Hosken Bombo Disco

I started to be snarky and post this to a particular thread that was annoying me.  But I thought twice, and will post it here, in a vacuum.
What's The Best Logical Fallacy?
A famous Logic professor told me the Appeal to Authority Fallacy is the best.
Anyone who doesn't say the Ad Hominem Fallacy is best is a poopyhead.
Argument from Repetition Fallacy is the best. Repetition. Argument from. Best.
Begging the Question Fallacy is the best because it is superior to all others.
Cherry Picking Fallacy is the best; this message is all you need, to see that.
Circular Argument Fallacy is best because nothing is better than an argument that is circular.
Either the False Dilemma Fallacy, or pure evil, is best, ergo False Dilemma.
Everyone is saying the Bandwagon Fallacy is best, so it must be.
False Equivalence Fallacy is no worse than any other and therefore is the best.
Have you or have you not stopped using the best: the Loaded Question Fallacy?
I bet double my last bet the next one will say the Gambler's Fallacy is best.
I just heard about the Recency Bias Fallacy. It's gotta be the best one ever.
I mistyped another fallacy, so Hasty Generalization Fallacy is the best.
I used to think Stockholm Syndrome Fallacy wasn't best but I'm warming up to it.
I've had success with Proof by Example Fallacy as the best. This is Exhibit A.
If Affirming the Consequent Fallacy is the best, then I wrote this. And I did.
If the Slippery Slope Fallacy isn't the best, pretty soon we'll have anarchy.
If you loved me you'd let me call the Emotional Appeal Fallacy the best.
It can't be a best list if you leave out the No True Scotsman Fallacy.
It's your job to prove the Burden of Proof Fallacy ISN'T the best. Not mine.
Super geniuses Dunning & Kruger invented the best Fallacy, Overconfidence Bias.
The Appeal to Nature Fallacy is best - it's only natural.
The Black and White Fallacy is either the best, or else all logic is wrong.
The Ipse Dixit Fallacy is best, full stop, case closed.
The Red Herring Fallacy is the best because, oh look, a squirrel!
The Straw Man Fallacy is the best because my opponent intends to outlaw it.
The Sunk Cost Fallacy is best and it's too late to pick a different one anyway.
The Survivorship Fallacy is best because it saved my life.
The long-neglected Appeal to Pity Fallacy is the one to support as best.
To deny Moral Equivalence Fallacy as the best is just like robbing a bank.
The Tautology Fallacy is best. When outlawed only outlaws will have Tautologies.

The majority of Twins fans are treating the ownership as the bogeyman for the team’s demise, I’m here to pass the blame to the person who is most deserving of that title.
The Twins signed Carlos Correa to a “pillow” contract in March 2022 for $105,300,00 over 3 years which paid him $35,100,000 for 2022. In the 4 years prior to free agency Correa had a 2.9 WAR in 110 games, 3.8 WAR for 75 games, 1.6 WAR for 58 games and 7.3 WAR for 148 games. No question that he had a career year at the perfect time for reaching free agency both for on-field performance and player health.
The Twins had never been a player in free agency, but when Correa became available for short-term money the Twins decided that here was their opportunity for relevance. As happened in 2021, Correa had another career year with a 5.3 WAR for 136 games. Because of opt outs Correa decided to re-enter the free agency market where he found 2 teams willing to give huge contracts for crazy years. The problem for Correa became his medicals. Both the Giants and Mets rescinded their offer when their team physicians had found issues with his feet that they felt would cause the contract not to age well. Re-enter the Twins with a shorter term contract for similar annual salary. Their medical people gave their blessing to the term of the guaranteed years and the Twins resigned him thinking that had pulled off a heist of epic proportion. Well I don’t have to remind you of the results after this signing; in 2023 he had a 1.3 WAR in 135 games, in 2024 a 3.7 WAR but in 87 games and in 2025 a 0.1 WAR in 93 games before being traded. It looks like he is a better player in his contract year.
Now onto the blame game. For the initial signing, Derek Falvey was able to convince Twins ownership that this was a deal that would give credibility to the franchise and was worth the 1 year investment. With the promise of a surge in attendance and playoff money, ownership agreed. The business had started accumulating debt and a successful season on the field was the most painless way of addressing their growing liabilities on the balance sheet.
After a 7.3 WAR Correa was certainly worth $35M per year and with the opt outs, he was obviously going to re-enter the free agent market if he had a decent year. Well he had a 5.3 WAR year and filed for free agency after the 2022 season. When the market dried up and the news of medical issues became public and with many big market teams already having an elite player at shortstop, the Twins had another opportunity to resign an elite player for about the same pay but with fewer years than others offered. Somehow ownership again agreed to take on the financial burden.
In 2023 the Twins had their greatest success in recent memory. They finished 1st in the Central Division with a 87–75 record and swept the Blue Jays in the Wild Card round, before finally losing 3-1 in the ALDS. At this time the farm system was ready to produce and there were some attractive players who had reached free agency. Instead of: 1) signing a player to fill-in gaps through free agency, or 2) trading prospects for established major leaguers, ownership on a $30M cut from the salary budget.
Apparently at this time the Pohlad’s re-examined their finances and, in spite of logic telling them they needed to further invest, they had to revert back to pre-Correa payroll.
I don’t think that it was a coincidence that the $30M of decrease in budget was just about Correa’s salary. While we may blame ownership for reducing the payroll, I’m placing the blame totally with Derek Falvey for making the signing in the first place. A team without Correa at shortstop could have fared very well, especially if they were able to invest $10M of that $30M on player acquisitions. Instead he bet on Correa being at his prime.
My feeling is that Derek Falvey should have faced the guillotine rather than Rocco (which even he admitted) or Joe Pohlad.
Falvey has a monopoly of control and whether it is controlling the business side of the organization, or through pre-game meetings with his manager to give his opinion on decisions that should be made by his manager, he has authority well beyond his capabilities. Until the business model is redefined where the ownership gives Falvey the money for groceries, he does the shopping and the manager decides what to cook, the franchise will continue resting near the bottom of the standings.
The best solution is to get rid of Falvey.

Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but have the Pohlad's shared the names of the minority owners yet?
If not why hasn't that information been shared? 
Has MLB not yet approved the sale and they are waiting on that?
If MLB has approved the sale, what is the point of NOT sharing new owners?
With the hatred and vitriol towards the Pohlads (and rightfully so), wouldn't competent ownership be excited about sharing details of the new investors? Help distract from the stench of their own incompetence and try and build SOME sort of excitement that things may be different.
Could there be a "Timberwolves Styles" sale agreed upon that they do not want to let details get out? With the CBA expiring after this coming year, and a potential lock out on the horizon, could these new owners have potentially paid down the Twins debt as a bit of "Good Faith" money? Where the final closing price is determined by the outcome of the next CBA???
 
This just SEEMS secretive and weird, but maybe it is normal.
Does anyone have any additional info or thoughts??

There are many rumors going around about the Twins managerial search right now.  Will they go with a previous Twins coach like Shelton?  Will they go back to the Twin’s Way and look to Punto?  Will they go outside the org and get a fresh view with someone like Vázquez?  With all these options and more, one thing that should be on Falvey’s mind around this is that the Twins are in some fairly poor company regarding diversity in their Manager and General Managers. Here are some comps:
Current Year
In 2025, 8 of the MLB teams had a diverse hire at manager:
Boston Red Sox - Alex Cora
Chicago White Sox - Will Venable
Houston Astros - Joe Espada
Los Angeles Angels - Ron Washington
Los Angeles Dodgers - Dave Roberts
New York Mets - Carlos Mendoza
St. Louis Cardinals - Oliver Marmol
Washington Nationals - Dave Martinez
That isn’t that bad as they are in the 73% of teams that didn’t have a diverse hire in 2025.  Let’s look a little deeper and see how they do when compared to all time:
MLB History
In all of MLB history, there are only 5 teams that have never had a diverse hire at Manager:
Athletics
Diamondbacks
Phillies
Twins
Yankees
That makes us one of the 16.66% of teams that has never had a diverse hire at manager.  If you take those 5 teams and look at their General Manager as well, you come down to only 2 franchises that have never had a diverse hire in their Manager or General Manager Positions:
Athletics
Twins
It isn’t a great look to be one of only two teams that have never hired a diverse talent at Manager or General Manager as they are in the bottom 6.66% of teams in this regard.
Twins History
Another thing that makes this look especially bad for the Twins is that the previous owner of the Twins stated that the reason the team in in Minnesota is because of racism:

It isn’t a great look that a team that moved to it current location because of racism has never had a diverse hire in its leadership positions.
Conclusion
I don’t think the Pohlad family is racist and I don’t think that Falvey is racist but I am uncomfortable where the Twins are in regards to diversity in the Manager/GM positions.  This is an easy problem to solve.  If we are valuing having a coach from the Falvey admin come back, we can look at Rowson instead of Shelton.  If we value a former Twins coming back, we can look at Hunter or Suzuki instead of Punto.   If we value a voice outside the org then we can look at Vázquez or others.  Let’s not risk the Twins being an answer to the following trivia question, “Who is the last team to only hire white people for their Manager/GM positions?”
 

