DocBauer

Nick, for the most part, I agree with everything you've said here. What's always most important is who you are in the second half, and how you finish, not who you are in the first half, or how you begin. I was very wrong about both Kepler and Pagan. The Twins believed Kepler could STILL develop, even hitting 30, and they were right. They thought some changes made with Pagan would play up this year, and they were right. They believed they had the bullpen arms on hand, with some recovery, and a couple temp moves the pen, to have a playoff worthy pen. And they didn't trade away any additional future talent. The second half Twins would have had the team on something like a 96 win pace. I give them credit where credit is due for standing pat, believing in what they had, as well as some great additions around the edges of the roster that added so much to the season overall. Finishing strong and being where they are right now is a win, pun intended. But conviction/stubbornness goes both ways. As much as I applaud most of what our FO does, and has done, I have to also call them out for some mistakes made. Sorry, but it cuts both ways. They made some great moves to put this team together. And revisionist thinking is generally akin to the old proverb about wishing for something in one hand and having a crap pile in the other hand. The pen didn't exactly stink the 1st half, but might it have been better making room for guys like Coulombe and Hoffman and letting Alcala and Moran sit in AAA? Could the offense have been better, sooner, recognizing Miranda just wasn't right from day one? Couldn't they have just admitted Gallo was a failed flier earlier and just bit the bullet and moved on? With all due love and respect to Buxton, and appreciation for what he DID produce the 1st half, could they have made the very hard choice to shut him down earlier and work on extended rest and rehab to MAYBE have a better version later in the season? I'm not saying Julien, Lewis, and Wallner were ready from day one. That's a bit idiotic. Hell, Lewis, Kirilloff, and Polanco simply weren't ready to begin the season. I get that. And you HAVE to put a lineup together with what you have. And our frustration with the 1st half of the year WAS injury related to a degree we don't want to admit. I think the FO put together a good team. And guys not being ready due to injury or readiness hampered the 1st half. But I DO BELIEVE that the FO is a little too stubborn once in a while when they hold on too long to someone, Gallo being the obvious mark, or ignore someone doing well to make room for, reference a couple early pen options. A few more wins in the 1st half might or might not have had the Twins get a 1st round bye. In the long run, what matters is the 2nd half, improvement, a playoff win, and a chance to do more. And I'm not being a bummer as I love how the team has become the team I saw them potentially being coming out of ST. It just took a little longer than I expected to become that team. I'm only saying that despite being WAY smarter than I am in baseball matters, I do think their stubbornness/conviction can be a little too strong at times, and maybe they need to relent a little earlier at times, or just take a shot at a younger player once in a while a little earlier than what feels comfortable.

The Twins rotation in 2022 was lead by a never totally healthy and prepared Gray. And this is by his own admission as he was so involved with the CBA negotiations he never felt fully prepared. Ober was tremendous when healthy, but missed a chunk of the season. Bundy was durable, but at best a #5 starter for any decent team. Ryan was a rookie. And Archer was so beat up he could barely handle 4 solid IP per start. But yeah, Rocco has a quick hook. Please! This year, Gray was healthy and tossed 184 IP, the 3rd most in his career! Lopez hit a career high with 194! Ryan, in his 2nd year, and even with some time missed with a groin injury, threw almost 162 IP. Ober BLEW past his previous high of 108 IP in a season with a combined 166 between the Twins, 144, and 22 at AAA. I don't have the exact numbers available, but I believe the Twins were in the top 5 this season at about 5 2/3 IP per start in all of MLB. When your rotation arms are healthy, and GOOD, you run them more. And Rocco did that. When they are hurting and poor, you pull them sooner, and Rocco did that more often in 2022. This whole discussion is, frankly, old and disingenuous. The numbers are in black and white.

