Dman

I thought April was better than that he must have just had a hot couple of weeks then.

Blankenhorn started the season red hot. I was almost ready to say they should promote him to the next level and he tapered off and then slumped badly. I'm not sure what to think but I am still high on him. If he figures things out as a hitter they can find a position to play him at. I think he came in as a Shortstop so he should be able to handle third but I haven't seen him play there. They must like his speed and agility if they are playing him at 2nd. Maybe looking for another Dozier type player because it looks like Blanky has power. I am thinking he might follow the Max Murphy path at a younger age. It seemed like it took Max a bit to hit the offspeed stuff and be more patient at the plate. If he breaks out offensively then he will be a top ten prospect. I am betting on the Blanket to make it.

Personally I am not surprised. I don't think any manger has taken a team from worst in baseball to the playoffs in one year. He had a lot of challenges this year and he held the team together. The award is well deserved IMO. Congrats to Paul!

If I am giving up prospects I want it to be for a started not the pen. Fix starting pitching first then focus on pen.

I am big fan of Whitefield. Steals bases with ease. Plays good defense and he was hitting around 300 half way through the season and then started slumping or got pitched to differently and struggled. Since he hasn't played baseball for that long and is only 21 I think you have to give him a bit more time to adjust but he looks like the real deal to me. The K rate is troubling but another season will tell us more. That off-speed stuff seems to slow hitters down as they move up levels. I think that with the great defense he provides and a likely improving bat he is worthy of a 26 to 30 ranking.

I agree with you. I am not sure what criteria is used and I like all of them but I tend to feel the manager that took his team from worst record in the league to the playoffs as having done more than the other two who had good teams to begin with.

If I am Buxton I would not give up three FA years for an extension. If I wanted to play that game I would give up one year tops. If giving up one year of FA gave me some financial security I would do it but I would want to reach FA as far under 30 years old as possible. That way you have the leverage of more prime years when going for that big contract. It is a gamble for both sides but if the Twins want any kind of potential discount or even the hope of getting something done they probably have to do it this year. A lot of it depends on how Buxton and his agent view his future. Is 100 Mil career earnings enough money that you don't care what happens for the next contract? or do you want to maximize your potential earnings through your baseball career taking on the risk of injury, performance, etc? Hard to say what path he would choose.

If and I know that is a big if you could sign Dozier for three years at a reasonable rate then I think that would be tough to pass up given his production. Not sure what that means for the Gordon Timeline but Doziers production is not easily replaced especially his power. He should have another 3 years of solid production in him and or at least it is a good bet. If you felt like Gordon was ready or a better option later on you could attempt to trade him again as well. My hunch is that he gets a four year deal with a fifth year option. Depending on what he costs dollar wise I don't think it makes sense for the Twins to spend that much on a 2nd baseman but he is the team leader and a solid producer so they might see things differently.

I am inclined to agree with those that say QO Dozier. If Gordon doesn't look like he is ready after next year and Dozier takes the QO then we can go year to year with him until confident someone else can step into that role. If he declines the QO we still have Esco and Adrianza to fill in at short if Gordon isn't ready and the potential to get draft pick compensation. I think the worst thing you could do is sign Dozier long term and this is his one shot at the big money so he won't likely take a short term deal unless the market just isn't there. He is one of my favorite players but i agree with others that the money would be better spent on quality pitching if possible.

Buxton is the one I would try and lock up for sure. If he remains solid at the plate other teams will snap him up as soon as they can. If Rosario is reasonable then I would offer him as well. Wouldn't mind doing Kepler but having the whole outfield locked up seems overkill. I know Sano has the potential to be a game changer but his K rate and injury history worry me. I know he will get better and at the beginning of the year when he was healthy and disciplined at the plate he carried this team. I just get the feeling he won't be giving the Twins a deal and I am not sure he is someone who can stay healthy. Tough call on Sano for me. I agree that this is the year to get deals done if the Twins want any discounts. If we wait until these guys "prove" themselves the price is going to be much higher to get those later years. It is a risk but opportunity only knocks once.

I guess my assumption was poor. Sorry to put words in your mouth. I personally don't think anyone knew what was going to happen but this team answered the challenge.

Not trying to call anyone out. Just trying to make a point that I felt a lot of people gave up hope when Kintzler was traded. I guess I could have just written down the number 15. I just wanted to point out how a lot of people felt about it.

And I concede that the people that wanted to stay in the race were correct for believing in this team. I sure didn't think they would make it. All I am saying is that they did make the Playoffs even without Kintzler. Maybe the FO did give up on the team or maybe they felt Kintzer wasn't going to be the difference I don't know their thinking I just don't think they deserve much criticism for the decision. If the Twins beat New York and lose some close games in the bullpen in the next series I will eat my words and concede I wish the FO would have done more. To me this team does not match up well with Houston or Cleveland and certainly doesn't have those teams depth. This has been awesome year of Twins BB. I am shocked at where they are. We just agree to disagree on how the FO handled things.

