getting the MLB experience they did this season then they are to replace a spot in the rotation.
 
Cruz was the steadying force in the lineup for much of the 2020 season. The reality is, even with Cruz, if the other Twins core players like Donaldson, Max Kepler, Byron Buxton, Polanco, etc don’t perform the team isn’t going to win the World Series anyways. This team will go as that core goes at the plate.
 
I don’t mention Eddie Rosario in my priorities, because I really think the approximately $10 million that will be owed to him in arbitration will cause him to be non-tendered. With Jake Cave and Lamonte Wade already on the bench, Rooker and Kirilloff ready to challenge them for a spot, and money being a prime asset it will be time to non-tender Rosario. He has been a fun and integral part of this team so it will be hard to say good-bye.
 
I will most definitely at a later date put together a more complete offseason blueprint, but that is the framework I will be working through. Would love to hear where you are ranking some of these moves as a priority for the Twins this offseason.
 
Post can also be found at Left Field Gap

I had an idea. What if someone got a hit, stole second - maybe third and someone else got a hit and they scored?
 
In new school does that not count?
 
What if someone got a hit, someone bunted and then a single brought them home? Does that not mean that the run scores?
 
Do I have to wait for a HR? Should I look for a K instead of a sacrifice?
 
Do I have to fire up the computer. What to do? No HR? We cannot score that way. We need HRs without runners on base because analytics say that is really the cool new way to do it.
Let's eliminate the sacrifice, the bunt, the stolen base - I know they worked for 150 years but they did not have computers.
 
Mookie Betts looks great, but what is he doing stealing two bases?
 
Why would we hit to the weakness of a shift when we can score a high exit velocity on the ball we hit for an out? Why go the other way when we can get a launch angle? Doesn't exit velocity score us more points? Doesn't launch angle get us an extra mention on Sports Center?
 
Don't we get more runs for a HR with more distance?
 
What is it with the old school. Get a hit. Advance a base. Score. So boring.
 
And then there are RBIs - who cares. No one is getting a hit other than a HR anyway so why worry about a batter who can actually bring that baserunner to home plate? Runs, RBIs, Batting average - so yesterday.
 
And then there is pitching. We should all throw 100 mph because the batters can never adjust to that! Have them hit into a DP - what are you talking about it will impact my K/BB rate. The ERA is so old school lets just worry about K/HR.
 
And starting pitchers who go into the later innings - why? So what if we need 43 RP to handle all the extra innings. We do not need Spahn, Marichal, Mathewson - they are old school. Lets just have 9 pitchers per game per team. Boy is that fun. No saves, no complete games, no dominating Sandy Koufax or Bob Gibson. Let's have a lot of Duffeys, Romos, Aaron Bummers - who? Yup. No more pitchers in the HOF. Who needs them?
 
And, by the way, no more fans in the stands. Not because there is Covid, but because the game is getting so damned boring.
 
As an addendum - game three of the WS - the Dodgers had long balls, but they also scored on singles, they had a bunt for a run, and they stole bases. When you blend old school with some new maybe the game can get fun again.
 
Game 4 - Tampa Bay ties the series. Yes they got HRs, but a single and an error won the game. By putting the ball in play so many things can happen. It went for a single, it was dropped by the centerfielder and then the catcher - errors seldom happen on a K.
 
Game 6 - Kevin Cash proved what I hate - Snell was upset and should be. He is an Ace and he was ready to be Jack Morris but the damn team policy removed the human element and the Rays deserved to lose.

I had an idea. What if someone got a hit, stole second - maybe third and someone else got a hit and they scored?
 
In new school does that not count?
 
What if someone got a hit, someone bunted and then a single brought them home? Does that not mean that the run scores?
 
Do I have to wait for a HR? Should I look for a K instead of a sacrifice?
 
Do I have to fire up the computer. What to do? No HR? We cannot score that way. We need HRs without runners on base because analytics say that is really the cool new way to do it.
Let's eliminate the sacrifice, the bunt, the stolen base - I know they worked for 150 years but they did not have computers.
 