Simply not going to get in to a debate about Correa's throw home. Only going to state my opinion. I've seen the career of Ozzie Smith, and to me, he's still the greatest SS I've seen in my lifetime. And I've seen Templeton, Trammell, Larkin. Vizquel, and other tremendous SS. And I've also watched Ripken and Jeter...both very good and worthy of HOF inductions, but neither as good defensively as Correa, IMO. I appreciated Correa from afar before he joined the Twins, but can't say I was a fan. I have become one since, however, as I like the man, and love the ballplayer. Never had a clue just how invested he is in his organization, or how great his leadership skills and just how great his pure baseball intellect is. I believe it was Bundy pitching in a game last season, but I could be mis-remembering who was on the mound, when Correa made a visit, told him what to throw, and he did, and the Twins got out of a tight spot and ended up winning the game. His call of the pick off at 2B was outstanding. He recognized the situation and set the whole thing up. Again, I have seen some absolutely amazing SS and tremendous plays over nearly 50 years of baseball, but it is NOT hyperbole to say his throw home was one of the best plays I've ever seen made. He was moving to 2B to cover initially, as he was supposed to do. The ball that Polanco missed came to a dead stop on the dirt. Correa then sprinted back to his right, fielded the ball, and threw an absolute strike to Jeffers to nail Bichette. I mean, how can you argue with something so sudden, unexpected, and PERFECT? COULD someone else maybe make that play? Well yeah, they COULD, but HE did it. And 90-95% of the time nobody would have done that. Maybe not even he, given the same chance again. I think we just have to accept and enjoy what a tremendous play it was. The fact that he did it for our favorite team is not hyperbolic. It's just recognizing greatness. Brian, I enjoyed your analogy. I think where you got disagreement was in hinting he hasn't proven his $200M. I think a disappointing offensive season is a target needing more proof about earning said deal. But I think any sort of pushback is simply that it's way too early after an injury plagued season to suggest he's NOT worth the contract. And I'm pretty sure that wasn't your intention, but that's where the thumbs down came from. DESPITE a less than stellar year with the bat, and fighting his foot injury all year, and despite what any defensive metrics might state, I think Correa has been outstanding all season defensively, even with a few bad plays here and there. Again, I've had a bad case of plantar fascists myself, and I can't even imagine playing pro ball with it. But if rest and rehab gets him right again for 2024, I have no doubt his defense will be as good, if not better. And despite a slow start with the bat in 2022, and a losing season, I think a lot of us forget just how good his final numbers/production were. He had a .834 OPS and 138 OPS+. He's not just great defense, and a normally better bat than this year, but he's also an experienced leader and instinctive, intellectual ballplayer. And he brings those elements to the Twins as well. At the end of his deal, he probably won't be the same player he is now, when healthy. But as I recall, his contract is structured that way as well. When all is said and done, barring something catastrophic, I think he's going to bring enough to the Twins in his tenure to more than earn his contract. And with that, I'm jumping off my soapbox.

You know, time and memory are both strange and cruel. I can discuss Twins rosters from the 70's and 80's onward. I can recall top prospects who never made it. Pretty sure I can even remember sitting in my car listening to Puckett's and Hrbek's first games. I can remember the Twins beating the Tigers in '87 and Randy Bush stealing bases and helping to win that series. Of course, I can also recite the original Star Wars move almost line by line to this day and almost every from the original Star Trek series because at the end of the day, I'm a nerd. LOL. A highly intelligent, still "got it going" nerd as I approach 58yo later this month, LOL, but still a nerd. But in the '00's, I remember players and moments. But I'll be damned if I can remember series results in any detail. I wish I could. And I envy those who can. Or, maybe, I don't as there was so much frustration. What I recall is seasons and expectations and series losses where we could have won, and maybe should have won. Maybe I'm fortunate to remember the big picture and not the details? I'm going to remember this year and this series win for sure. And nothing will rob me of '87 or '91 memories, or tears shed when we won in '87.

The 2nd half Twins is what I hoped for when the year began. While I would have loved to see the ENTIRE season play out in equal halves, it doesn't always work that way. How you finish is more important than how you begin. This is a good baseball team! Please don't misunderstand me, but if we don't advance to the next round, I will remain very happy with how this season has unfolded and the win this series. BUT, just like '87 and '91, I don't want the winning to end! Great SP, a bullpen deeper than anything I can remember previously, and a great mix of veterans and young talent, this is an exciting team poised and capable to make some noise. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Ober start Sunday Oct 1st? First game against Houston should have Ryan, Maeda, and Ober ALL available. Guess it depends what matchup makes the most sense in the Twin's view. But if we assume Maeda stays in the pen, Ryan and Ober are both well rested and ready to go. And Lopez should be ready for game 2 on Sunday with normal rest. Gray to potentially follow. Right? Some good choices to be made.

Lopez...Wow! Bullpen...Wow! Correa...Wow! Taylor...Wow! Solano...Wow! Lewis...what was that whole MVP discussion thing...WOW!

Average 3 game series are you really going to use 9 pen arms? If you do, you're probably in trouble. IMO, you play each series and tweak each roster individually. (Not that there will be a lot of changes). I would have kept the extra bat, Luplow probably, but I can see the arguement for Larnach as well, instead of a 12th arm for greater maneuverability. Other than that, things look as expected.