The Minnesota Twins gutted the 2025 iteration of the team at the trade deadline, and dumped a lot of salary for the latter end of 2025, and in the immediate seasons to come. As of 8/1/2025, the Twins have $48,892,857 dollars on their payroll for next season. That comes in the form of Byron Buxton, Pablo Lopez, and Justin Topa; who I frequently forget is on the roster. Oh, and that also includes another $10 million from the ghost of Carlos Correa. Every other player that is currently on the roster is either in an arbitration year, or is pre-arbitration eligible.
Not only will the team look drastically different, the dreams of crawling over the $150 million season salary total is all but dead. Unless the Twins magically find a buyer that wants to spend post haste, I expect the remaining fans will see a lot of the St. Paul Saints' best players in Minneapolis very soon. Selfishly I'm hoping to see Peyton Eeles in a Twins jersey as that might be the only thing that gets me tune in for a game for the remainder of the season. Old friends Edouard Julien, Austin Martin, and Jose Miranda should be on their way back to the major league (lol) club, while new faces like Alan Roden and Taj Bradley will be put to work to patch the massive holes ownership left after yesterday's bloodbath.
The economy is bad, the news cycle is somehow worse, and one of the last things that brought any amount of joy to Minnesotans was taken out back and shot. It's up to you to figure out how and if you want to support the Twins going forward. I'll personally be staying away from Target Field as I don't want to ruin the last good memory I have of the team, which involved Joe Ryan, Paul Skenes, a Twins win, and Nelly. Discounted jerseys will be readily available, along with premium sight lines, for the rest of 2025. Ads will pop up depicting "chill vibes" and "great ticket prices" as the Twins' marketing department is forced to work overtime coming up with any promotion to get more than one-thousand butts in the seats.
The Twins will look drastically different in 2026, and we can only hope that the ownership does as well. Why did the Twins go from a fire sale to a tire fire in a little over three hours yesterday? We won't know for sure as the Pohlad family will force Derek Falvey or Dustin Morse out in front of the media to sheepishly explain why the team traded away future stalwarts like Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, along with the Twins' highest paid free agent Carlos Correa. The Pohlad family will avoid the media, and facing the proverbial music, for as long as possible. I expect the next time we see Joe Pohlad will either be to announce that family has found a buyer, or that his head was found on a spike outside of Target Field. At this point, either outcome would be fine for most Twins fans.
 

Yesterday was a rough day for me. I have been fighting cancer for 5 years and this spring it had metastasized. I continue to fight every day. Up at 4:30 to do my stretch, strength and balance work followed by a 5 mile run. With that fight I feel pretty good and have a high energy level in spite of all the meds. Baseball helps keep me going. There are still many more games ahead of me and they matter so much more than a championship. That final Twins trade of Varland set off a trigger in me. We had Varland through 2030. While at a large family gathering as the news kept rolling that 2030 hit hard. The odds are against me that I will be around in 2030. Thinking of the Twins led me to thinking of my first grandchild due in January. I can handle missing the next championship but I got pretty choked at the thought of what I will miss with my granddaughter.
Byron, Ryan, Kody, Royce, Matt, Trevor, Brooks, Christian, DeShawn, Joe, Pablo, Bailey, Simeon, David, Zebby, Cole and Justin I appreciate your fight. No one can make it to the major leagues without fighting everyday. You have fought through slumps. You have fought through injury. We will need your fight more than ever now. To the rest putting on that Twins uniform. I appreciate you. You have fought hard for this opportunity. Use this opportunity to make your mark in the major leagues. Fight to get better every day.
Mr. Falvey and Mr. Baldelli I need you to put up a fight. Make every day matter. Make every game matter. I am counting on you. To the Pohlad’s, you have stopped fighting. This is a concept that I can’t grasp. Every day I wake up excited to take on the day and fight for the next. You wake up every day as owners of a Major League Baseball team. How can you not be driven to fight for their success? I don’t get it. I do appreciate what Carl did for this franchise and what your family did for the community but you have stopped fighting. Please step aside and let someone else lead this franchise.
We need a fighter because every day and every game matters. I will be watching.

With a 7-15 record, the Twins come into the season holding the second-worst mark in the American League. They open up a three-game series against the worst team in the American League, the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are bringing statistically one of the worst teams in baseball to Target Field.
It was the same day last year, April 22nd, the Twins were 7-13 and were getting ready to host a four-game series vs the White Sox. Their sweep of the White Sox then sparked a 12-game winning streak. From April 22nd through roughly the second week of August, the Twins performed like one of the best teams in baseball. We all know what would happen after that. Is this the series that gets the Twins rolling? Or is this team different?

I’ve decided to write a series of posts regarding the depth in the Twins system or possibly lack thereof depending on how you feel about a particular position. I plan to go position by position in hopes to shed some light on who could make an impact as early as 2025, or who may make an impact within a few years. I started doing this back in 2023 and then life happened, so let’s try again! I started with catchers , then discussed 1st base and 2nd base. I will work my way around the diamond to touch on all positions.  I’ll be using Roster Resource’s depth chart, which can be found at FanGraphs.
Here is a short write up of each player at 3rd  base in the Twins System that is not on the 40-man roster. I’ll include how they were acquired, and the highest level played at in 2024.
 
 Anthony Prato
Acquired: 7th round, 2019
Highest Level: AAA
               A 7th round pick in 2019 out of UConn, Prato has steadily climbed the minor league ladder, spending 2024, at age 26, with AAA St. Paul. In 106 games with the Saints, he hit .228/.370/350, so he left some to be desired offensively, racking up a wRC+ of 98. Playing in his age 27 season, he will likely serve as organizational depth unless he is able to take a step, or two, forward. One thing Prato has going for him is that he has played all over the diamond, logging games at 3rd, 2nd, LF, RF, and SS. He even pitched in one game and threw 2 innings, where he gave up 1 unearned run and struck one batter out. I don’t think he’ll be on the mound too much this year, but I wanted to share because it was a fun statistic.
 
Rubel Cespedes
Acquired: Amateur FA, 2019
Highest Level: A+
               Cespedes was signed out of the Dominican Republic as part of the International Free Agent class of 2019. The left-handed hitter has taken a little time to develop but seemed to start turning a corner in 2024. For Cedar Rapids, he played 110 games and launched 12 home runs with a slash line of .282/.346.431. He has started to strike out less and make louder contact. In an article by Aaron Gleeman on the Athletic this past year, Aaron spoke with Twins director of player development Drew MacPhail where MacPhail said the following on Cespedes: “He’s making way better swing decisions and not chasing as much.” This is a good sign so it will be interesting to see how Cespedes develops and if he is able to take the next step forward in 2025.
 
Tanner Schobel
Acquired: 2nd round, 2022
Highest Level: AA
               Signed for just over $1 million after being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2022 draft, Schobel climbed up to AA in his first full year of professional ball in 2023. He repeated the level in his age 23 season, where he didn’t have quite as much success in his full year in Wichita. Listed at 5’9” and 170 lbs, Schobel is the type of player who could still carve out a role as a utility guy at the big league level in the future. He’s played the majority of his games at 3rd base, but also played games in AA at 2nd base, left field, and shortstop. Schobel was ranked as the Twins #17 prospect on Twins Daily and #19 on mlb.com this past year.
 