Mookie Betts looks great, but what is he doing stealing two bases?
 
Why would we hit to the weakness of a shift when we can score a high exit velocity on the ball we hit for an out? Why go the other way when we can get a launch angle? Doesn't exit velocity score us more points? Doesn't launch angle get us an extra mention on Sports Center?
 
Don't we get more runs for a HR with more distance?
 
What is it with the old school. Get a hit. Advance a base. Score. So boring.
 
And then there are RBIs - who cares. No one is getting a hit other than a HR anyway so why worry about a batter who can actually bring that baserunner to home plate? Runs, RBIs, Batting average - so yesterday.
 
And then there is pitching. We should all throw 100 mph because the batters can never adjust to that! Have them hit into a DP - what are you talking about it will impact my K/BB rate. The ERA is so old school lets just worry about K/HR.
 
And starting pitchers who go into the later innings - why? So what if we need 43 RP to handle all the extra innings. We do not need Spahn, Marichal, Mathewson - they are old school. Lets just have 9 pitchers per game per team. Boy is that fun. No saves, no complete games, no dominating Sandy Koufax or Bob Gibson. Let's have a lot of Duffeys, Romos, Aaron Bummers - who? Yup. No more pitchers in the HOF. Who needs them?
 
And, by the way, no more fans in the stands. Not because there is Covid, but because the game is getting so damned boring.
 
As an addendum - game three of the WS - the Dodgers had long balls, but they also scored on singles, they had a bunt for a run, and they stole bases. When you blend old school with some new maybe the game can get fun again.
 
Game 4 - Tampa Bay ties the series. Yes they got HRs, but a single and an error won the game. By putting the ball in play so many things can happen. It went for a single, it was dropped by the centerfielder and then the catcher - errors seldom happen on a K.
 
Game 6 - Kevin Cash proved what I hate - Snell was upset and should be. He is an Ace and he was ready to be Jack Morris but the damn team policy removed the human element and the Rays deserved to lose.

I had an idea. What if someone got a hit, stole second - maybe third and someone else got a hit and they scored?
 
In new school does that not count?
 
What if someone got a hit, someone bunted and then a single brought them home? Does that not mean that the run scores?
 
Do I have to wait for a HR? Should I look for a K instead of a sacrifice?
 
Do I have to fire up the computer. What to do? No HR? We cannot score that way. We need HRs without runners on base because analytics say that is really the cool new way to do it.
Let's eliminate the sacrifice, the bunt, the stolen base - I know they worked for 150 years but they did not have computers.
 
Mookie Betts looks great, but what is he doing stealing two bases?
 
Why would we hit to the weakness of a shift when we can score a high exit velocity on the ball we hit for an out? Why go the other way when we can get a launch angle? Doesn't exit velocity score us more points? Doesn't launch angle get us an extra mention on Sports Center?
 
Don't we get more runs for a HR with more distance?
 
What is it with the old school. Get a hit. Advance a base. Score. So boring.
 
And then there are RBIs - who cares. No one is getting a hit other than a HR anyway so why worry about a batter who can actually bring that baserunner to home plate? Runs, RBIs, Batting average - so yesterday.
 
And then there is pitching. We should all throw 100 mph because the batters can never adjust to that! Have them hit into a DP - what are you talking about it will impact my K/BB rate. The ERA is so old school lets just worry about K/HR.
 
And starting pitchers who go into the later innings - why? So what if we need 43 RP to handle all the extra innings. We do not need Spahn, Marichal, Mathewson - they are old school. Lets just have 9 pitchers per game per team. Boy is that fun. No saves, no complete games, no dominating Sandy Koufax or Bob Gibson. Let's have a lot of Duffeys, Romos, Aaron Bummers - who? Yup. No more pitchers in the HOF. Who needs them?
 
And, by the way, no more fans in the stands. Not because there is Covid, but because the game is getting so damned boring.
 
As an addendum - game three of the WS - the Dodgers had long balls, but they also scored on singles, they had a bunt for a run, and they stole bases. When you blend old school with some new maybe the game can get fun again.
 