Ober, a legitimate ML SP threw 6.2 innings. Stewart, part of the post season pen, made an appearance. Funderburk, very likely part of the post season pen, also threw. They ran out a legitimate ML lineup to start the game and kept it pretty much intact for 6 innings. The Twins have a 14 man pitching staff right now, 1 more than they carried throughout the season. Not 15, or 16, or 17 they might have carried with the old September call up rules. And the playoffs begin Tuesday, so they were trying to give as many guys as possible a full 2 days off. That's smart. I wanted the Twins to get to 89 wins. Then 88 when they lost a game. But Sunday's game literally meant nothing, and didn't change a single thing in reference to standings or the playoffs. Not a single thing. But they still played the game straight up for 6 plus innings and didn't "give in" until the 11th inning. Bashing the team for not going all out to win the last, totally meaningless, game of the season in extended innings 48 hours before the playoffs is just ridiculous. Ober looked great, and has once again, since his respite. I think it's honestly debatable as to who is the Twins's #3 starter. I've never planned on Alcala on the post season roster, he's just missed too much time to have confidence in him. But healthy and throwing in the high 90's again gives me hope for him in 2024. About as healthy as could hope for. Last decision to be made is probably between Buxton and Luplow. Time to get excited! Go Twins!

Missed the 1st few innings due to work, loved what I saw, and the hilights. Also loved the post game and didn't realize Rocco had turned over manager duties. How great is it to have that much fun with the regular season ending? Thoughts: 1] Coors Field is a weird place to play and strange things happen. Balls travel and pitches flatten out. I believe our managers pulled Thielbar out properly with a "who cares? You're great. Some of your pitches hung due to not being used to pitching here, just sit down and be glad you got your arm warmed up. You're FINE!" 2] Keuchel is NOT part of the 1st round, and shouldn't be. Coors field or not, if we already figured he wasn't part of the 1st round, his extended innings proved that to be true. 3] I was bummed by Keuchel 's appearance because I thought he would be perfect to follow Ober on Sunday. IMO, Saturday was about everyone getting in some work with 2 days off. I had hoped Keuchel would be an "extra" arm for Sunday. 4] I STILL despise the current 28 man roster for September. Now, I WANT a 28 man roster permanently as I think the covid time frame showed its a great and versatile roster that can make MLB more interesting, specialists, platoon options, depth, etc, vs continuing to play with the IL and demotions and promotions galore, but I digress. What I hate most about the current rule is it restrict ALL clubs from bringing up A] prospects who they want to see as a springboard for the next season, B] a guy or two who is a journeyman who just deserves a cup of coffee, and C] someone on the 40 man to just finish the season with an opportunity and help keep the ML team fresh for the next round. As good as Ober is, he's going to "take one for the team" Sunday when a roster of, oh, maybe just 30 or 32, should allow guys like Winder or Sands to get a couple innings in. Maybe a young catcher like Camargo might get a chance to play in a MLB game. You don't want to expand the roster to a full 40 man in September? OK. But at least go to 30 or 32. It's just silly to think the game is compromised somehow by allowing a couple extra additions for the last 30 days. In fact, it could be argued that those 30 days might actually HELP improve prospects/teams for the next season. 5] I still think Larnach hasn't reached his potential yet. Healthy, still learning and adapting, he's "late" in figuring it out. The injuries haven't helped. I keep thinking he's so very close to figuring it out. The FO likes depth...maybe more than they should at times. Do they trust in Larnach...who won't be on the playoff roster barring inury...and keep him for 2024? Or like me, does someone see a potential steal as a late bloomer and he's part of a deal? 6] Coors field be damned, Julien's HR was a BOMB. Looks like his hamstring is getting better. 7] Castro what? Nothing about him is brilliant except his ability to kind of do everything well. I never understood those who say he's average at 3B because I've watched him there and he's quite good. He's solid in LF, occasionally great. I dare say he's been at least average in CF, and seems to be getting better. And then he made a tremendous play at SS tonight against Colorado that none of us saw coming. He's never going to probably hit for a great AVG, or have a great OB%, or hit 20HR. But I'll be damned if he just doesn't do about EVERYTHING at least average, and be above average in SB. I can only hope we get at least as good of a 2023 Castro in 2024 as we've had.

IF you are going to PH, you better feel damn good about your matchup. I feel Rocco has grown as a manager this year in regard to bullpen usage, and using his roster. But I'm still not convinced in regard to PH. I still think he's been too aggressive early in PH. Why in hell would you take out Julien, or Wallner, just as examples, in the 4th or 5th inning? The Twins were one of the absolute worst PH teams in all of MLB the 1st half. They were much better the 2nd half. But you're going to base playoff success because you PH better in the 2nd half? I BELIEVE you approach the post season the same way you do the regular season. It's up to Rocco to calm everyone down and realize it's just another 3 game series. Put the best lineup out there. Hit away. Play speed and bunt when it feels right to do so. But don't get too cute and PH for your best hitters in a tied game in the 5th inning. You're just asking to lose without having your best bats available in the last 3.

