Dman

Yeah I am wondering if it is an all International outfield at high A next year with Urbina, Aguiar and Rodriguez. With Mercedes and Jose Rodriguez not far behind.

I started high on SWR but I am becoming the low man on him recently. I guess my biggest concern is that his arm seems to wear down after a month or so and I am not confident he can remain a starter. While I have seen him pitch efficiently as a pitch to contact pitcher and he has also had some very good K rate games just like Berrios there always seems to be a big inning given up at some point. So I guess I still have my doubts. Having said all that he is very young for the level and as he gains more experience and hopefully more consistency I think he has the potential to be as good or better than Berrios but he will have to be better than he currently is to get there IMO.

Chris Williams just keeps on hitting. He has a solid OBP and 23 HR's on the year. He and Isola have some pretty good consistent numbers this year at the plate. Palacios looks ready as well after brutal start to the year his number look pretty impressive as well. Was hoping for bit more stat wise with SWR but at least he didn't blow up completely. Big game from Wichita and a must needed win to fend off Tulsa. Camargo seems to be getting back into the groove which is nice to see. Nowlin stole the show with 11 K's and 6 innings of work late in the season but Lee is still looking good and more than holding his own the high A level as well. If he keeps this up he will be a fast mover. I still think it is going to be interesting to see who the Twins protect in the rule V draft.

Wasn't quite sure Gossett was going to get it done. Two outs in the 9th, he walked two batters and had thrown 115 pitches or so. Tying run was at the plate and he looked out of gas. He pulled it off though against one of the best teams in the league so have to say that was impressive. Palacios is still hitting and playing good defense he seems like a must add for next year. Prato yet another utility guy playing very, very well. Twins have lots of under the radar guys this year.

Technically there is no rush but the longer you leave it and if the player does perform then you will have to pay much, much more to buyout the later years. After two to three years most players just wait it out for FA unless the team really pony's up. It is a risk for both sides to do it early but if you think you have a superstar or even above average player on your hands and want to keep them though their complete prime which is around age 33 for me then best to strike early if you want a deal. The downside is if the player gets injured or regresses then the value you might have received goes down. It is a gamble not to be taken lightly but given Miranda has always had good contact skills and has improved his plate discipline over time he seems like a good bet to only get better IMO and thus cost more money down the road.

I think the Twins should try to extend him. He does not provide much defensive value but the bat is just sooo good and he doesn't K that much so I think he stays this good or better at the plate. Always risky with early big contracts and potential injury\performance regression to the player but if the player does work out the savings is substantial as well. For Miranda I think it is a risk worth taking.

I am going to echo that Jose Rodriguez was not someone I was expecting to be "this" good. I can't remember anyone with that much power in the DSL. Those guys are so young they don't usually develop power that early. For 17 years of age he sure looks special. As high on the top three signings as I am one thing I do know is that DSL numbers are pretty meaningless. When they hit the FCL those numbers are likely to come way down. Still looking good early is way better than looking lost. We will know a lot more about those three once they hit the FCL though. Ross with another Home Run. I am really hoping he can stick at short although I read that he is likely to move off of short so who knows. At any rate if the bat is for real they will find a place for him and if he has HR power that would be an amazing find coming from a D2 school.

First let me say congratulation to Simeon Woods-Richardson on the promotion. SWR and Varland seem like the only legit rotation arms coming out of AA this year. Hopefully they thrive at AAA as well. Also congrats to Jaylin Nowlin. He has been surprising as a starter. I thought he was a relief arm only pick but he looks like he has the stuff to start. Will have to wait and see but a well deserved promotion at any rate. Extremely happy to have something positive to say about Balazovich. Very solid game and it feels like that hasn't happened in some time. Hopefully he has turned a corner and turns back into the dominant pitcher he can be. Evan Sisk sure looks like a lefty that might make some noise at the MLB level His numbers are pretty much the same from AA to AAA really good WHIP and ERA solid K rate as well. I think I like him better than Moran mainly because he seems more consistent. Hopefully he can become another good lefty pen arm for us. I am always hard on Sabato and I still think he is more of a mistake pitch hitter but he worked the count 2-0 and didn't miss the pitch down the middle. Good for him as he came up strong in a big moment and won the game. Lawyerson has been amazing this year. I kind of lost a little faith in him after last year but he is back stronger than ever another 40 man decision most likely with the year he is having. Adams is back. Was nice to see him performing at high A just like he did at low A. Pretty much dominated. Hunter McMahon is a bit old for the leagues he has been in but he has been dominant as well. Would be nice if they moved him to AA soon and see where he is at with guys more his own age. Still an excellent season for Hunter. I was very curious to see how the smaller school Ross would do in pro ball. Would he have any power? would he have the same level of plate discipline. I guess he pretty much answered those questions in this one game with the HR and the bases loaded walk. Gonna be keeping my eye on this guy as he might be a legit shortstop if the bat plays. Has been cool to see Urbina hitting really well and with some power his second time through Low A. Was a little worried last year. Guessing they let him finish where he is but he should start at High A next year. Great night for all the affiliates although they had to pull off some magic in a couple of those games. The better these guys do the better I feel about the system.