Game 4 - Tampa Bay ties the series. Yes they got HRs, but a single and an error won the game. By putting the ball in play so many things can happen. It went for a single, it was dropped by the centerfielder and then the catcher - errors seldom happen on a K.
 
Game 6 - Kevin Cash proved what I hate - Snell was upset and should be. He is an Ace and he was ready to be Jack Morris but the damn team policy removed the human element and the Rays deserved to lose.

I had an idea. What if someone got a hit, stole second - maybe third and someone else got a hit and they scored?
 
In new school does that not count?
 
What if someone got a hit, someone bunted and then a single brought them home? Does that not mean that the run scores?
 
Do I have to wait for a HR? Should I look for a K instead of a sacrifice?
 
Do I have to fire up the computer. What to do? No HR? We cannot score that way. We need HRs without runners on base because analytics say that is really the cool new way to do it.
Let's eliminate the sacrifice, the bunt, the stolen base - I know they worked for 150 years but they did not have computers.
 
Mookie Betts looks great, but what is he doing stealing two bases?
 
Why would we hit to the weakness of a shift when we can score a high exit velocity on the ball we hit for an out? Why go the other way when we can get a launch angle? Doesn't exit velocity score us more points? Doesn't launch angle get us an extra mention on Sports Center?
 
Don't we get more runs for a HR with more distance?
 
What is it with the old school. Get a hit. Advance a base. Score. So boring.
 
And then there are RBIs - who cares. No one is getting a hit other than a HR anyway so why worry about a batter who can actually bring that baserunner to home plate? Runs, RBIs, Batting average - so yesterday.
 
And then there is pitching. We should all throw 100 mph because the batters can never adjust to that! Have them hit into a DP - what are you talking about it will impact my K/BB rate. The ERA is so old school lets just worry about K/HR.
 
And starting pitchers who go into the later innings - why? So what if we need 43 RP to handle all the extra innings. We do not need Spahn, Marichal, Mathewson - they are old school. Lets just have 9 pitchers per game per team. Boy is that fun. No saves, no complete games, no dominating Sandy Koufax or Bob Gibson. Let's have a lot of Duffeys, Romos, Aaron Bummers - who? Yup. No more pitchers in the HOF. Who needs them?
 
And, by the way, no more fans in the stands. Not because there is Covid, but because the game is getting so damned boring.
 
As an addendum - game three of the WS - the Dodgers had long balls, but they also scored on singles, they had a bunt for a run, and they stole bases. When you blend old school with some new maybe the game can get fun again.
 
Game 4 - Tampa Bay ties the series. Yes they got HRs, but a single and an error won the game. By putting the ball in play so many things can happen. It went for a single, it was dropped by the centerfielder and then the catcher - errors seldom happen on a K.
 
Game 6 - Kevin Cash proved what I hate - Snell was upset and should be. He is an Ace and he was ready to be Jack Morris but the damn team policy removed the human element and the Rays deserved to lose.

Wow – the combined AL/NL Central division had 7 teams in the 16 team post season mix. That must be a great division so we can take great pride in all our wins, right? Maybe not. Let us look at the division record for the first round.
 
This is for those of you who have decided not to watch any more baseball until spring. The game does go on even if the Twins do not. And if you did see other series you would see something that we missed in the Twins series, besides relief pitching, batting, and fielding. We missed fire - the Kirby Puckett type of jump on my back fire or the Jack Morris I am not coming out of the game fire.
 
 
Central division seven teams:
 
Chicago Cubs 0 - 2
Chicago White Sox 1 - 2
Minnesota Twins 0 - 2 The bombas scored 2 runs in two games
Cincinnati Reds 0 – 2 - They did not score once in 22 innings and had 28 Ks
Cleveland Indians 0 – 2
St Louis 1 – 2
Milwaukee 0 – 2
 
Total 2 - 14
 
Derrick Falvey - “When you get to the playoffs, every inning matters in a different way. It’s so much more stressful in those moments, because you’re worried inning to inning about what’s going to happen next … You get a little more fixated on the detail of it.”
 