Billy Amick
Acquired: 2nd round, 2024
Highest Level: A
               Amick started his collegiate career at Clemson but after being limited to 1B and DH, he transferred to Tennessee, where he got the opportunity to play some 3rd base. A second round pick this past year, Amick got his first taste of pro ball with Fort Myers. Amick showed major power in his year with the Volunteers, hitting 23 HR and having an OPS over 1.000. Still young, Amick will likely start in the lower minors and continue to develop. If he continues to barrel up the ball, a path to the major leagues is a real possibility. Keep your eye on him as a guy who could make an impact at some point.
 
Miguel Briceno
Acquired: AAA Rule 5 Draft (from Milwaukee), Dec 2024
Highest Level: A
               Briceno was recently taken in the AAA Rule 5 draft. He’s going to be playing his age 21 season this coming year, so he’s still young, he is still getting his feet wet in professional baseball. Signed in 2019 with the Milwaukee Brewers, Briceno played this past year with A  Carolina, where he hit .277/.320/.365. Briceno has also played multiple positions, having played 1B, 2B, and in the corner OF in his professional career as well.
Yohander Martinez
Acquired: AAA Rule 5 Draft (from Houston), Dec 2022
Highest Level: A
               A previous top-40 prospect in the Houston Astros system, Martinez has been in the Twins organization the past 2 seasons. His 2024 season was disappointing where he hit .185 with 1 HR in 55 games played with single-A Fort Myers. He will likely be at A ball for a 4th season, so unless he starts to develop further, he may struggle moving up the minor league ladder. He’s played second base as well as third base, and even played a couple of games at first base, so there is some positional flexibility, but that flexibility is only useful if he hits enough. This coming season will be a big year for Martinez to see if he can take the next step forward.
 
Isaac Pena
Acquired: Amateur FA, 2021
Highest Level: A
               Pena has moved up one level each of his first three professional seasons, starting in the Dominican Summer League in 2022 and playing the 2024 season with single-A Fort Myers. In his age 20 season, he didn’t hit much over 64 games with the Mighty Mussels. He had a great year in 2023 hitting.341/432/.434. He’s still developing so repeating a year in single-A will be likely and to see if he can tap into his success from previous years.
 
Peyton Carr
Acquired: 10th round, 2024
Highest Level: ---
               Carr has had a rough few years dealing with injuries, and only played in 27 games this past year at High Point University, where he only was in the DH spot due to the abdominal injury. From Fort Myers, Florida, Carr probably watched a lot of future Twins players while growing up. When healthy this past year for High Point, he hit .418/516/864. Yes, a small sample size but a good sign nonetheless. He has plus raw power and has proven to be a good hitter when healthy. It would be great to see a healthy 2025 season to see him make an impact in his first year of professional baseball.
 
 

Those of us who are baby boomers vividly remember Popeye’s friend and lover of hamburgers, J. Wellington Wimpy, commonly referred to as Wimpy saying “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today”. It has been reported that Wimpy would never come around on Tuesdays.
The LA Dodgers, in this offseason, have started negotiating with available free agents by offering larger contracts with a decent amount of the money deferred. By deferred we mean that when a player's career is over, large payments will become due.
For Shohei Ohtani it makes perfect sense. The money he is currently making in doing promotional work, endorsements and commercials is substantial. Forbes has estimated that he made about $40 million in 2024. It’s easy to see how he would allow the Dodgers to defer about $680 of his $700 million contract to 2034 through 2044.
While it looks like his 10 year $700 million contract would require the Dodgers to make a $70 million dollar payment in 2025, they will, in fact pay him about $2 million.
This allows the Dodgers to spend that $68 million on other players and still experience the same cash flow. This off-season in addition to Ohtani they signed Blake Snell (5 yrs./$182 million), Teoscar Hernandez (3 yrs./$66 million), Blake Treinan (2 yrs./$22 million), Michael Conforto (1 yr./$17 million), Hyeseong Kim (3 yrs./12.5 million), Tanner Scott (4 yrs./$72 million) and extended Tommy Edman (4 yrs./$64.5 million). In total that comes out to 32 years of contract for $1.136 billion, an average of $35.5 million a year for these 8 players. But instead of paying $284 million for these players in 2025, they will “only” have to pay out $216 million because of Ohtani’s deferral. It’s possible that number could be lowered further if there are other players with deferrals in their contracts.
From a player’s perspective, it makes complete sense for tax purposes to spread their payments over additional years. However, $68 million today will have far greater value than $68 million in 2044. 
However, in spite of all this information, my concern is the Wimpy impact. What will the Dodgers be like in 2034? Will the $68 million they are paying Ohtani (and maybe others), have an impact on the team’s ability to compete against teams in the 2034 season without continuing with deferrals?
Unless Major League Baseball requires teams to place the deferred money in escrow or in an annuity, there should be concern about the financial stability of teams who defer such large sums of money.
Many of us knew about the Bobby Bonilla's contract with the Mets and its deferrals, but how many other deferrals are already in progress?
To remind those of the Bonilla deferral, here is the background. In 2000 the Mets agreed to buy out the remainder of his $5.9 million contract. At that time the Mets were investing with Bernie Medoff with the promise of a double-digit return (how’d that work out?). So instead of making a one-time payment in 2000 they negotiated a payment schedule of nearly $1.2 million a year for 25 years starting in 2011 with a negotiated 8% interest rate. Bonilla will be paid $1.2 million until 2035 when he is 72 years old.
For those without a calculator handy, Bonilla will receive a total of approximately $30 million for that $5.9 million deferral.
There are other deferrals known but they are nowhere near the size and magnitude of the Ohtani deal. We know that Bret Saberhagen receives $250,000 a year from the Mets from 2004 to 2029 (this was the inspiration for the Bonilla deal!). Max Scherzer will receive $105 million from the Nationals that will be paid out through 2028. Manny Ramirez is collecting $26.2 million from the Red Sox through 2026. Ken Griffey is receiving $3.59 million from the Reds every year through 2024 as the deferral from his 9 year $116 million deal signed in 2000. And Todd Helton received $1.3 million annually from the Rockies through 2023 as the result of a $13 million deferral when he signed a two-year extension in 2010. – Thank you to ESPN Stats & Information’s Ryan Milowicki for the information.
 
What do you think? Is this a compensation method that you are comfortable with for MLB? Would you be okay with the Twins using this payment option to sign current players?