I'm super excited about Festa. Of course he needs to continue to harness his control...DUH Doc...but he's already flashed so much potential and risen so fast. A little more control and he's really exciting. I don't want to "fatten" the kid up, and I don't want to mess with mechanics, but he's still so thin I keep wondering if a few more pounds of physical development might not give him a little more endurance? I've been really puzzled by the way the Twins handled Raya this year. They've been super aggressive, but protective at the same time. I can only conjecture they believe in his stuff and mental toughness. Thus, seemingly early promotion, but limited IP to adjust and learn and grow. He did struggle a bit, but also flashed a little, and will undoubtedly return to AA next year, possibly with an IP limit. He needs experience, but also needs to build up his arm. But man there is potential there! Someone PLEASE give me more information on Ohl. It's been my understanding he has great control and solid secondary stuff, and a great feel for pitching, but limited velocity. And then I read he's touching 97. What?! Really? If he's sitting mid 90's and touching 97 his entire profile changes. Lewis is the guy for this year for sure. Does he jump to AA next year immediately, or get a few innings at CR to ramp up? It's possible his arsenal drops from 5 offerings to 4 eventually, but I wouldn't do that too early. What a tremendous 1st pro season. And from visual results I've seen, that bizarre "hard knuckleball" is a thing of beauty that should lead him to a solid ML career. I've never seen anything quite like it. A little surprised Culpepper wasn't higher, but then again, when you look at the final numbers, OK. How can you replace Festa or Matthews? How does the old adage go? You want to develop 2 quality ML starters, you need 5 or 6 arms to work with. You want 3, better have 8 or 9. Something like that. And guys like Ober and Varland are examples. Some won't turn out at all. Some might turn in to good BP options, and we're seeing some possibilities right now with Sands, Balazovic, Winder, and maybe Headrick and Henriquez. Possible q or 2 of these, with some changes happening, might just do that. Almost 58yo, been a Twins fan since around 5/6yo, and been an ardent fanatic since early teens. With the exception of a few draftees like Clemmons, Verlander, or Strasburg, I've seldom seen ANYONE actually DRAFT anything close to an ACE SP. I can't tell you how many future STUDS I've read about in magazines, in my earlier days when everything was on paper, that flamed out, but someone nobody ever predicted became a TOP SP. Our very own, beloved, borderline HOF Santana was part of a A level trade who began as a reliever. The tremendous HOF career of Randy Johnson began as a wild LH who couldn't throw strikes, bounced a little bit, and then became what he was. Me, waxing semi-poetically, is just saying I understand and appreciate what the FO, lead by Johnson in the scouting department, is doing. If there is a tremendous arm just sitting there in the 1st round, they would grab them. They did that with Petty, and then turned him in to Gray. If you want to dissect Lewis vs Green, there's a thread for that. There was no better arm, potentially, than Lee or Jenkins the last 2 drafts. What this FO, and scouting department do, is recognize TOP talent they don't want to let slip by, be it HS or college talent. So they will jump on that talent. Enlow and Canterino were/are that kind of talent. Now, we're hoping Enlow to be 100% in 2024 and prove his promotion was worth it and he can still be a viable arm. Canterino is, unfortunately always has been, about health. Both are "hope", though it feels like Canterino is only a healthy elbow and half a season away from making a mark at the ML level. What our scouting department does so well is targeting potential. I LOVED the choices of Festa, Matthews and Lewis due to length and decent stuff and potential. I liked them better than a couple earlier choices who have also done well and have potential. I'm no expert, and no scout. I just see the method to their madness. And I admit I didn't see Culpepper doing what he's done so far. Maybe I should have. Decent results and so young, barely scratching the surface, the scouting department sure seemed to get that one right. I just laugh when others talk about drafting or acquiring an ACE SP. If only it was that easy. Remember when there were rumors of the Twins trading for Alcantara vs Lopez? Who's had the better season? Development and smart choices still make a difference. The proverbial "pipeline" that some keep alluding to is so damn frustrating to me. It's as if some who don't actually follow baseball even casually don't realize it's NOT an NFL draft where you hope to plug and play. Any sort of pipeline ALSO includes actually acquiring pitchers, just like Cleveland has done for years. And our current pipeline means acquiring and developing arms via trade. It also means developing what was in the system when the FO came on board. It also means drafting enough arms to have 6 make 2, and 9 make 3. You want to tell me the development of Ryan is all about the Ray's drafting him and trading him, I'm going to fight you on that. Duran, Jax, Gray and Maeda were acquired for solid prospects, I'll fight you on that too. SO FAR, they've won or at least broke even. Ober and Varland development. The 2022 and 2023 drafts have yet to yield a STUD. But should they this soon? And I don't mean to dismiss 2019 or Raya in 2020. There's a couple of rehad arms from the past couple of drafts that are a wait and see. It's very possible a couple of them might jump up and surprise. And Prielipp is #1 on that list, but there are a few more. And the 2022 class has mostly debuted in 2023 with ZERO or only a handful of IP. And the 2023 class has also not appeared, or has barely done so. Not everyone is going to make it, for sure. 2 of 6 maybe? But when you draft enough live arms with potential you get something good if your milb structure is sound. So far we have Ober and Varland and a couple potential BP arms. Notice Nowlin, a LH arm that has LIFE isn't even listed here. How good might he be in 2024 in the rotation or a move to the pen? You want a pipeline? It's already here, and just starting to turn out options. Not everyone is going to make it, and roles will change, But there are enough good arms in the system to feel good about what they are trying to do.