I like your list. Enlow could use more time refining command and control. Cruz could use more time refining control and would be nice to see what he can do against that kind of competition. Rijo had a late start and could use the extra work. Laweryson was there last year and I would swap him with Bentley or maybe German Martin definitely needs more work. Sabato and Holland could use more work and Winkel is a nice dark horse pick but I think I would go with Isola as he missed a fair bit of time this season and the Twins might need to decide if they want to add him to the 40 man so I think it would be a good idea to get another look at him there but Winkel works too. Still I like most all of your picks! Especially Cruz as I hadn't thought about him but I think it would be a good idea to see just how refined he looks as they might need to add him to the 40 man as well. He will get taken in rule V as he can throw 100 MPH and his K rate at 12 per 9 is strong as well. Yes he has control problems and his ERA is inflated from April and May where he gave up 9 runs in 8 innings of work each month but if you look at the numbers after those two months they are really strong. I think sending him to the AFL makes a lot of sense good pick there.

Would really be nice if Cruz could find more consistency. With Duran, Cruz, Alcala, and Lopez all being hard throwers that could be a tough pen next year.

He is right there at 61.

After St Paul was up 9-0 I had them penciled in for the win. It would have taken an epic melt down to lose that game but when you have Henriquez on your team bad things can and did happen. Henriquez came out of it with 4 K's but giving up two homers and six runs is just unfathomable for a guy who was a top 10 prospect in the Twins system (I see they dropped him to 22 now). Moran comes in and also gives up a HR which is exactly what you don't want to see from a guy you hope can make it back to the MLB roster. And for as good as the hitting was early they never scored again the rest of the game so big healthy boo to the offense as well. Baseball is a crazy game. Wichita what can you say. I have been pretty hard on SWR especially about K rate and looking more dominant at the AA level. He really looked good. The line could have been a bit better because the WHIP was higher than you would like but still that is the kind of fire I have been looking for and was happy to see. I have been a big backer of Holland until recently when he looked pretty over matched at High A. Maybe a fresh start was needed? He is taking walks, not striking out as much and hitting the ball really well. I know he won't stay this hot forever but still those are all good trends and I hope he can keep that up. After Lee hadn't had an extra base hit I was going to write that he needed to work on developing more power but he beat me to the punch with his HR last night. I have to say he has been impressive at hitting the ball where they ain't. He is not a guy I would shift on as he finds a way to put the ball in the open space no matter where that is on the field. I hope he dominates and starts next year at AA. The Twins might finally have options at short in the future. The Twins need to move Cardenes up. He has an unheard of 1.171 OPS in August and his July was elite as well. Low A ball is a tough hitting environment and has more than proven he is ready. Get one of those catchers they drafted to take his place his bat is ready for the next level. Mercedes and Jose Rodriguez among others keep doing there thing in the DSL. The hitting pipeline is alive and well even after the deadline. Pitching could still use some help.

I am happy they finally came through with runners in scoring position and finally broke a gamer open. Even if it was against the AAA Royals they needed a game like this. Happy to see Sonny dominate and the Twins need to win these games to stay in the race. Hopefully this builds some confidence and things start falling their way.

Maybe DeGrom, Verlander, or Rodon if he opts out. There are other guys but I think they might might mid rotation or lower Like Bassit, Manea, Eovaldi.

I think they go with what they have on the hitting side. I could see them going after Contreras but other than they have enough hitters\position players at the MLB L level and in the system, they need better pitching though. So if I were them I would go low years high AAV on difference making pitching. I think that is what they need the most.

The way this game played out with only a two run lead after the 6th I really thought the pen would find a way to blow it as they seem to have lots of trouble holding slim leads. Lopez almost made my gut feeling come to fruition but managed to hang on this time. Kind of starting to feel like we got hosed in that trade with Baltimore. Not sure what the deal is but he hasn't been the same pitcher since coming over to the Twins. HIs first outing was his best and he was facing a rookie Royals team this time. I don't know why the pen is cursed this year but karma says next year they should be untouchable. Anyway they got the W but this team has problems all the way around IMO. Will be interesting if they can hang with the Sox and Guardian's. Note: After I blasted Correa last week he has a 1.086 OPS the last seven games. We will see if he can keep it up but those are big boy numbers. Gonna need his bat if the Twins are going to have any chance at all. Twins need to do batting practice with the infield in and at double play depth as the offense is getting killed with runners in scoring position. Would be nice if they could break a game open once in a while.

I know I am kind of old school but I really like how Bundy comes out and challenges hitters. I think given his results he could command 10M on the market. That being said he is a 5th starter at best so if they went a different direction I would be OK with that too. It will be interesting to see if SWR and Varland will look like legit MLB starting options for next year along with Winder and Ober and maybe Smeltzer and Paddack coming back it would seem they have sufficient depth without Bundy but like I said I could go either way given how volatile pitchers arms are. Sano just never quite put things together with much consistency. I still think his best days might be a head of him but his time in Minnesota is at an end. Wouldn't want to pay 14M for the production he brings so he will get the buyout and certainly another chance with another team. Gray is a keeper for next year hands down not much to argue there.