How a bout a quick game of Rock Paper Scissors. But this time in the form of Players, Coaches, Front Office.
With an historic collapse liek the Twins had there is never just 1 reason for it. There are always multiple reasons. So how about a game of PCF?
Where would apply the primary Failures?
Not I am not including injuries in the game because a 4th option just does not fit the game. Plus depending on the injury it could fall into any of the current 3.
1) Offense:
Down the stretch our offense completely disappeared. Truth be told, we were never TRULY that good of an offense.  During our stretches of being the "explosive offense" the Twins pretended to be tended to come against stretches against bad to mediocre teams, when we moved onto better teams we tended to revert back to an underperforming offense. but we are focusing here on the collapse portion of the season, and while were were a top 10 run scoring offense overall, during this stretch of futility we were only better than the White Sox and Angels. who COMBINED for 102 wins.
Players: You could say the Twins were "tired"  or injured, btu that is an excuse, Lewis MASSIVE slump to end the year you could tell he was just all upper arm swing which indicates tiredness, But overall just didnt produce. Correa and Buxton were missing for a portion of the collapse, and both it well when they returned but we still struggled. How much of a collective struggle is "team approach" I.E. coaching? and how much is on players not performing? There was just too much bad baserunning, bad situational hitting, and bad approaches down the stretch that must go on the players on the field.
Coaches: This could just be philisophical differences, as opposed to perceived incompetence, but I HATE the amount of early pinch hitting Baldelli does. And while I have never coached above College ball  (ok never above high school or even T ball... but the "never above College" still is technically accurate) I think you have to give your players the opportunities to hit same side pitching. take opportunities during the year with games not on the line. leave them in sometimes. Do SOMETHING to make yourself not so reliable on having to switch out hitters. I cna recal a MINIMUM of at least 5 games wher Baldelli pinch hit for LH hitters in the 5th inning against teams that had only ONE LH pitcher in the bullpen. this means if you left your LH in the game in the 5th inning, you know for a fact they will face oly RH hitters the rest of the game. If my memory is correct we ended losing them all. Not that we were guaranteed to win them, but that is not putting your team in the best position to win.
Front Office: While our offense was not the big priority, it was clear it was not the overall strength they sold it to be going into the season. Everyone had to know Correa and Buxton would be missing time again. While you couldn't anticipate the early injury to Lewis, he had never put together a full healthy season. While we had an abundance of "potential" we went into season with unproven over a full season Larnach, Miranda, Wallner, Kirilloff. Julien was coming off a good year but how many players repeat succesful rookie campaigns?  Farmer is what he is (hint not a major league regular). Would Kepler be the 2nd half Kepler from last year? or what he had been for most of his career? oh yeah and Kepler, Wallner, Larnach all seem to have something I just cant put my finger on when it comes to building out a roster... Oh yeah ALL LH hitting OF.  What is a coach supposed to do there? especially one who relies on analytics to mix and match?  Margot was not a win, Santans though you have to give FO credit. But overall what else would a FO do here? you have to trust/hope in who you had. and where were realistic better options position wise?
RESULT:  ROCK... PAPER.. SCISORS... PLAYERS!!     with coaching a close 2nd.  and I could actually go coaching... after all can you blame players for simply playing to who the level they actually are? 
2) PITCHING
I am lumping the entirety of pitching into one group as starters and relievers impact each other.
Players: Joe Ryan's injury here obviously had an impact. It does not seem to be an injury that coudl have been easily predicted (which would put on Front Office) or through the result of poor handling (which would have been put on coaching) so it comes in here.  Ober was solid, Lopez was not spectacular but solid, and better down the stretch than early. Beyond those two in the roation, SWR performed admirably but tired down teh stretch, we relied on too many young starters who did not have the experience and who were approaching or exceeding historical innings maxes. the Bullpen had some inconsistency especially with Duran, most other failures were just relievers who were not very good overall.  I cannot place the blame on young pitchers with no experience hitting their innigns maxes, or poor performances from players who simply arent that great,  so hint... we may not have a winner here.
 
Coaches: Now it gets juicier. AT least in my opinion. Personally I believe Baldelli did a HORRIBLE job of managing the staff. From pulling pitchers way too soon who were cruising, to using Duran in a number of situations where he had proven himself to struggle (yes any good pitcher shoudl be able to pitch in any situation, but if you as coach know they struggle more in certain situations you just do not put them in those situations). Weirdly the Twins are middle of the pack (14th) in innings pitched by pitchers, so does it just FEEL like he pulls pitchers early??? and maybe the horrible blow ups just shine more light than it deserves. but it FEELS like Baldelli horribly mismanaged this staff. so I am sticking with it.
Front Office: SO going into the offseason we let Sonny Gray go, we let Maeda go. and we replaced with... ???  Again I wouldnt have anticipated Joe Ryan's injury but we went into the season with Ryan, Ober, Lopez as a top 3. with little other experience filling out the back end.  So to START the season we had either inexperience or known injury history in the back end,  SWR, PAddack, Disclafina, Varland.  and ended up relying on inexpereinced youngsters hitting their innigns maxes in Fest and Matthews. SO we did not set up the rotation for success out the gate (which has an impact on the collapse we are specifically grading). At the deadline we did virtaully nothing and almost LITERALLY nothing.  Total pitching moves by this Front Office:  6 total external moves. spending a total of $9M resulting in 4 DFA  and 2 DNP.
RESULT: ROCK... PAPER... SCISSORS... FRONT OFFICE!!  (again with pitching a close second)
 
To paraphrase a well used saying...  "It takes teamwork to make the dream nightmare work"  and if you average the scores... at least mine you get:
Players: 1 offense and 3 pitching == 2 average
Coaches 2 offense and 2 pitching = 2 average
Front Office   3 offense and 1 pitching = 2 average.
Overall though I would put the blame game as   #1 Front Office  #2 (close) coaching  and #3 Players.
 
Thoughts? and who comes out in your "Rock Paper Scissors"?
 
 

Bailey 7 IP  1 hit 0 walks 7K 83 pitches.
 
Hey here is an idea, lets pull him after retiring 15 straight batters, absolutely rolling (throwing a potential Maddux) and lets replace him with Duran who struggle sin the 8th.
Seriously?

I have not written in any capacity in quite some time. It's been even longer since I wrote on baseball, so bear with me as I try and work off the rust here.
At 34, I can say I have followed baseball easily for over 25 years. I have watched and attended many fun things in that time, but never have I been able to say I watched a hall of fame baseball player from the start to end of a career. Sure, I followed some players that went on to the hall. But nothing where I can say I watched a significant amount of a hall of fame player's career in its entirety. That is until Twins legend Joe Mauer got his call to the hall in January.
As a Minnesotan, I am not without one of those "yeah I know someone who knows Joe" stories. I won't bore you with that, but that was the reason I took an interest in Mauer when he made his debut in 2004. I was told of a family connection, and I hoped he did alright for my favorite club as he was filling the shoes of a player I liked - AJ Pierzynski. I had also met him at a benefit the winter before, but I was just a dumb kid so I had no idea the gravity of who I was meeting.
Then came the debut. I watched on my little 16" TV, on broadcast television mind you,(imagine that happening in this day in age), and can remember that game clear as day. In his first at bat, the crowd booed as he was walked by CC Sabathia on four pitches. The camera kept cutting back to Joe's parents in between pitches. But again, not one swing in that at-bat, and a patented walk came as he never offered at a pitch out of the zone. 
After a strikeout and another walk - the walk actually started a three-run Twins rally in the eighth - Mauer laced that first major league hit back up the middle. Another staple through his career. He would single in the 11th before Shannon Stewart walked off the game with a home run to send the Twins home winners and this dumb kid to bed (school night)!
Thinking on that night now, twenty years later, Mauer gave us what we were going to get for 15 seasons. Plate discipline and copious amounts of base hits. Rare finds for catchers. 
But what Mauer would go on to do in his career was even more rare. He would win three batting titles, something no catcher in American League history had done before. The first of those titles came in 2006, a season that was laced in magic all unto itself. 
Every time Mauer came to the plate, it felt like he was going to get a hit. He ended up hitting .347 that season, four points ahead of Derek Jeter. The shining star of that season (ok, there were many but this one comes to mind), came on a June night when Mauer went 5-5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle of a series sweep. He actually went 11-13 in that three game sweep over Los Angeles, to add to his legend of simply never being able to get out. I can still see some fans in that stands after that fifth hit bowing to Mauer. 
In the season's final game (again, memorable unto itself), Mauer received a well deserved standing ovation from the 30.000+ in the Dome that day. Spine tingling for this fan as the history of the moment was not lost. 
2009, you just had to be there. After missing the first month of the season, Mauer announced his presence with a home run to left in his first at bat back. It would be the first of 28 that season, in which he would go on to win the MVP award. And a batting title again, but you knew that. He flirted with .400 that summer, finishing with a .365 average. Rod Carew must have enjoyed the spotlight that summer as we were reminded time and time again of the last player to flirt with that number. 
Oh and don't forget, Mauer was no slouch behind the plate either. Just ask Brett Gardner. 
The Twins christened a new ballpark the next season, and as a direct result, gave Mauer an eye-watering 8 year, $184 million contract extension. We will return to this later, but at the time pen met paper, it was a joyous time in the upper midwest. The Twins were no longer a farm team to the rich clubs. They could afford to keep their talented players.
A televised news conference in Fort Myers (I have this on a burned DVD somewhere because i had nothing better to do) at the end of the spring cemented the fact Mauer was going to play here a long time. The last Twin to do something like that was another hall of famer, Kirby Puckett, signing a then record deal in 1993 to remain a Twin.
Joe was the face of the Twins. He was the face of video games. He was the face of Minnesota. Everything was great.
Everything was great until it suddenly wasn't.
No one cares to remember, but the bilateral leg weakness incident of 2011 was forgotten as Joe batted .321 between 2012 and 2013 (all-star selections both years too). He never found that power from 2009, but that barely mattered as the Twins themselves slipped into obscurity, losing 90+ games annually. Mauer still hit at his career marks in those years from behind the plate. 
Foul ball off the mask, concussion symptoms, et. al. It went south for Joe over the next few seasons. In 2014, the Twins were the host of the All-Star Game. Joe was supposed to be the unofficial host of the week, but concussion symptoms moved Mauer to first base and impacted his hitting. And as the Twins continued to lose for other reasons, Mauer became the scapegoat with some of the local media. 
As a fan, it was frustrating to watch the Twins lose to no end, with their best player a shell of himself (this is not a complaint at Joe, but merely a complaint at the injury which impacted his ability to do his job properly). If I recall right, Mauer later admitted the 2014 & 15 seasons had him still battling those symptoms. 
There's so little we know still about injuries to the brain. But as the warrior he was, Joe wanted to carry on playing. Again, dont tell that to some of the local media though. Joe was their punching bag despite the woes of the front office in every other area of the ballclub. 
Let us also not forget, Mauer turned into a pretty sharp fielding first baseman. He should have had another gold glove in those last years at first, but when your team loses 90 games on average, the voters tend to look away. 
Mauer looked more himself in the final few seasons. The 2018 season, the final year of his contract that he signed in 2010, never really gave rumblings of what would come next season for Joe. He just went on and played the season with mum's the word about his future.
After that final game of the year in which he put on the catcher's gear for a lone pitch in the ninth, there was not a doubt in my mind this was it for him. It was a brisk sunny day in Minneapolis. The Twins were toast and an afterthought in the local sports scene as the Vikings were underway with their 2018 campaign. 
A trademark opposite field double in the middle innings preceded the memorable ninth inning where Joe was the Twins catcher once again.
When Mauer emerged from the dugout with the gear on, I went numb in that moment (not from the cold). While standing in the shade at Target Field I had to put on sunglasses so my then-girlfriend, now wife, would not see the tears stream down my face. Joe waved to the crowd after one pitch, fighting back tears himself. We later saw the full emotions from him as he was putting the gear on in the clubhouse in an iconic Brace Hemmelgarn photo. 
He left the field, and left the game for good. After 15 years, it was a somber feeling knowing that Joe Mauer would not put on a Twins uniform again. 
I was there when the Twins retired number seven. I was there a few years later when the team put him in their hall of fame (why wasn't this all done at once?). I watched with my baby girl on an ipad in her hospital room as Joe got his hall of fame call in January. And on Sunday, i'll be parked in front of my television watching him take his place among the all-time greats in Cooperstown (I wanted to attend this in person, but a premature newborn in ICU for two months this year takes a toll on one's wallet to make this trek). 
Someday, I'll tell my child(ren) about Joe Mauer. Whether they want to hear it or not, I'll go down memory lane with them just as I did here. I'll probably tear up thinking on these memories, just as I did writing them here. 
It was, plain and simple, a joy to watch play Joe Mauer play baseball for the Minnesota Twins. He was the first hall of famer I truly got to watch from start to finish. Should he be the only one I get to have this baseball privilege with, then no one is more deserving.
Thank you, Joe. 

