Lefty74

Watching Royce hit in 2025 was painful. His feet are moving all over and he seemed to make a swing decision almost prior to the ball being released. I don’t remember him doing that when he first joined the Twins. He and to an extent Wallner (who also was often out of balance) had swings that made me feel they were lucky to hit the ball. I also think Royce has maturity issues. That is why I believe Torii Hunter would be a great choice for manager. He has a positive personality but doesn’t appear to be the kind of guy to let things go. He’d force change and accountability IMHO.

It may be that Steer has benefited from a hitting approach that is different than Miranda’s. I’ve watched a few Reds highlights and the batters seem to be loose and confident. When I watch the Twins I see just the opposite. Not sure how to instill that confidence in Miranda or other Twins batters but need it for sure!

I like CJ but seems like $7-$8M is too much. Here’s a thought, trade with Yankees for a very controllable LH hitting first baseman, Mike Ford. LeMahieu and Voit provide Yankees with enough so Ford is expendable. Ford’s MLB stats in 2019: 143 AB’s, 12 HR’s, .909 OPS. Major League Mininum salary for a number of years; spend the savings on a pitcher and get a high upside player w upside.

Completely agree, Gibson may be older but he seems to have figured it out. It looks like his ceiling is way higher and he may now have a new floor as well. Very bullish on Gibby, may be a mirage but I think he has a chance to be really good for the next 4-6 years.

Totally agree that there have been some very strange moves. It would be nice if Flavine were a little more forthcoming as to their rationale. Seems very quiet over at 1 Twins way. One thing I do agree with is not playing Garver more behind the plate. I know many disagree with this sentiment as he clearly is a better stick than Wilson. At times Garver looks like he is trying to catch with a boxing glove. There have been many wild pitches that IMHO should have been blocked/caught and he consistently stabs at pitches. Does not have soft hands and at 27 I don’t think that changes. Catcher is such a critical spot we just have to find someone to man the position and I can’t see him being the long term #1 guy. Neither is Wilson but I have to believe the pitchers like him behind the plate more than Garver.

Life is a series of choices. I’ve been a big supporter of Sano and given him a pass on his weight. Now it’s clear that he is very immature and not very disciplined. Miguel talks a good game but he is clearly not backing up the words. From the accusations of sexual misconduct to not being able to step away from the dinner table to swinging at the same out of the zone pitches over and over it’s apparent he has a very long way to go. I hope he makes it but it will take major life changes for it to happen.

I agree, this is the same substance most Domincan players are caught with. Clearly not an iron supplement. Also important to note that the teams have supplements that they know are ok and are available for the players. They don’t need to get them from anyone in the DR.

Had a chance to be on the field during batting practice and was a few feet from Sano as he waited his turn. To put it in perspective, I am 6’3” and a soft 210 and it is not an exaggeration to say his leg circumference is at least double mine. He is a huge person, incredibly strong and will not see 215-230 anytime soon. He has also proven he can still run ok and seems to be quick enough at 3rd. Hoping he gets to 260 but still believe he has tons (no pun intended) of value as he is.

Rarely hear anything about Van Steensel and am surprised at how strong his #’s are. Why is he not considered a prospect? Is it velo related or something else? Seems to have a strong strikeout ratio. Thanks

And I should have added that in almost every category his #’s are down this year.....very troubling.

These guys are very hard to watch!! I don’t think Thibs constant barking helps, in fact I think he is losing the younger guys. KAT is going to continue to grow and get better every year. He has the passion/energy and talent to be a real force in the league. Should be fun to watch as he matures. Wiggins may be the anchor that keeps this franchise from accomplishing much. $150M for a player ranked 193 in Player Efficiency Rating! The biggest concern is he is NOT getting better. Examples: In his 4 years his shooting % has averaged .448, league average .458 3 pt shooting %. .310. .364 Rebounds per game 4.0 avg rebounds per game for a team = 43.3 so I would say he is way underachieving on this stat. He’s 6’8” and plays forward!! There is not any stat where he shines. He plays with a look of disinterest that is troubling. He stands straight up and down on defense and when rebounding; no athleticism even though it’s clear he’s a great athlete. 4 years is not a small sample size. He is not changing and due to his contract and the minutes he plays we are going to struggle unless he steps it up. The contract is our anchor unless he really changes his game.

Interested in your rationale for Tyler Jay making MLB by end of 2018. His stats at High A, around 3.00 ERA have been solid, but AA ERA of around 5.50 doesn’t seem to warrant the optimism. It may be that injuries have been the cause, but if so it’s rare that those things disappear. I hope you are right and everything lines up for him in terms of health and success on the mound.

I am surprised Slegers is so far down. Agree that his ceiling is low, but he has had a reasonable amount of success in MILB. Are there really that many pitchers in the system ahead of him....we will see. My impression is pitching is our weak link. I guess it is important to understand the methodology. Most rankings of top prospects are weighted heavily towards the "what if". What If the guy who throws 95+ starts hitting his spots, or the 6'6" pitcher is projected to add 5 MPH To his FB. In reality most often they don't achieve these projections, yet they are considered more valuable because if they do they are higher ceiling guys. Lots of Sleger types end up have MLB careers, but most often they are not highly regarded in these types of evaluations.