Reider

Who else on the Twins makes the play that Sano just did? I know Plouffe can make the dive, not sure if his arm would have gotten the runner out. #StrongArmsMatter

Agreed. I've always believed that once you master one level, then you can move up to the next level. There's always a big question mark when players jump levels (e.g. AA to MLB), but if a player has mastered AAA, then I have no problem with him moving up to the next challenge (MLB). It's okay if young players fail a few times at the MLB level before they make it (e.g. Ben Revere). They are still young and developing. I don't expect a 19-22 year old player to be an all-star at the MLB level.

I recall a player by the name of Ben Revere who got sent back down to AAA a few times, then one day he was recalled by the Twins and he never looked back. Patience.

A couple of years ago fans were predicting that the Twins would hit their stride somewhere around 2016-2018. Now fans want to blow the team up and trade everyone. I have read a lot of complaints about minor league players being blocked. Sano is still with the Twins, but many of the minor league players mentioned in this thread have had opportunities at the MLB level and got sent back down because they weren't playing MLB caliber baseball. Buxton was even given the starting CF job out of spring training when it was clear to myself and other fans that he was not ready to be a starter at the MLB level yet. I also find it interesting when I read about fans wanting the starting pitchers moved to the bull pen. Yes, lets just move all of the starting pitchers to the bull pen, then who is going to start for the Twins? It's obvious that the Twins need to improve both the starting pitchers and the bull pen. As for team chemistry, I read one comment, where a fan suggested that the dressing room is "toxic." I really don't have any reason to believe that the dressing room is toxic. If anything, I think the Twins are just lacking something. I believe they are missing some team chemistry, character and personality. There are some veterans like Dozier and Plouffe with some personality, but there's also a bunch of guys like Mauer, Suzuki, and Park (who can't even speak English). And then you have Molitor managing these guys. I believe personalities like Torii Hunter are invaluable. Guys like him are a super glue that not only hold the team together, but they bring the team together. My guess is that the team needs more players like that in the dressing room. Losing in itself can take a toll on Moral, but I don't think there are really any toxic people in the dressing room. It's more about what's missing than what's there. I recently read about Dozier trying to get some advice from Torii Hunter on how to become a better leader. Either you have it or you don't. I can see Dozier being a good character in the dressing room, but the team needs more of those guys. As for trades, obviously some changes have to be made. I'm open to trading players away, but what I"m not in favor of is a knee jerk fire sale just for the sake of it. I think Terry Ryan needs to take a cerebral approach to improving the team moving forward.

If it wasn't for the Target Field logo on the limestone behind home plate, one would think this game was played in Kansas City.

What's with the silver chalk lines? Did they run out of white chalk?

Pitching and defense did okay. Hitters didn't produce enough runs.

Jack Morris 1991 Game 7 World Series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwslgROrMRE * Not sure if this was the last time a Twins pitcher did it, but it's certainly the most memorable.

I'm not surprised that Murphy got thrown out after watching Murhy's last at bat. But Murphy wasn't wrong, it was definitely a strike. I'm just not sure if the umpire is calling a bad game or if that was personal. Either way, Berrios is paying the price, which isn't right.

Nice hit by Park. Nice bunt by Dozier. Speaking of Dozier, I like instant replay. Instead of Dozier being angry with the umpire at first base, they can have a laugh together thanks to instant replay. This umpire's strike zone appears to be a bit off, but like others on this board, umpiring baseball was my first job and it's not always as easy as it looks.

Royals are smart. They scheduled batting practice during a regular season game.

Fastball down the middle should be sitting in the left field seats right now.

It wasn't just that one tweet. It was multiple tweets / sources. When you consider that tweet, plus the fact that he was still proudly wearing his dodgers hat out in public after signing / playing with the Twins and then if I recall correctly he posted something or replied to a fan something along the lines of that he can't wait to get back home or can't wait to get back to California or something along those lines. It's been a while now, so I forget how it was worded. And I haven't even been reading his tweets over the last year or so. I'm sure there's more evidence out there. The point is, when you read any other Twins players' tweets they are proud to be a Twin or are talking about winning as a Twin or hanging out with other Twins players etc.. When I read his, he always seemed like he at best only had one of his baby toes in the organization. I just never got the feeling that he's really embraced being a Twin. Then when these articles / threads on here pop up about his current attitude / state of mind / level of play, well hello! It doesn't surprise me at all. Deny Deny Deny all you want, but for me this has all been way too predictable.

I believe I have posted this in the past, but based on my observations of his twitter posts ever since he signed with the Twins, I always got the feeling that Nolasco's heart really isn't in Minnesota. I don't think he really wanted to come to Minnesota, he just signed because of the money the Twins offered him. You can refute that all you want (e.g. say that many players sign the biggest contracts they are offered), but he's the only Twins player that I've gotten that vibe from. This isn't new, I've felt this way for the last couple of years. I just never got the feeling that he's ever really been happy in Minnesota. So this news really doesn't surprise me at all.

Less than if he was hitting .315. Is that supposed to be a rhetorical question? Buxton really hasn't established his bat at the MLB level yet, so we don't know how many HR's he's capable of hitting at the MLB level. However, looking at his stats, he hasn't hit too many HR's in the minor's. He appears to be the type of player that's going to get on base and use his speed to his advantage instead of a guy who's going to hit a lot of home runs, which is okay with me. Also, I agree that he may hit a few more HR's as he gets older and fills out more. I'm just seeing the 15 HR prediction as being a lot more optimistic in 2016 than Escobar hitting 15 HR's in 2016 based on the facts that we currently have.