Last night’s game at Rickwood reminded of two impactful Twin minor leaguers that never got their chance in the majors. 
Chuck Weatherspoon and Ollie Brantley were cited by Rod Carew in his book as being a great help getting through the minors. Both started out in the negro leagues in the 50s. Brantley played for the Memphis Red Sox and Weatherspoon played for the Twin Cities Colored Giants. Both were in the Twins system for years playing and mentoring several future Twins including Rod Carew, Jim Kaat, Zoilo Versalles, Tony Oliva, Cesar Tovar, Bert Blyleven and Tom Hall.
In 1961 Chuck Weatherspoon hit a record 7 grand slams for the Wilson Tobbs besting Jim Gentile’s 5 grand slams in the majors. He played in the minor leagues with the Senators/Twins from 1957 to 1969. He hit 230 home runs in his minor league career. Above is a photo from a 1961 Home Run Derby in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Roger Maris, Weatherspoon, Clyde King, Gentile, Jack McKeon and Harmon Killebrew. McKeon was manager for Wilson after recently finishing his minor league career as a catcher. 

Ollie Brantley played for the Twins organization from 1962-1969. In his best season he was 15-8 with a 1.63 ERA playing for Orlando. Rod Carew was on that team that went 77-57. After his seasons with the Memphis Red Sox he played 17 seasons in the minors. Tom Hall credits him with his development. Ollie Brantley tells his story. 
More on Ollie Brantley 
More on Chuck Weatherspoon

A month ago, Cody Christie wrote a great article around Jhoan Duran’s decreased velocity, and how that has impacted his pitch mix changes. A couple findings from that article were that:
His velocity is down roughly 1.2 MPH on every pitch compared to 2023, through mid-May. He’s been throwing his heater much less, and relying on his off-speed offerings more. At that time, he had decreased his fastball usage from 45% last year, to 34.3% this year through mid-May. Well, this trend has continued, and his results have gotten worse. Duran has not found his missing velo, and his fastball usage reduction has become even more extreme. Here are his past three games:
Last night, when pitching in back to back games, he only threw two 4-seam fastballs out of 10 pitches, and barely broke 100, at 100.1 and 100.4. The night before, Duran had a bit more gas, breaking 100 on all four fastballs (out of 15 pitches), with fastballs at 101.8, 101.1, 101.1, and 100.2. On Sunday, Duran threw fastballs four times, and failed to break 100 on two of them. What this tells us is that recently, his fastball usage is down to around 25%, and his velocity is down even more. While Cody’s article focused on velo and pitch mix, this article is going to take a deep dive into his pitch effectiveness and some pitch characteristics. To start that discussion, let’s take a look at his xwOBA throughout the season.

When Cody wrote his article, Duran’s xwOBA was sitting at .237, on a league average of just over .300. Today, his xwOBA is sitting at .281. That’s still better than league average, but it’s not world-beating any longer. But why?
Looking at Statcast and Baseball Savant data, so far this season, Duran has had only one effective pitch - his splinker. Throughout ’24, that is still a consistently great pitch for him. However, his fastball and his curve have both been much worse than typical for him, and rank poorly overall.

So, what has changed since last season, aside from his velocity dip? Last year, each of his offerings were good, and his splinker was GREAT. Digging deeper, we can see that this year, his overall chase rate is down almost 4%, and his whiff rate is down 4.6%. His strikeout rate is 2.3% less than last year (but his walk rate is down slightly as well. Batters are hitting him less hard, but they are also elevating the ball more, as evidenced by his ground ball rate dropping 5.5%. Overall, his xBA is up almost 30 points year over year.

But why? Let’s look at his fastball and curveball separately. We will start either his fastball.,
Fastball
This year, Duran'is fastball has lost some vertical drop compared to the average fastball, so it’s likely that hitters are perceiving the pitch as more crushable.

Location has also been a factor for his fastball success. See his heat map for last year - a lot of pitches up, leading to a lot of swing and miss.

This year however, his fastball is generally going much lower, and it’s resulting in a roughly .800 xOPS - not what you want to see out of one of the best pitchers in baseball.

 
Curveball
We can see that his curveball used to be a putaway pitch, but now isn’t.

 
Here, we can see that his spin rate is down on his curveball, losing about 100 RPM since last year. His splinker and fastball have both lost a little spin as well, but its not drastic. We can also see that his extension is down slightly, so that likely accounts for some perceived velocity loss in addition to the actual loss.
His pitch location also may be impacting his results. See these comparisons:

Here we can see that last year, Duran threw a lot of curveballs that missed just low, leading to more whiffs. This year, his curves are tending to miss VERY low, which helps to explain his decrease in effectiveness. If a batter know’s it’s a ball, they won’t swing, and there’s a pretty good chance that with some of these locations, they just know.

Overall, the story this all tells is that Duran is a great pitcher who is struggling with some mechanics, and locating his pitches where they are most effective. Even when throwing a little slower, he still ranks near the 100% percentile in velocity. His stuff will play. Here’s to hoping that he and the coaching staff can get the mechanics and the command back on track.
What do you think? Are better days ahead for the flamethrower?