I can't disagree with what other teams did last season, or past years. I think the difference is the speed factor that came in to play this year. I'll argue all day long that a combined 3" shorter difference between the bags hasn't had much of an impact. But the ball is, theorically, more dead than in previous seasons, and I think the limited 2 throws has had a major impact on guys running more. If I'm not mistaken, a pitcher turning and stepping off also counts as an "occurrence". For example, stepping off and looking someone back to 2B counts as one and you only get 2. Things might change in the 2nd round, of course, because we're talking a longer series and a 4th starter. But even then, no 5th starter means a 9th pen arm. But that's getting WAY ahead of ourselves. Need to win round 1 first. I want the ability to put pressure on the other team wherever I can. It's possible Lewis is restricted to DH. Not saying he will be, but it's possible. But let's just look at the probable "givens" on the roster: Jeffers, Vazquez, Kirilloff, Solano, Julien, Polanco, Correa, Farmer, Lewis, Wallner, Taylor, Kepler, and Castro. That leaves 2 open spots for position players if they go with 3 starters and 8 bullpen arms. In ANY 3 game series, do you/should you need more than 8 pen arms? Stevenson provides speed on the bases and the ability to plug in a defensive OF if PH applies, and/or Castro ends up in the INF. Then it comes down to any sort of "readiness"...or do I dare say the "worthiness" for a hobbled Buxton...as a potential DH or PH who might not be able to do much but MIGHT provide a magic moment due to his talent. So is Luplow the final man if it's determined Buck can't go? He's nothing special at all, but again, in SSS, he's done well against LH arms since he's joined the Twins and is an OK OF. He can even play some 1B if necessary, in case Solano slides somewhere else. And IF Lewis can only DH, that also affects Buxton's spot. Nothing will be determined until everyone works out Monday. And the final player spot is up for grabs. But I'm rolling with 8 arms in the pen for the 1st round and keeping Stevenson for basepath speed. Imagine Castro in the lineup, and having Vazquez...despite his sprinter imitation in Wednesday's game...on 1st base, or even 2B, and wishing you had another fast runner who might make a difference.

One of Paddack or Funderburk, IMO. Depends a little on who they face and how deep are their LH bats? Would be nice to have a middle innings LH arm and I just don't trust Keuchel, despite his experience. I'd lean to the kid with velocity and K potential for a half inning, or to finish an inning. Paddack excites me for next year. I'm happy he's back. I'm glad he's throwing hard and free. But is the control there to make a difference? I hope so. He or Funderburk. If the Twins need more than 8 arms for a 3 game series they aren't going any further. I want the extra speed weapon on the bench instead of a 9th BP arm.

I'm betting on 3 starters and 8 relievers with 15 position players. They might not think that way, but it's what makes most sense to me foe the first round.

I like Stevenson as the last man on the bench for his speed. Nice to have that extra SB/PR option on the bench when Castro is in the lineup, or for when Castro comes off the bench. I think he'll be more useful right now than Larnach. I can't shake the feeling that Buxton is on the team if he he walk to the plate and swing. Maybe he's got a magic moment in his bat off the bench. Unable to play the OF, only able to DH or PH, I'm really struggling with the thought of him and his .207 AVG on the roster. I think Luplow has a shot to be part of the 15 as well. While SSS, he's done well against LHP in his time with the Twins. And he can play the field reasonably well. So he might be the 15th man, with Stevenson as the 14th.