Jullien batting .300 with a .438 OBP and .950 OPS what is left for him to work on in AA? That is as dominant a stat line as you will find in the upper levels. He has a well rounded bat and and great eye at the plate. They should give him more time in left field so he has a better path to the MLB club. Really nice to see Lee making better contact. I know it was only a game or two but the weak contact he was making was worrisome. If his advanced hit tool is for real no reason they can't move him faster than most prospects.

There are things to be excited about. Need to see how this next week or two goes becaue if they can keep things tight who knows. I will be watching Miranda, Gordon and Arraez. Hopefully Larnach comes back at some point and gets more MLB action. Hoping Jovani Moran excels at the MLB level as we will desperately need him to do well out of the gate next year. Would like to see Sands and maybe Henriquez get more chances and if the Twins are out of it then SWR, Varland, Strotman, Palacios and Wallner would be fun to see. It feels like the Twins need to develop their young players for them to be more successful next year but again will have to wait and see if this team goes down the drain or has some fight left in them to stay in it until the end.

I just think the injury's to this team along with the un-timely pen implosions has been and will be too much to overcome. With injuries to Buxton, Kirilloff, Jeffers, Larnach, Lewis, and others it is surprising how well this team has performed. It just kind of feels like this is a team on the down swing right now. There is time to wake up but given all the trends I wouldn't be surprised to see this team 5 games back before long. In the mean time Cleveland is on a roll and finding its groove. They split with Houston and their pitching seems to be back to elite status and they actually have a team that can hit now so I think they take the division not that that means much this year but they remind me of the piranha Twins of years past where they just wear you down and find ways to win. I don't know what the deal is with Chicago. They have the most talent in the division and a decent pitching staff but they haven't made a run all year. They can still do it but I like Cleveland the best out of all three right now and unless the Guardian's face injuries to their pitching staff I think they are the team to beat.

I get your point about guys just starting pretty much getting screwed monetary value wise. It stinks and I wish there were better ways than arbitration to get younger players the money they deserve but this is the system the players and owners agreed on so here we are. Depending on how you view WAR, Correa will probably technically earn or equal his value for money paid. So depending on ones perspective he is worth the money right now. I think I agree that this Twins season would have been worse without him and his ability to help create a band of brothers type club house should not be understated. That said I was expecting more from the bat and quite honestly in clutch situations. I expected him to step up not fall back. I expected a player with better plate discipline not swinging at balls 2 feet off the plate with two strikes. I expected more HR power. I expected him to lead the offense by example like Cruz did. Maybe it is just that my expectations were too high although as I pointed out lot's of players on this team have a higher OPS than Correa. Even players that wouldn't be considered at Correa's level. I can come with tons of reasons for why his performance is off this year. No spring training. A really cold spring. Hit in the hand by a pitch. COVID. He has faced a lot of adversity but he was healthy in June and looked like he was back and now the July Numbers show him back to his spring numbers. A team can do a lot with 35M. While I appreciate what the Twins did in bringing him in I am not sure an eggs in one basket (a guy taking up about 25% of payroll) is a great approach unless they can perform at an elite level for the entire contract. There are still two months for me to be more impressed but right here, right now I have to say I am disappointed in his season so far. Whether those are fair expectations or not it seems several of us disagree and this is just my opinion it doesn't mean I am right about anything it is just honestly how I feel.

That is a really good question. I think they saw Schobel as a utility guy so not sure that is a huge issue for him\them but I thought Ross and Schuffield were "true Shortstops" The High schoolers they took down the line I assume can play in the FCL for a while until ready. Still that leaves two more shortstops they will need to find room for at some point. Gotta believe Miller will some extra rest at the end of the year here.

I'll go out on a limb and assume this is directed at me. My argument wasn't about what players were making in 1972 compared to 2022. It was about valuing what a team can do with 35M and or what value 35M should have. Rod Carew really doesn't even belong in this discussion about Correa;s value. I just tried to point out based on another posters reply that the Money Correa earns versus what he contributes to the team matters. Not trying to create some odd argument about what players from 1950 might earn today that has nothing to do with this OP. So "FYI" my not well thought out argument has nothing to do with yesterday's dollars versus todays dollars. It has to do with the value a players performance has for the team based on how much money he makes and expanded to include what else could be done to improve the team with the 35M Correa makes. Just to be clear nothing to do with Billionaire owners, high ticket prices, inflation through the years etc. etc.

I don't disagree as that has been their MO to date. They don't trust pitching arms to last long and don't want to be stuck with a player that cannot contribute making big money (limiting payroll). Still they seem pretty stocked for position players right now so it looks to me like they have a window to take chances on pitching. If they they aren't going to spend that 35M then I would much rather have Correa.

Wander had a pretty good June and July OPSing in the 800's. Off to a tough start in August but I agree they should move him to AA and see what he has. They don't have much at short there anyway. I think the eye is there he just needs to make more contact and I still think he has a chance to make it. Not as an All Star but MLB player most likely utility.