You bet your sweet bippy they do.  They do platoon.  A lot.  My apologies for the click-bait subject line.  (It's fun.  Almost went with "One Weird Trick Your 2024 Twins Use To Platoon")
How do the Twins rank versus the other 29 teams, in plate appearances by batters in same-arm matchups?
LHB-vs-LHP:   29th  (64 PA, OPS of .759 which is 5th in the majors)
RHB-vs-RHP: 23rd  (752 PA, OPS of .680 which is 15th in the majors)
They try their darndest not to let it happen, especially with their lefty bats.  And here is how they do in opposite arm matchups:
RHB-vs-LHP:  7th  (520 PA, OPS of .707 which is 16th in the majors)
LHB-vs-RHP:  6th  (920 PA, OPS of .693 which is 18th in the majors)
What is the point of these numbers?  One, in case you wondered whether they go to great lengths to set up favorable hitting matchups, yes, yes they do.  Two, they aren't notably effective at exploiting these matchups.  Three, an oddity is that their unfavorable lefty matchups rank better in OPS versus their competitors than their favorable ones do.
Maybe the modest level of success at bat this season (they rank 16th overall in OPS) would be worse if they weren't doing things as they are.  Plus in addition also too, because the manager chooses which batter hits when, there is bias to all these statistics that is outside my control to account for.  The better results for left-handed batters against lefty pitchers than righties, in absolute terms, suggests Rocco is careful which bats to play in that matchup.
But mostly what I see is that they go to extremes, and reap little to no overall reward for their efforts.  The lefty bats don't clobber righties, and the righty bats don't crush lefties.  Why, again, are we even doing this?
I can't help having flashbacks to the old quote from the dugout: "I managed good, but they sure played bad."  (ChatGPT 3.5 attributes this to Casey Stengel; therefore I feel 99% confident that it must have been someone else.  Rocco Baldelli may become the source of the quote, going forward.)  But at some point, that guy who "managed good" needs to stop and ask if it's worth the trouble, and what better thing might be tried.

The note in the MLB Power Rankings for the Twins included mention of the 1884 St Paul White Caps, a team that hit below .200 for a season. 
 
Further research showed that “White Caps”, “Saints” and “Apostles” were all used for the St Paul franchise.  Some standardization to “Saints” came in 1915.  
 
But, hey.. who doesn’t want to be a baseball sicko and refer to the Saints as the Apostles or even the White Caps?
(Every 140 years, our area gets blessed with a sub .200 batting average team!)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/St._Paul_Apostles

Hi everyone,
Sorry I haven’t posted in a very long time. Everyone on here does such a good job covering the team I’ve been struggling with figuring out what could I possibly add that would be unique to the site. I haven’t found anyone on here who reviews books so that’s something I’m going to start doing. If there is someone on here who already does this I’m sorry for stealing your idea. 
The first book I’m going to review is “Harmon Killebrew: Ultimate Slugger” by Steve Aschburner. Here’s my review:
I thought this book was great! This is a great biography of the greatest slugger in Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins history. I thought the story of his life and career was really well done by this author. I especially loved the stories about Harmon off the field since I already knew about his playing career exploits. It made me really jealous of my wife who got to meet Harmon in real life before he passed away. Highly recommended.
You can buy the book from Amazon here on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Harmon-Killebrew-Ultimate-Steve-Aschburner/dp/1600787029/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=3LJKIPBLX1FWA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1IWTgxRUrrDZSnHTyrIZNcu6C4cRlqcPI7E89o47yMHjCSanbmhj_emo84vsAVaNnhbWhJQ7O8Rhs0cqz5xlbsz6UQu4TI-dRKM6BzjJXTm8LCEhSpRbGsTjAt6_wMb5Q2tygs3oYP4fbN3PQXiMqABkUKPY5zaFdBz9Yyl6znvfZue8NpXQw0j0FwFHaYcqs3GMJSdv92_DC47NcoIMqg.FkQJ3fTkStl80fMIl2GR61DOqC5_mwMa-MYmBmHVNxA&dib_tag=se&keywords=harmon+killebrew&qid=1710444362&sprefix=%2Caps%2C332&sr=8-2

Everyone knows that Byron Buxton is struggling with some sort of knee injury.  Some folks are happy with the Twins current plan of playing him at DH, some want him at CF regardless of injury, and some just want more information about the injury because whatever the Twins are doing it doesn’t seem to be working.  I am in the last group and I am personally growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of information coming from the team and derision from the media.

If you don’t agree with some on Byron Buxton’s situation you “don’t watch the games” or “don’t treat the players like humans” but after the latest media scrum from Rocco on this you “just don’t want to listen”.  I have actually “listened” to a lot of things about Buxton’s knee over the last 2 years.
I listened when Dan Hayes reported that Buxton knew all of 2022 that he needed a knee surgery and would be out for only 6-8 weeks.  He had that surgery in September and still isn’t in CF.

I listened when Do-Hyoung Park reported last September that Falvey said there are no tears or structural issues in the knee and it is no worse that what most folks have in their daily lives.  He had that surgery in September and still isn’t in CF.

I listened when Dan Hayes reported that Byron Buxton reported to camp in good shape and is not limited at all.  Despite the lack of limitations, he still isn’t in CF.

I listened when the Gleeman & the Geek Progrum said for the entirety of Spring Training that Buxton not playing in games was not concerning and that many modern front offices don’t use games to get ready for the season.  He still isn’t playing games in CF.

I listened at the beginning of the season when Dan Hayes reported Buxton would be starting the season at DH to avoid crappy weather in April but that Buxton feels great.  He still isn’t in CF.
And I am listening now they say he physically can't play CF, which I can also see with my own eyes.

At this point I have lost faith in listening to the Twins and their treatment plans for an injury they are choosing not to disclose.  I am also tired of the media not even trying to ask during the press scrums “What’s wrong with the knee?  Ligament, Cartilage, Meniscus, Arthritis, etc…”  I don’t need an X-Ray or MRI, just a basic injury declaration like hundreds of other MLB players have given in the past. 

So much was packed into two games!  A day later, I've put together a Top Ten list of moments, with no particular metric except my own sense of drama in the moment.  Ranking is influenced by impact on the game's outcome, but there is an "Oh No He Didn't!" factor that counts for a lot.  You will argue with some choices I am sure - I would probably have ranked them slightly differently yesterday and might change my mind tomorrow.
 
 
 
 
 
Game 1 Inning 4: Carlos Correa bails out Polanco, throws out Bichette at home Game 2 Inning 5: Carlos Correa pickoff of Guerrero at second Game 1 Inning 1: Royce Lewis HR #1 Game 1 Inning 3: Royce Lewis HR #2 Game 1 Inning 6: Michael A Taylor at wall for catch of flyball by Chapman Game 2 Inning 8: Griffin Jax unassisted putout like a blocking fullback on Biggio Game 1 Inning 9: Jhoan Duran taking throw to put out Springer and end 18 game losing streak Game 2 Inning 6: Caleb Theilbar 643 DP on Chapman after close foul ball Game 2 Inning 4: Carlos Correa RBI single for first run against Kikuchi Game 2 Inning 9: Jhoan Duran third out swinging strikeout of Varsho for the sweep Here also are my ten honorable mentions, ranked merely in sequential order of when they happened.
Game 1 Inning 2 Michael A Taylor coming in hard for the catch against Chapman
Game 1 Inning 4 Max Kepler with difficult grab of Guerrero smash
Game 1 Inning 5 Pablo Lopez strikes out Belt swinging with Chapman on third
Game 1 Inning 8 Griffin Jax two big strikeouts after Guerrero leadoff double
Game 1 Inning 8 Donovan Solano with unassisted putout of Kirk to end inning
Game 2 Inning 1 Sonny Gray strikes out Biggio to strand two baserunners
Game 2 Inning 4 Max Kepler single against Kikuchi in relief of Berrios
Game 2 Inning 8 Michael A Taylor with grab on tricky fly by Guerrero
Game 2 Inning 8 Carlos Correa hit on hand by pitch but stays in game
Game 2 Inning 9 Jhoan Duran finger cut, 2 bad pitches, then he locks in
Some may say this was the Royce Lewis Series, and obviously Game 1 is his to own forever, but Carlos Correa gets my series MVP vote, with that key RBI in Game 2 tipping the scales.
Notice how frequently Guerrero figured into the proceedings.  Chapman too.  We dodged some bullets, didn't we.
I also can't emphasize enough just how big the moment was when Kepler singled against Kikuchi.  They bring in the lefty, Kepler had his work cut out for him, and he finds a way.  None of the balls put in play that inning were things of beauty really, but conversely the moment was not too big for our hitters.  No moment was more key than Max's, and yet he can't even crack the Top Ten for me.  Wow, what a series!
 