I've been a big supporter of Jeffers for some time so I'm not the least surprised in the year he had. In fact, I'm almost a little disappointed in a couple of his numbers. Vazquez, despite a down year at the plate, is still good ar what he needs to do which is call a game, play good defense, and lead. He can also pop some XB hits here and there. Camargo is the clear #3 now and will be protected. But do they like him enough to move Vazquez and give Jeffers 60-70% of starts? (They won't do more than that). I imagine they will consider it, but indont think they are looking to move him. Helman was invited to ST this year for a good look. But he had a bad hamstring and didn't get to play, or start the season on time. Then he looked great. Then he had a concussion. Then he looked great. Then he dislocated his shoulder and missed a couple months before finishing the season strong again. Yes, he's older and a layer bloomer. But who cares? He could be a valuable RH bat who can literally play everywhere but catcher and has pop and speed. He'll be a great candidate for a needed RH OF next year unless they make a big move for one in the offseason...which they have refused to do for years now. I think he should be protected. I'd love to protect Prato, but I don't know how the numbers on the 40 man are going to shake out. I see him as a bit of a cross between Helman and Castro, maybe a slightly better hitter. He brings a little bit of everything to the table and combined with good defense at multiple spots, he could be a great depth piece, if nothing more. I don't know if that's enough for him to be selected in the rule 5, but it might be. You can't keep everyone, and it's going to be pretty easy to crowd the 40 man this year, but I'm going to hope he's back regardless. This season has shown how depth and working the margins can be so valuable. And we might need replacements for a couple guys who might not be back. Going to be an interesting offseason as they will need/want to tweak, but don't exactly need to overhaul the roster.

I want to say #8 and incorporate all 3 colors, but the white might be washed out by the light wall color. So if that's the case, then I'm also voting for #6. The alternating blue and red is bold and should set the cards of nicely. Couple Homer Hankies on the sides would like nice.

Back to the OP, you start the catcher you believe gives you the best mix. In other words, if you have enough data to say catcher X works better with SP X, you do that. But this platoon has been outstanding and durable and productive, overall. And they are both fine game callers and defensive backstops. They're also about 25% throwing out base stealers. While Jeffers has the major parts or offensive production, and Vazquez has disappointed based on career numbers and hopefully expectation, with flashes, the two of them have lead the pitching staff all year and have still provided...with 5 games remaining... a pretty solid combination. 28 doubles and 18 HR and 70 RBI with 5 games to play. That's pretty outstanding. I trust Jeffers more, however, and he'd be my #1.

Just to add, pitchers AND position players have stated they both like and hate the computer ump. It's not yet perfected in any way. For instance, we've heard the high strike has been an issue. Part of the problem is a computer program that isn't exact yet. The challenge option seems to work, which I like if it can be quick. The robo ump isn't ready yet. As weird as it sounds, it's not "varient" yet as it needs to be based on on each pitch and each batter. Think a 6 foot hitter vs a 6' 4" hitter. The strike area is different and not exact, as of yet. The whole AI, Robo idea is a nice idea, but there remains an inconsistent variance that needs to be adjusted. It's a fine idea. And I'm as frustrated as anyone who sees some amazingly bad home plate umpire calls. All I ask for is constancy. And I think the robo umpire is part of the future, but it's not ready yet.