To be fair to you, I don't think you are over reaching at all with Escobar and the answer is in your post. He hit 12HR's last year in 127 games and he is trending upward in HR's. We are only talking about a difference of 3 HR's, which he could have hit last year if he played more games / had more at bats. It won't surprise me if he's a double digit HR guy again in 2016. Also, it won't surprise me if he hits 15 HR's in 2016. If anything, perhaps Buxton and Park might be riskier guesses for the simple fact that their HR numbers are currently unproven at the MLB level.

I was hoping that the Twins would sign an outfielder like Span this off season and for good reason. As of right now the Twins only have one bona fide outfielder that can be penciled into the line up right now. And that guy is Rosario and the position is left field. I have him penciled in at left field to start the season. If he has a sophomore slump at the plate, then that is out of our control and that's something that would have to be addressed during the season. Center field will have to be filled by using guys like Buxton and Santana. Hopefully one of these guys can get their bat going this year. Right field will have to be filled using Sano and / or some of the other guys the Twins have. It's a new position for Sano, but I believe in the guy as an athlete and if he takes things seriously, he might do just fine. Of course there will be some mistakes made. That is a guarantee. But he moves pretty good for a big guy and he has a strong arm, so he'll just have to work on his foot work, positioning, the lines he takes to balls, getting used to judging where he needs to be etc.. That will all take a lot of time and practice. Thankfully, one Mr. Torii Hunter is going to play a role in teaching him those skills. To be honest, I see growing pains in the near future in the outfield. If it isn't Sano taking time to get used to the outfield, it may be Buxton/Santana/Rosario's bats. Considering the Twins didn't go out and get any serous outfield help, we're just going to have to brace ourselves and hope for the best. I am staying optimistic. It might take a while, but in the end, it might just work out great. If/when Buxton gets his bat going at the MLB level, Sano develops into a decent (or better than decent) outfielder, and Rosario even improves a little bit at the plate. Those three will be dynamite in the outfield and at the plate.

Rosario is my starting left fielder in 2016. I'm not too worried about him. There might be some bumps in the road at the plate, but then again, he's the kind of guy who could be struggling, then all of a sudden hit a triple. Part of the reason why I don't worry about him as much as other younger players is because he appears to play with a lot of confidence.

I can only think of two Twins players who impressed me defensively last season. Dozier and Rosario. Dozier was fantastic the first half of the season, both offensively and defensively. After the All-Star break, he didn't seem like the same player. But neither did Perkins or Hunter (at times). After the All-Star break, Dozier was still pretty solid defensively, he just seemed to make a couple of cringe worthy errors (based on the games I watched). I don't know if he was mentally fatigued or both mentally and physically exhausted, but I'm not worried about his defense at all. His skills didn't decline. He didn't lose any tools. I agree with many other fans. It's possible that he either needs to change his off season training (which I"m sure is fine, he seems like a hard worker) or he needs more days off throughout the season or both. Of course Dozier doesn't have the best range or strongest arm, that's why he's not playing short stop! But for playing second base, he does have pretty good range and he does have a pretty good arm. Dozier has this special ability to basically suck up any ball that enters his range. And not only does he pretty much stop every ball that enters his zone, but he keeps his body stable throughout the entire process and puts himself in a great position to make a good throw to first base. It wasn't until 2013/2014 where Dozier really started to impress me. In 2013 I noticed defensive improvement. In 2014 I thought he was fantastic. And of course in 2015 I thought he was fantastic as well. Do not bet your money against his defense in 2016. At least not in the first half of the season. Offensively, it's fair to question whether or not he'll hit home runs in 2016, but even so, I wouldn't push the panic button there yet either.

At the very least, it would be nice if the Twins could sign a couple of pitchers and an outfielder before spring training.

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This is actually a good thing because it's much easier to teach a player to pull the ball for power than it is to hit opposite field for power. I know this based on things I have read and also from personal experience.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. The Hicks trade increases the likelihood of Span returning to the Twins. Now that there's two open outfield spots (with Rosario being the only "guaranteed" (penciled in) starting outfielder in 2016), it's something the Twins should consider more than they did yesterday. If the Twins are serious about taking another step forward, which they appear to be, they need to put someone solid out there. the fact that Span is a proven lead off hitter almost makes me think that the Twins would be stupid for not offering him a contract. It would leave one outfield spot open for Buxton and a 4th outfielder spot open for Kepler when they are ready.

Span on a one year deal is definitely an option I would consider.

There is a reason why people say that playing professional sports is 90% mental. Florimon and Santana both have excellent tools to play SS, but both have had mental meltdowns. Plouffe and Dozier were both failures at SS. However, with hard work and working things out mentally, look where they are now. Dozier is an all-star 2nd baseman and Plouffe is a solid 3rd baseman. I really like Santana's skill set. Defensively, he has the tools to be a very solid SS. He just needs to keep working hard and figure things out mentally. If he doesn't get his mind straightened out, he's not going to succeed at the MLB level, even though his skill set is arguably "above average."