Its the debate that never ends. Whose on your all time Twins team? We all agree on the consensus top 4 of Carew, Killebrew, Oliva and Puckett. But after that who? Are you taking Guzman over Gagne? Gladden over Mack? Aguilera over Nathan? 
This is a lot harder than you think because you have a budget, $33 is the budget. You have to create the BEST Twins team with just $33 and *ALL* positions must be represented.
What strategy are you gonna use? What positions are you gonna pay up for? Are you gonna take Killebrew at 1st over Morneau and Hrbek? Are you gonna go with the top 4 mentioned above and use $20 of your $33 there? 
Let's have some fun and see some unique lists. Remember, the entire objective is to create the best Twins team you can, using just $33 dollars. 

As is my custom, I've taken a few pictures during this visit to Fort Myers.  Well, a few hundred.  Most are crap and I don't know yet which is which, and I won't be able to sort through until I'm back from vacation, probably.  But yesterday on the back fields, during an away game for the big club, was a lot of fun because of whom they left behind.  Buxton, Correa, and Kirilloff all batted (DHed) during one of the two mixed AA-AAA games.  And there were other players to watch as well. David Festa, Marco Raya, Connor Prielipp, and Jordan Balazovic in particular.





Prielipp. I think had his stuff going this day , as he struck out the side in his first of two innings if I'm not mistaken.  He gave up a run in the second inning on a lucky bouncer that put a runner on and then a solid double to right center, but he recovered to complete the inning with at least one other strikeout that made the batter look overmatched.

This is not the most flattering image of Balazovic but here he is putting in some side work before the games.  Afterward he went over to an adjoining field to practice pickoff moves to second and first but the photos are pretty nondescript.

Finally, a Derek Falvey sighting at the center of the back fields during the games.

There has been a lot made lately of the fact that Byron Buxton has not played an inning in the field or taken a single in-game AB.  If you listen to our players or beat writers you would think that the games are almost unneeded in Spring Training.  Carlos Correa got a late start to Spring games on March 1 and commented that they were not super important.  Do-Hyoung Park posts random short videos of Buxton hitting home runs off of Twins returning from injury like Winder and quotes from Falvey saying Buxton is ready for Opening Day.  Based on this we are supposed to be reassured that everything is OK and normal.
I am not a medical professional or a baseball coach so I can’t prove any of this wrong but what I can do is see if this type of approach is being taken with any other top players.  I went to Fangraphs and sorted all players with 350 PA or more by OPS.  I then checked how many 2023 Spring Training games they had.  Are a lot of the top players following the Twins and Buxton and effectively sitting out Spring Training games in favor of live batting practice?  The results are fairly conclusive:

All the major stars are playing spring training games unless they are currently injured or retired.  Not one other major player in the top 30 is following the lead of the Twins.  The only conclusion I can draw is that Buxton is still injured and we are going through mental gymnastics with the Twins trying to justify that he is not. 
Occam’s Razor states that the simplest explanation is often the correct one.  I would put out there that healthy players play games and injured players don’t.

For months, there has been speculation that the Twins may trade Luis Arraez to bolster their rotation. The Twins need at least one controllable starter as they will lose three starters to free agency next season and could definitely use rotation help in 2023.
There are some baseball reasons to trade Arraez, as the Twins have a surplus of left-handed hitters who play corner positions in the infield and outfield. Bringing back Correa makes the infield even more crowded, and the looming additions of Brooks Lee, Edouard Julien, and Royce Lewis make trading Arraez very reasonable on paper. 
However, if the Twins trade Luis Arraez, the price has to be right. Beyond his fantastic hitting and solid defense at first, Arraez means so much to the fanbase and clubhouse. If the Twins pull the trigger on an Arraez trade, it must bring back a true frontline starter. Otherwise, you're not getting nearly enough for such a special player and person. 
Arraez the Guy
Luis Arraez is fun. Fans love him, and his teammates seem to as well. He plays the game with vigor and joy, and his at bats are appointment-viewing. 
You could see his teammate's support for him when he was named an all-star, as they all celebrated with him and were thrilled to enjoy his moment with him. Like Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton, he is at the heart and soul of this team. 
We’ve seen the front office emphasize character more since their failed signings of Lance Lynn and Josh Donaldson. Trading Arraez would be a costly departure from that emphasis. 
Arraez, while fun and joyful, is also the consummate professional who, in any interview, will emphasize that, while he enjoys his individual accolades, his top priority is helping the team win. 
The Twins' sparkplug isn't all talk, either. Arraez has shown a terrific work ethic during his time with the Twins. In fact, as I write this, he is in the Dominican Republic working on his craft with Nelson Cruz, which you can occasionally watch on Cruz’s Instagram. This work ethic has been vital in establishing himself as a premier hitter in the league after being overlooked as a prospect. 
This work ethic and baseball savvy enabled him to find a comfortable home at first base in 2022. Despite being small in stature for a first baseman, he was well above average there in 2022 by Defensive Runs Saved. That is extremely impressive because he had never played first base in the majors before that. His success at first base defensively is a testament to his willingness to do what he needs to do to help the Twins win. 
Arraez's character is exceptional, and the Twins will miss it if they trade him. 
Arraez the Ballplayer
Beyond the person, Luis Arraez, the player, is awesome. From his aforementioned first base defense to his batting title, he was hugely productive for the Twins in 2022. 
Arraez fulfilled his dream of winning a batting title and played in his first career All Star Game. We don’t always put that much value into those accomplishments alone in 2023, but advanced metrics confirm that he had a great season. 
The fan-favorite accumulated 3.2 fWAR and a wRC+ of 131, which means he was a 31% above league-average hitter. These topline numbers underscore a terrific player that any team would be lucky to have. Not only that, Fangraphs' Steamer projects him to just about repeat those numbers, projecting a 3.1 fWAR and 126 wRC+ 2023 season.
Digging deeper, Arraez tailed off in the second half of 2022 with a wRC+ of 106. His hamstring ailments, which could be an issue moving forward, held him back. On the flip side, his first-half performance, where he put up a 150 wRC+, indicates that a healthy Arraez can be an elite hitter.
Further, Arraez is your man with runners in scoring position. Arraez hit an unbelievable .366 with RISP in 2022. Success with RISP isn't usually indicative of future performance in these spots, but Arraez's success makes sense, given his approach.
To be clear, Arraez is not a perfect player. He has struggled to stay healthy, can only really play first base, and is a league-average hitter against lefties. 
These limitations are legitimate issues with Arraez, but his distinct style is helpful on a team that values slugging as much as the Twins. Beyond just his unusual style for the modern game, Arraez has been highly productive by any metric and should be coveted as a player. 
Arraez's Futrue with the Twins
Like everybody in Major League Baseball, everybody has a price that can be paid to trade for their services. In Arraez’s case, that price should be extremely high, and they should be asking for more than Pablo López, who the Twins reportedly have a strong interest in acquiring. 
If they are adamant about trading Arraez for a starting pitcher, they should bundle Arraez and a couple of good prospects to get a true frontline starter. It’s hard to predict trades, but some guys who could be available if they went that route could be Brandon Woodruff, Zac Gallen, or Nestor Cortes. 
We will see if any pitchers of that caliber become available before spring training, and if they do, the Twins would be sensible to trade Arraez for a true frontline starter. They cannot trade him for anything less. Before pulling the trigger on any Arraez trade, the front office must take stock of what he means to the fanbase and clubhouse, on and off the field.  
 