A very interesting and very diverse group to be sure. A mix of potentially great prospects, and a group of "we'll see". Rosario pretty much dominated A+! My goodness, decent .252 AVG and .364 OB, .467 SLG, and .831 OPS with 51 XB hits and 94 RBI as a 21yo at that level after playing ONE previous pro season at low A after being drafted and not playing in 2020? That's pretty rarefied air there! He's got stuff to work on, but this is an opportunity to work on those things and get him ready for AA next year while still being only 21yo until July. I also like Cossetti being there. His bat looks like it will play, potentially very well! But he gets another month to work on his bat and defense before instructs. I think the target is for him to be at AA next season, possibly with Cardenas, maybe with Winkel instead, unless he moves to AAA. He seemed to finish this season strong. Don't look now Twins fans, but there's a group of promising catchers in the system from Camargo on down to low A that is very interesting. I'm not a believer in Sabato. Considering how weird 2020 was due to covid, little or no play for some guys, a loss of scouting opportunity, and picking 27th, I can understand his selection. They thought they were getting a solid "bat" with a great eye and tremendous power potential as a 1B option. So far though, there has been poor actual bat to ball skill presented. In full confession, no matter how closely I follow the Twins system, I had forgotten his wrist injuries. And while a temporary or permanent setback, I guess we have to accept that as part of his process thus far. He's not going to face TOP arms in the AFL, as teams tend to protect them, but he's being given an opportunity to show he can finish 2023 showing he can work a count for BB to maintain his OB%, still SLUG, hopefully, but ACTUALLY show he can actually make bat to ball ability. If he can do that, he MIGHT start 2024 at St Paul. But I could still see him begin next season at AA...roster crunch at 1B/DH at AAA...and then move up a month or so. But 1st round pick or not, he's done with the Twins after 2024 if the actual bat to ball skill doesn't improve. I'm actually really interested in what Etheridge does. He's part of the 2022 draft that might go down as very good. His superficial numbers seem OK, but deeper delving shows an arm still wild, as the OP shows. But after ONE pro season, it's obvious the Twins see some arm talent and potential. So yeah, let him show what he can do in the AFL as a springboard for next season. I'm a sucker for LH arms. I was very intrigued by Veen as the 18th pick in last year's draft. Like a lot of pitchers drafted by the current FO, they are looking at potential, not just what you've done lately, or what level you played at. Veen's K rate and amazingly low BB and control tantalize me as a LH BP option who might still add a little velocity to make him a viable BP in the future. As stated in the OP, he was great in some categories, poor in others. But I'm not sure that wasn't expected for an 18th round pick in his inaugural season. So I remain intrigued as to what he can accomplish in the AFL to get ready for year #2 in his pro career. Regarding Carr, Barrington, and Labas, I have nothing. They are fliers picked up on recommendations from scouts to take a look at. They all flashed at least some ability this year to want to take a longer look. Any one of them could be a late blooming bullpen option who might surprise. So I guess it's good to have a longer look. And that might be the smart play. And the FO already has more information on the prospects than we can ever have! They seem to like to put a couple top prospects in the AFL, and then add a couple fliers. Probably smart. Who knows, Carr might be the next Thielbar. I get it. But I would have loved to see E Rodriguez in the AFL. BUT I'm sure he's going to play in the winter leagues. I have to question why Nowlin wasn't sent to the AFL instead of one of the fliers. He's got an electric arm full of potential. He just needs to harness his stuff. Why Carr, just to pick on someone, instead of him. They think he's closer and just needs the Instructional League to get ready for next year? What about Soularie? He was the Twins 2nd pick in 2020 and has had injuries that have set him back. He's athletic and talented but still hasn't put it all together, not even close. And nobody is going to select him in rule 5, which I believe he's now elgible. But wouldn't he be a solid candidate to play in the AFL to see if he MIGHT be getting it right? I'm just saying, is a great athlete with potential a better option for the AFL than a borderline arm? But I'm not paid for my opinion, lol. I generally like and agree with this group. It's interesting. Anxious to see what happens, as always.

I have to object to the idea the Twins are approaching the playoffs with a poor pen. Right now, they are probably going with 8 arms which would include: Duran, Jax, Stewart, Thielbar, Pagan, Maeda, Varland, and one of Paddack or Funderburk. That looks pretty good to me. They are deep enough to place a #3 SP like Maeda in their pen for now. Varland, their #6 SP, and part of next season's probable rotation, and Paddack, looking strong and also part of 2024, are filing temporary roles with great stuff. Jax had a bizarre start to his season, has looked a bit tired and over used as of late....but not terrible...and was borderline outstanding for the middle months/bulk of the year. Stewart looks to be back. Forget 2022 PTSD, other than a couple of blow ups, Pagan has simply been a different pitcher this year. My goodness, they are probably keeping the best #5 SP in all of MLB off the 1st round roster in Ober. And with an extra arm currently, the Twins are trying to rest everyone as much as possible to keep the pen arms rested but ready. Can this rotation, or bullpen, simply implode? Yep. Absolutely. But so can be said for every other team in the playoffs. It's a new, different, and shorter season. You report to me that any FO/team reports that they KNOW that their offense won't sputter, and all of their arms are just going to dominate, I'd show you a liar with false bravado. No clue what's going to happen. Nobody does. But the arms the Twins are carrying in to the playoffs is damn talented with the potential to be very good. And that includes the re-worked pen.