The Eastern Division has five teams
 
Tampa Bay 2 – 0
New York Yankees 2 – 0
Toronto Blue Jays 0 – 2 (and they played Tampa Bay in their own division)
Atlanta 2 – 0
Marlins 2 – 0 Yes that was Brandon Kintzler closing out for the Marlins
 
Total 8 - 2
 
"THEY’D LOST SEVEN STRAIGHT POTENTIAL CLINCHERS! The hardest part of going all those years without winning a series is that the Braves could have won so many of them. They played seven postseason games in that time that could have clinched five different series — and lost all seven. That’s the longest losing streak in potential clinchers by any NL team in history — and the second-longest in baseball history." Jason Stark.
 
Western Division has only 4 teams - must be the weak division (right?)
 
Oakland A’s 2 - 1 Liam Hendriks threw 49 pitches on Wednesday, then saved their clincher Thursday.https://www.mlb.com/video/liam-hendriks-k-s-mazara?t=clinches-and-celebrations
San Diego 2 – 1
Los Angeles 2 – 0 Brusdar Graterol gets Ben Gamel to fly out to secure the 3-0 victory https://www.mlb.com/video/brusdar-graterol-earns-the-save?t=clinches-and-celebrations
Houston 2 – 0
 
Total 8 - 2
 
The Central has had 4 two and out, the East has one (because that team had to play within its own division and the West has zero.
 
"As the sixth inning arrived Thursday in Petco Park, the Padres were four innings away from getting swept by the Cardinals in the wild-card series. Then those same Padres apparently decided that getting swept was not an option. Nope. Not happening. What happened instead was incredible:" Jason Stark. Reminds me of Puckett and Morris. Sometimes you just have to say no - we are not going to lose.
 
Of course Don Mattingly without knowing it said what Rocco needs to hear - our starters are better than anything we have in the pen. You got to trust them. https://www.mlb.com/video/don-mattingly-on-the-win?t=clinches-and-celebrations
 
"Meanwhile in Oakland … the A’s were in the midst of one of the most mind-boggling October funks of all time. Until they outlasted the White Sox on Thursday, they’d somehow lost nine winner-take-all postseason games in a row.
"They’d lost three of those games to the Yankees … and two to the Tigers … and one each to the Red Sox, Twins, Royals and Rays. It was the longest streak in baseball history." Jason Stark
 
And despite the fact that the Twins starters are limited to five innings, Clayton Kershaw proved that is not a new league rule - "The Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw. Eight dominant innings, giving up only three hits while recording 13 strikeouts, all on breaking pitches." ESPN
 
Wild Card Round
Central - zero
East - Four
West - Four

Nelson Cruz has been everything the Twins could have expected for 2019 and 2020. He's stayed relatively healthy, hit both with power and for average, he's been available to play except for two ten-day stays on the Injured List and he has been a team leader and mentor for all players on his team. Cruz has been far and away the best hitter both last year and this year.
 
Despite all of his contributions, I am not sure my favorite team should bring back Nelson Cruz for the 2021 season. There is a truism that it is better to move off a player a year too soon than a year too late. Father Time is looking hard at Nelson Cruz and at some point he will slow down. Actually, I wonder if he might have started slowing down at this point. Cruz is striking out more lately and not hitting with as much power as he did in the first half of this shortened season. Cruz has managed to keep his batting average up, but he only has three homers and 3 RBI in the 20 days of September. I don't know what will happen next year, but I would think that there is a chance Cruz' production will drop, perhaps dramatically.
 
Also to consider is what the roster will look like next year and how Nelson would fit in it. The team has probably three corner OF/DH/1B prospects ready to play next year. Keeping Cruz would mean that for 90% of the games that Cruz isn't injured, he will fill the DH role. That leaves no real place for Kirilloff, Rooker and Larnach. Letting Eddie Rosario go could allow playing time for one of these guys, but still leaves a bit of a logjam. Using the DH spot as a half day off for regulars might be a better plan.
 