The "All 81" away game journey begins in 109 days.  That seems like a long time away.  Until you enter it into a spreadsheet and realize that its only one mouse scroll from tomorrow...
Here's my plan of attack for keeping everyone in the loop during planning season:
1.  Monday blogs will focus on the 16 trips involved in the 2023 Twins season.  I'm going to be focusing on stadium highlights, attributes, Twins history, and community amenities.  Potential pitfalls and road blocks get considered, and travel considerations get mentioned.  My handy-dandy Baseball Road Trips by Timothy Malcolm and Moon travel guides will be a go-to for this conversation.
2.  Friday blogs will focus on the "Why the heck are you doing this?" aspects of the trip.  Stories and connection to Twins baseball, and the journey from growing up in the middle of South Dakota on a small farm to navigating a cross-country road trip for the ages.  Also, the nature of the trip, the partnerships that get established in order to make it happen, and the last-minute excitements of the planning phase will be shared.
3.  Starting March 30th, 2023 - Game-day blogs.  Lots of them.   I'll read the room and see if anyone cares about my thoughts on being back in Mitchell for watching "home" games.  I'm guessing a "While I was home" summary blog before I head out on each trip will suffice.
The only way to begin such a journey is by starting, so here we go...
March 30, April 1 & 2 - @ Kansas City Royals (3 games)
Kauffman Stadium - capacity 37,903 - 2022 attendance was 1,277,686 (ranked 13th out of 15 AL teams)
It's 1st Season of use was 1973 (Royals Stadium) with artificial turf, renamed Kauffman Stadium in 1994 after the team's first owner.  Kentucky bluegrass replaced the turf in 1995.  Folks hoping to check this one off your bucket list better hurry up, as they are proposing a Target Field-style move to downtown!
Open bowl format, southeast of Kansas City in a complex with the Chiefs stadium.  I've been to one game there, and the Twins did well!  We sat way up in the top of the left field foul bowl, but batting practice was sparse and we got some good interactions with the players.  This was the 2018 Fernando Rodney era, and he was hilarious and generous with batting practice balls for my kids.  Beautiful outfield, reminded me of Fort Myers actually with its lack of seating and open boardwalk vibe.   Folks told me it reminded them of Dodger Stadium as far as geometric alignment of field and seating.  I can't wait to compare them both in the first few months of the year!  For some reason, I suspect that LA in May will require less jackets and scarves than KC in March?  
Kauffman resides outside of the pace of Kansas City, so tour guides send a journeyer into town for BBQ and night life.  My go-to hotel (Drury Inn across the interstate) no longer exists, and it looks like it took its free dinner buffet with it...so that's going to impact potential costs for the trip.  I'm hoping to get my family with me to this one.
Mitchell, SD to Kauffman Stadium gates is 441 miles.  The season will start in a car.  Which car?  TBD.  None of the current rigs will last this adventure, so I'm seeking options :)
 
April 3-5 - @ Miami Marlins (3 games)
LoanDepot Park - capacity 37,442 - 2022 attendance was 907,487 (ranked 15th out of 15 NL parks every year since 2013, excluding 2020 Covid season)
It's 1st season of use was 2012 (Marlins Park), renamed LoanDepot Park in 2021 after a company :)  I've been belly-aching about the Twins starting the season at Target Field in snow for years.  I said, "Why don't they start in Florida or Texas or California?"  MLB heard my cries, and then for some reason decided that Kansas City was on the way to Miami and gave me less than 24 hours to get there.
Retractable roof (start your Target Field regret comments below), night club (closed 2020?), beautiful outside and inside.  The best part?  I could get 30 dollar prime dugout seats today via their website.  I mean its all for sale...and no one's buying :)  This "communidad 305" thing looks interesting.  BYOInstruments?  Soccer atmosphere?  Count me in if the Twins are winning!  Bobblehead museum contains 400 of the old owner Loria's collection, but something tells me that might be a little creepy.  Me and doll museum vibes don't go together well.  Moon's lists it as the "most underrated ballpark there is."  
LoanDepot Park sits in the southern part of the city, just west of Biscayne Bay.  If the roof is open, sightlines from the back of the first-base line is the place to be.  If closed...go party and play instruments?  Part of me hopes for low crowd numbers and another chance to experience "Metrodome echo cheering," but its the first week of the season.  Hope probably will still exist in Marlin land there.  70 degrees and sunny, the beach will feel great to me and hopefully too chilly for the locals.
Mitchell, SD to LoanDepot Park gates is 1,893 miles.  Kauffman Stadium to LoanDepot Park gates is 1,455 miles.  21 hours by car...literally can't make it from game to game like that.  Omaha, NE looks like the airport of choice with more direct options.  The first "inter-series travel moment" logistically poses my best chance for having a cancelled flight wreck the whole trip.  
 
Now it's your turn to plan!
If you have been to either Kauffman Stadium or LoanDepot Park, please post your list of "best seats" and "must sees."  Anyone else planning on going to these series?
Grace and peace Twins Territory!  Thanks for the help!
Steve

Since this week was the 20th anniversary of Senator Paul Wellstone's death, I thought I might run one of my favorite columns, which I wrote to eulogize him.  I got quite a bit of feedback on it, and it mostly left me depressed, since many missed the point of the column.  Many readers who were critical of the column couldn't see beyond his politics, and even more sadly, neither could many of his supporters who praised it.  For me, the magic of Wellstone wasn't what he fought for, it was how he fought.  He made the impossible, possible and he inspired a generation to challenge their assumptions about the world and about themselves.  That's the lantern that he brought to my life.

The Lantern Bearer
10/29/2002
A Lantern Bearer's light went out this weekend.  
And the world grew darker.
We react to the infinite realities the world holds in a straightforward way.  We simplify it by choosing, consciously or not, which reality we care to embrace.  But whichever illusion we choose can also constrain us and too often turns into a shadow that we dare not challenge.
How do people react to you when you leave a room?  Do they laugh at you?  Some might.  Of course, some might admire you.  And some won't like you and some will and some won't give you a second thought, one way or the other.  Which illusion do you subscribe to?  And how does that shadow world modify what you say or do before you leave the room?  Illusions like that are everywhere.  And are so all-encompassing as to be invisible, like water to a fish.  
And then comes a Lantern Bearer, who holds up their light to the shadows and walks through them and takes us along.  They remind us that we created these shadows, and that we can dispel them.  We just have to pick up our lanterns, hold them out in front of us, and walk bravely forward.
Think your idea can never work?  That's just a shadow - hold up your light and walk through it.  
Think that which you care about cannot be achieved?  That's just a shadow - hold up your light and walk through it.  
Think you are alone in your passion?  That's just a shadow - hold up your light and walk through it.  
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.  The world has room for you, your energy, and your passion.  Indeed, it desperately needs it.
A Lantern Bearer's light went out this weekend.  
And the world grew darker.  
Paul Wellstone's death left sizeable holes in our world in many ways.  An election, uncompleted.  A Senate, undecided.  A movement, leaderless.  A family, parentless.  
But the largest hole might be spiritual.  For a slice of my generation, he wasn't just someone who championed their political philosophy, but someone who reminded them of the joy and strength that flows from acting in a fundamentally moral way.  
"I lost my Kennedy." one friend told his wife this weekend.
His believers flocked to the Twins Cities and followed him to Washington.  They participated in a system that they otherwise might have disdained. And they watched him challenge the shadows.
Think an outsider can't change the system?  That's just a shadow - hold up your light and walk through it.  
Think voting your conscience will alienate you from the decision makers?  That's just a shadow - hold up your light and walk through it.  
Think a good man can't hold onto his convictions when clothed with the trappings of power?  That's just a shadow - hold up your light and walk through it.  
And then the believers started picking up their own lanterns.  
A Lantern Bearer's light went out this weekend.  And it happened the way it always seems to with lantern bearers.  Suddenly.  Tragically. Too damn early.  
And, of course, the world grew darker.
When a bright light is suddenly taken away, isn't that always when things are darkest?  But that, too, is an illusion. Time passes, the eyes adjust, and one starts seeing the other sources of light.
Because this Lantern Bearer's light has spread throughout this generation.  Some lantern bearers are trying to change how politics works.  Some are ushering underprivileged kids into college.  And if you look around, you'll find hundreds more have raised their own lanterns, found their own path, and chased their own shadows.   
Is it still too dark?  Sure.  So maybe it's time you picked up your lantern.
Think your voice won't be heard?  That's just a shadow - hold up your light and walk through it.  
Think you're powerless?  That's just a shadow - hold up your light and walk through it.  
Think YOU can't make a difference?  That's just a shadow - hold up your light and walk through it.
A Lantern Bearer's light went out this weekend.  
And a thousand more Lantern Bearers strode forward.