Roger, I appreciate your thoughts as I too balance the NOW, while also looking at the future. Guess most of us have that amateur GM in our heads that doesn't turn off, LOL. Gray will get the QO, we all know that. Is it possible he accepts it? Doubtful, but we have no idea how this offseason is going to go for the market as a whole. As good as Gray is, and has been, even coming off one of his best seasons, he's usually never been a 180 IP, 30 GS guy. And he'll be 34yo in November. Still, I just can't see him not getting at least a 2yr offer, if not 3yr, from SOMEONE, for around $20M per. I think the Twins would be ecstatic if he accepted the 1yr QO, but I don't see it. They MIGHT be interested in a 2yr or 1+1, but I can't see them wanting to pay him for an age 36 season. On the other hand, Maeda is already 35yo and will be 36 come April. And he's a notch below Gray I think we can all agree. But with his rebuilt elbow, and time to get stronger after a rough start to this season, he's been very good. And he's super smart, throwing as hard as he has pre-surgery, and his game as never been about pure velocity. And the cost to bring him back shouldn't be that high. It could be a 1yr, or 1+1, or a straight 2yr for around $12-14M per, possibly with some incentives as part of any said deal. I'd take that kind of a deal for him, and I think the Twins will look hard at something like that. Maeda doesn't replace Gray at the top of the rotation. But maybe Ryan does with growth? Ober may have tired a bit at the end of the season...blowing past his previous IP high...but has still been good and has room to grow as well. Varland has shown how good he can be, is still pretty young, and has some nice potential. And, oh yeah, we get Paddack back next year as well, seemingly 100% and read to go, though he might have an IP concern his first year post surgery. The system is deep enough, talented enough...especially with no assets sent out at the deadline this year...that I can see the Twins moving on and looking for another Gray or Lopez kind of deal for 2024. And I think they could do so without major repercussions to the roster or milb depth. I do believe they need to add an arm. The question is keeping Gray or Maeda, or looking for a trade target they really like. I don't think they'll look for a major FA addition, but who knows. They've surprised us before.

I'll partially agree with Ted here. They saw/expected/hoped/believed they'd have Stewart back, Varland available, one of their rotation arms in the pen, and a possible emergence from one of the other younger such as Funderburk. And it's nice it's turned out this well, potentially. Is that good planning/speculation? Or was it at least a bit lucky? It's nice to see to see they might have been right, and no other prospects were dealt. Heck, even Luplow has actually hit LH pitching pretty well since he came on board, though nothing special. The FO was right about Lopez, Taylor, Farmer. Solano, Cruz and who else? They are a much better team the 2nd half. Not the fault of the FO that the offense was so inept in the first half, though maybe letting the kids play earlier might have helped sooner. Also not their fault Correa's had a bad foot all year, or that Buxton's knee has been a mess, or others have spent time on the IL. As much as I want to blame them for sticking with Gallo for way too long, I have to give them equal praise for sticking with Kepler and Pagan. I've said since day 1 I really liked this team when the season began. I thought it was well put together and had a shot at 92-93 wins if the offense came through, which was based on injury recovery and a couple kids proving ready. Well, that happened, which is part of the reason why the 2nd half has been better. I've been vocal that as good of a job as they did pitting this team together, they should have gone the distance and added one solid arm...no I don't know who specifically...and a decent RH OF bat from SOMEWHERE to nudge the team towards the very best roster they could have been. Would those 2 additions have somehow turned the 1st half tide towards a better record? I don't know that they would have. Some very poor hitting and continued rehab from some injuries were still present. What's most important is not the team you are to begin the season, it's who you end up becoming. And this is a pretty good team right now. I can still state I believed they missed an opportunity before the season started in regard to additions they didn't make, and a couple guys they let walk I didn't think they should. And I can still wonder about the inactivity at the deadline. But the truth is, they built a good team and once things got rolling, it's turned out well. Again, planning or luck? I wish we could have had BOTH halves of the season be as good as the second half, and have back some of those "oh so close" loses early on. But despite not being a perfect construction, and not being the 92-93 win team I thought they could be, they've been playing at that pace the second half. So yeah, I guess I have to say they bet on the team they built and it's worked out pretty good.

Julien has greatly improved defensively at 2B and is starting to look at least average. Made 2 great plays in the clinch game, including the final out. But he's also going to continue at DH and 1B. Martin will be able to cover 2B, but he's going to stick in the OF as he looks good there, and the INF has enough depth there already. WHEN Lee is up...and I don't he breaks with the club but comes up later...Polanco still has a role. No reason he can't play all 4 INF spots, including 1B, DH once in a while, and play 4 out 6 games to be productive and take some pressure off his legs. Castro can still play across the INF as well. And there might be room for Prato or Severino in the near future as well. So the INF is well covered, but still room for Polanco and his $10M next year, no doubt.

Also wanted to take a moment for a hopeful shout out for Alcala. There's just no way, IMO, he's part of any playoff roster. He's missed way too much time. But I am hopeful for his future seeing his velocity back to where it was previously. It gives me hope for him as part of 2024. Just wanted to add that thought.