Mike Sixel

Bunk. Pure bunk. You can permanently injure someone with a baseball. People used to slide into second and intentionally spike players, should that come back too? People used to barrel roll slide and blow out knees, should that come back? Intentionally trying to injure another human is never good. There is nothing "neo sensitive" about it, it's plain wrong to try to hurt another human being. Why is that hard to understand?

I'm hoping they stop going for mediocre players, and go big on at least one player this year....they have the money. Plenty of money.

Fangraphs wrote up Thorpe today.....saying he could be mid rotation as early as next year. All the below assumes health, obviously. Gibson, Berrios, Mejia are locks, imo. Odorizzi is between those three and the next group, and might be a very good RP experiment. Or trade bait (packaged with others). Pineda, Thorpe, Romero, Gonsalves are the next set. IMO, they could really use 1 more very good pitcher. I'd try for a Met, I think. I don't have any interest in ESan right now, but I guess that could maybe change over the next month. Maybe.

Alex Kirilloff, OF, Minnesota Twins Level: Hi-A Age: 20 Org Rank: 2 FV: 55 Line: 4-for-4, 2 2B Notes Because of a Tommy John surgery that scrubbed away his 2017 campaign, Alex Kirilloff has now played just a little over one complete pro season in the minor leagues. In 168 games, he has slashed .337/.377/.545 and is on pace to reach Double-A at some point next year, when he’ll be the age of the college juniors in the 2018 draft class, many of whom will spend their summers in advanced rookie ball. If we’re going to nitpick Kirilloff’s profile, it’s that he’s a corner-only bat with a very aggressive approach. But he has all-fields power and advanced barrel control, so he has a great chance to hit and hit for power even if he doesn’t develop selectivity. Lewis Thorpe, LHP, Minnesota Twins Level: Triple-A Age: 22 Org Rank: 26 FV: 40 Line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 0 BB, 3 R, 9 K Notes Lewis Thorpe sat 90-94 last night and mixed in two good breaking balls — a slower curveball with 12-6 shape and a two-planed slider — to various locations, including in the zone for strikes. His fastball runs up and to his arm side and sometimes they sail on him, but they slip past hitters in the zone, as well. He has a starter’s mix and good pitchability. His FV is always going to be lower than his stuff would otherwise dictate due to his lengthy injury history, but he could be a league-average starter as soon as next year. https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/daily-prospect-notes-8-16-2018/

he'll be in MN for all of 2 months....I'm not sure how replacing him is shuffling the deck. If there is a better player available, they should acquire said player IMO.

JG 2:04 Nick Gordon has had a down season thus far in AAA. Is there cause for concern or needs more time? Keith Law 2:04 He's 22 and hit everywhere else. I don't think he's a star but I believe I've been consistent the last few years in saying he's a regular, and someone who'll play above his tools because of his feel for the game. clb 2:13 Are Kirilloff and Franco both top 15 guys next year? Keith Law 2:13 Franco will get there strictly from graduations, I think. Kirilloff is a stud but I don't think top 15, not yet. Neil 2:14 Lewis Thorpe's stats have been bonkers since June. Has he taken a step forward? Keith Law 2:14 I only saw him in DC and it wasn't a promising outing. I'd be glad to see him become a serious prospect, as I think it helps when players from less common markets break out, but the stuff isn't quite there. Brett 2:35 Are there any issues with Kirilloffs approach at the plate? It seems like he swings at everything (but also hits everything). Keith Law 2:35 No. An aggressive approach is only an issue when you don't hit. Dan 2:36 What do you think the ceiling is for Brusdar Graterol? Keith Law 2:37 If you think he can start, he's a 2/3. Command will hold him back from more. Scouts I have asked about him think there's a lot of closer to him, reflecting the stuff, the style of pitching, and the lack of present command. ck 3:12 There is plenty of caterwauling in MN about the Twins' fire sale - from where I sit, with the possible exception of not signing Escobar (assuming they could have), my sense was that everything else they did was smart or at least quite defensible - would you agree? Given the uncertainty with Sano/Buxton they certainly can't pretend they're in a position to win soon. Keith Law 3:12 Completely agree with you. They did well. And it was the right move.