This was the post from John Bonnes after the Kintzler trade. ""This likely won't be a very popular opinion, but the Twins gave up on this year for maybe five guys who: a. probably don't rank in the top 15 in their organization and b. probably don't rank in the top 300 in the minors and c. likely will make little to no difference in their future? That's what Littell, Enns, & Watson are, right? And given the reliever market (which we just saw for Kintzler), they certainly wouldn't have needed to give up much to add a couple of competent relievers. I know it's been a tough week, but this was a mistake. I don't get why they wouldn't ride it and chance the 9% chance they hat making the playoffs. It feels like panic. What did we gain exactly for giving up?" This article was liked by the following members: hybridbear peterb18 bighat Dave The Dastardly Raven J DaveW whydidnt Hosken Bombo Disco Jerr Highabove shimrod Vanimal46 ChiTownTwinsFan USAFChief pbrezeasap gunnarthor Mike Sixel. I assume all those posters felt that after the Kintzler trade there was no way the Twins were going to make the post season. At least that is how I read it. No one thought the Twins had a chance after the trade and also felt that the Twins needed to add to have a chance. In the end everyone except the FO was wrong because they made the post season without Kintzler. So I guess I fail to see the angst for that trade. Would it be good to have a better bullpen right now sure but was that going to be enough to move the needle enough in the post season matchups? I don't think so, but I am sure you could make a case. Also you would have probably had to give up someone like Hildy or Bussy or more to get a couple of two month rentals. I think the FO did ok on this one.

I guess fangraphs and all the supposed experts are schmucks then because they sure didn't see "it" coming.

Well he is better than getting nothing at all for Kintzler and we made the postseason without Kintzler plus they threw in $500,000 in international bonus money. While Watson is not on any top 100 prospect lists he has been an All-Star twice in the minors as he has moved up. He is young for the levels he has been in. Granted he is not a hard thrower but since he is only 20 there is projection there. I believe he has a good curveball which is all the rage these days. Personally I question if he has enough stamina and pitches to be a starter but he could end up a very good reliever if he can't make it as a starter. He is in our top 20. If you don't like guys in that range or don't think they can make it then you probably don't like the trade. Personally I like the gamble given that we only had two months left of Brandon and too many pitching holes to truly compete with the big boys this year. I'd rather have Watson and $500,000 than Brandon and the same wildcard result. More good prospects = more chances to get someone who makes it.

Yeah but given the way the young bats were slumping or at least very inconsistent along with only two viable starting pitching options those odds appeared pretty long in July. I really think you have a bit too much 20\20 here. It felt a lot more probable that things would go in the tank than even out IMO. I know a lot of people on this board felt the FO gave up on the season when they traded Kintzler. Even the players seemed to feel the same way if I remember correctly. Knowing what I know now would I rather have Kintzler? Probably, but even if we still had him i doubt it would make much difference in the end. I would, however, have liked to give this team the best chance possible to pull out a wildcard win and if the game is close he is a big asset. I really think this comes down to whether you want to play the long or short game. I get that we have been playing the long game forever and some success was needed but for me I still like what the FO did. I like Watson's potential and the potential we can buy with $500,000 in international money. In the end things worked out and the team made the post season and will have a measure of success. To me it looks like a win, win.

Awesome article! You always felt these guys had what it takes and I remember you being quite perturbed that the Twins traded at the deadline and kind of gave up on the season. Well things worked out both ways for a change.

For the most part I like what the FO has done this year. I like that they took time to see what they had and made changes where they saw needs. I liked what they did at the trade deadline. Granted the returns weren't incredible but it was better than getting nothing for those guys. At the time it seemed pretty unrealistic to me based on the numbers and past history that this team would make the playoffs. I was for the long term view the FO had all the way. I know there were several people on this board that did not feel that way (I am thinking of Mr Bonnes in particular) and kuddos to them for being right that this team had what it takes to get to the playoffs. They were the "true" believers. I was not one of them. Bottom line is through the "process" luck or whatever, they still got returns at the deadline and the team made the playoffs so in my mind that is true genius or at least good fortune. Having said all that the FO knows what they have now so next year they need to find a way to improve the rotation and solidify the pen. They have a good group of core players. The window is often short. I hope they are up to the task.

I felt that Rodriguez was the real difference maker for Chattanooga. He seemed to come up with big hits when they needed them. He made that lineup very tough at the top with Gordon and Wade as table setters his bat was very important to their success. Happy to see him get some recognition.

Still have a chance at 3 championships. Let's get them all.

Yep I think they will just keep him as well. They can't seem to get decent value in trade for him so might as well ride it out. They can gauge his market value after next season and decide if they want to keep him or run with another young guy.

Fun read! I have been watching the box scores for those guys all year. A lot of slumps after the break but I agree the bats seem to be back. Let's hope the pitching holds and they should be dangerous in the playoffs.

So with the Cedar Rapids win does that mean all the affiliates will have winning records this year? Is there a chance that all the affiliates will qualify for the playoffs? Pretty fun year to follow all the teams. Typically the talent pools up in two maybe three leagues but not all. I wonder if there has ever been a year like this one for the Twins affiliates?

MIranda and Bechtold were really hot to start the season and have cooled some recently. Wander has really come on with the bat lately as well. Some really talented young hitters are gonna end up in Cedar Rapids next year.