Nelson Cruz has provided 1.7 WAR this year after 55 games, which would translate into over 5 WAR for a full season. His OPS this year is 1.026, just down from last year's 1.032. Cruz's OPS+ is actually higher this year 178 vs. 168 and he achieved 4.2 WAR for the full season last year. He has served as a role model for the younger players, particularly Hispanic players.It would certainly be a tough call to let him leave the Twins, but I don't think it is out of the question.

Welcome to What I'm Reading. This is a collection of interesting or insightful articles I’ve read this past week.
 
Behind Nelson Cruz’s Maniacal Preparation:
 
From his Seattle Mariner days but a reminder of how much work the 40-year-old Cruz puts in to maintain his elite level of play.
 

Nap time can vary, but it’s daily. 

“If we play at home, I like to do it after BP,” he said. “If we are on the road, I do it before BP.”
Post nap will include a dip in the cold tub for about five minutes, followed by some time in the warm tub. 

Cruz’s on-field workout is another process. He doesn’t walk into the cage and try to bomb homers. There’s a plan to his batting practice, which includes driving the ball to the opposite field. Sure, by the end, he’s launching balls over the fence at distances his teammates only wish they could reach. 

But he’s become a more complete hitter by showing this discipline in batting practice. Though he rarely plays in the field anymore, Cruz will still take fly balls on most days because he still wants to play in the outfield at some point. He’ll even take ground balls in the infield to keep his body active. 

“It’s fun for me,” he said. 
Kansas City Royals Pitching Development Has Changed:
 

“We’re not going to draft a guy, have them come in and be like, ‘We need to do this, this and this,'” Stetter said. “The biggest thing is, you have to trust your eyes. If a pitch is working, the hitter is going to tell you. The hitter is going to let you know if your stuff is good enough. And if it is, you’re going to keep going with it. And if you get to Double-A and the hitters start hitting it, you’re not getting swings and misses, we’ll know what kind of changes we might make to that pitch to make it better.” 

{snip} 

“A lot of times, if you’re having a guy throw a four-seam, and it’s got a two-seam tilt, it might not always add up that he should be throwing all four-seams,” Stetter said. “There’s some stuff with Rapsodo and Edgertronic camera where we can sit there and make a decision on a guy, where, it might be more beneficial if he throws more two-seams, or it might be beneficial that he throws more four-seams. With new technology, you can tailor it to the guy. Certain grips play better to horizontal-breaking sliders.” 
Joe West Never Missed A Call:
 

"This is what people don't understand: When an umpire has a bad night, he goes back and looks at it," he said. "There has to be a reason you missed the call. Three ways you can miss a call: lack of concentration, lack of positioning, lack of timing. The Denkinger play at first base [in 1985 when the] Cardinals lost the World Series to the Royals. Don Denkinger overhustled on that play. He took himself out of position to see that play. Is that a bad thing that he hustled? No. But he put himself in the wrong spot. He's one of the best umpires the American League has ever had. He's remembered for that call. That's not fair. There's no batting average for performance for an umpire. They grade you, yes. But when you miss some, you can't go out and hit a homer. You have no recourse to get that back." 
99-Year-Old Roger Angell On Modern Baseball Statistics:
 

I think some of the new stats are useful. Good baseball played by Major Leaguers is so far beyond us—it’s the hardest game in the world to play well. And what underlies [the stat revolution] is, I think, a conscious and effective way to get some of this back, to say, “We know better. We know what the batters are doing. They don’t know what they’re doing.” It’s understandable, but it doesn’t add to the joy of the game for me. I’m not very statistical by nature, so I could be wrong about this. And I know a lot of people now use these stats and talk about them with interest. But also, it’s part of the huge alteration of the game itself. People tilting their swings and swinging for homers and striking out in huge numbers. This is a gigantic change in the game. I think home runs are OK, but on the whole, I prefer a triple. 
Are We Teaching Wrong?

Mr. Hirsch also takes issue with grade schools’ focus on “skills.” Whether it is imparting “critical thinking skills,” “communication skills” or “problem-solving skills,” he says such instruction is a waste of time in the absence of specific knowledge. He describes the findings of the National Academy of Sciences on the subject of the “domain specificity of human skills.” What this means, he explains in the new book, “is that being good at tennis does not make you good at golf or soccer. You may be a talented person with great hand-eye coordination—and indeed there are native general abilities that can be nurtured in different ways—but being a first-class swimmer will not make a person good at hockey.” 