Neil 2:11 Lewis Thorpe since 6/13: 28.9 K-BB%, 2.33 ERA, 2.07 FIP. Is he a 50FV yet? Eric A Longenhagen 2:12 No and with his injury history he won't be. Was 90-94 with plus curveball and avg slider last night. Chance to be a #4 (which is a 50) but gotta bake risk into the FV. Mike 2:18 DO you think Nick Gordon will turn it around in the minors and go on to be a big time player? And will Dustin Fowler and/or Ahmed Rosario have a bounce back year next year? Eric A Longenhagen 2:19 I think Gordon is an avg everyday 2B. Fowler will be a low OBP CF with pop, Rosario is a 7 shortstop with 6 raw power and a horrible swing so who knows? https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/eric-longenhagen-chat-8-16-18/

Molitor: Who's this Trevor May you keep talking about? for me.....if May is healthy and good, I'd use him as a high leverage guy in inning 7 or 8....I'd even consider making him a real 2 inning, 2x a week pitcher, and have him ready whenever Mejia or X are pitching (X being whomever else can't go 6 innings).... For closer? McGill until he shows he can't be trusted with it.

No May? I, um, hmmmmm. ok.

Great read! https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/8/15/17693024/minnesota-vikings-facility-technology-data-analytics-rick-spielman-draft

May is hte closer today, is my guess. But that's a guess.

Not playing Austin.......I am not in favor of this manager at this point....

Sort of. 1. I do not recommend day trading. 2. If you love a set of companies, and they drop for no good reason (the whole market drops, random whatever noise).....why would you not buy more at that point? 3. Like I said, I do this with a tiny portion of my retirement account....I buy on drops, and sell on rises. Over and over on the same stocks that I would buy and hold anyway. So far, it's been better than buy and hold, but I'd never do it with anywhere near a big percent of my accounts.

No one is arguing we don't need reform....but that's not the discussion here. Of course we need reforms, lots of them.

The market is certainly a roller coaster this year....not for people that look every day and worry a lot..... OTOH, a good opportunity to buy on the downside, and sell on the up (in your retirement account, with just a little of it) as a way to entertain yourself, and remind yourself not to be a day trader......It's mostly worked for me, but not as well as I'd hoped.

you'd trust a serial rapist or murderer to reform and not be a threat to society? What about the person that commits armed robbery, gets out, and does it again and again? At some point, it should be fairly clear that some people will not change.

There is just less and less stuff about non-playoff teams online....but here is one: Prouster 12:20 Royce Lewis is hitting well at the high-A level—wOBA .421, wRC+ 165. He just turned 19 do you think there’s a chance he could debut for the Twins sometime next year? Kiley McDaniel 12:22 He's really good, saw him a few days ago. He's the type of talent where that is on the table, but comes down to how the org wants to handle it and MIN seems on the conservative side. 12:34 Do you have a comp for Alex Kirilloff? What's his upside? Kiley McDaniel 12:35 Don't see a perfect one, but it's easy plus hit and plus raw with maybe 55 in game power, solid in right field. Just pick an elite LHH with hit over power and you're pretty close. https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/kiley-mcdaniel-chat-8-15-18/

I'm not sure how keeping someone in jail forever is better than letting them die. Serial rapists and murderers, that will never get out of jail.......why should we pay for them to be locked up for 40 years? That's one of the questions I ask myself. At a minimum, we should allow those types to choose to die, if they want. I am more likely to answer that question.....because it is wrong to kill someone, but I am sometimes thinking that society gets nothing out of keeping them alive, nor do they get anything. Then I remember that is wrong to kill, other than self defense.... So, ya, I am nearly always going to say it should not happen, but there are days I flip to the other side.

Why would he take a team friendly deal? He's already a millionaire, he can bet on himself.

Wow! Is that on topic, btw?

Another year of control, even though I am opposed to the system.....the system exists. this isn't keeping him down at the start of a year, when wins matter........so, whatever they have to do to get another year of control. Send him to FtM or someplace to hit and hit and hit....and hit some more. than hit again.

In general, I am also not a fan. It's too easy to kill the wrong person. OTOH.....there may be times it makes sense.

We'll know that's true if he plays 1B at all.....which he should. but I appreciate the humor today....

I could not care less about minor league playoffs. I want the Twins to be good, as soon as possible.

Interesting.....I view this as Buxton insurance, frankly.