He cites the “baseball study,” conducted by researchers at Marquette University in the 1980s, which found that kids who knew more about how baseball was played performed better when answering questions about a text on baseball than those who didn’t understand the game—regardless of their reading level. The conventional response in education circles is that standardized tests are unfair because some kids are exposed to more specific knowledge than others. In Mr. Hirsch’s view that’s precisely why children should be exposed to more content: Educators “simply haven’t faced up to their duty to provide a coherent sequence of knowledge to children.” 
What I'm Listening To (Spotify Playlist)
 
What I'm Listening To (Podcast Recommendation)

It is the seventh inning stretch of the 60 game season and I thought we might have to alter the baseball anthem just a little bit to make it work;
 
Katie Casey was baseball mad
Had the fever and had it bad
Just to root for the hometown crew
EVERY DAY
In the baby blue
On a Saturday her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go
To see a show, but Miss Kate said "No
I'll tell you what you can do:"
 
 
You can’t take me out to the ball game
Or take me out with the crowd;
But you can buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack
And I don't care if they ever come back
I will root, root, root for the home team
Whoever they are, but we’ll never know - and it's a shame
For it's still one, two, three strikes, you're out
At the strange new ball game
 
 
Katie Casey watched all the games
Knew the players by their first names
Told the umpire he was wrong
All along
Good and strong
When the score was just two to two
Katie Casey knew what to do
Just to cheer up the boys at her home
She made the gang sing this song:
 
 
I wish you could take me out to the ball game
Take me out with the virtual crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack
I don't care if I never get back
Let me root, root, root for some home team
If they don't win, it's a shame
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out
At the old ball game – I think.
 

 
This 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer is the unofficial anthem of MLB. The authors never attended a game, but their hit ranks with Happy Birthday for well known songs in the USA.

I cannot refuse to play baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, but I would if I could. I will support those who can, I will stand for the Black Lives Matter and not confuse it with the need to respect all lives. I will always feel a connection with the American Indian and the genocide of that Indian race in our nation. I will sympathize with the racism that affect the Chinese who built our railroads and the Japanese put in prison camps.
 
I grew up in a black neighborhood, I spent time with my relatives on the reservation in Lac Court O'Reilles, WI. To deny racism is to be blind to the world around us. To say that racism exists in only one color of people would be wrong, but the record of treaties broken, of people sold and resold exceeds other stories.
 
I want to trust the police, but they continue to disappoint me. I want to think that we have gone beyond lynching, but it is not acceptable to have white nationalists in uniform using guns instead of ropes.
 
Destruction of property, looting, defacing the cities is not acceptable, but neither is the indignity of those who complain because freeways are blocked, because peaceful people with tears in their eyes deserve our sympathy and understanding.
 
Baseball took half a century to recover from the racism of Cap Anson. It kidded itself that it was the great major league but was it. Who was better? When Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with Branch Rickey and Larry Doby, it became a flood in the NL and suddenly we had Aaron, Robinson, Mays, Banks, and other great stars giving the NL a period of dominance. It should have been an awakening. The same was true of other sports and the NHL is still in the backwash of history.
 
Sports have always been a measure of our nation and its progress. Despite our racism Jesse Owens in the Berlin Olympics was a great national victory. Louis over Schmeling was a blow to the Nazi claims of superiority. But the Black gloves held skyward in during their medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City on October 16, 1968, by two African-American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos offended many – it should not have. It was appropriate and is still meaningful.
 
We have let hate stop the progress towards equality. We have let selfish motives block the rights of people easily identified by skin color as different.
 
We should not be moving towards fascism; we should be moving towards compassion. Our nation should not be worshiping guns, but rather the opportunity of equal rights for all and I mean ALL.
 
I am growing old with the candle of hope flickering in the winds of hate that have been unleashed in our nation. Please - is Peace and Love really a bad slogan to live by?