DocBauer

Honestly, the biggest issue for 2023 was always the offense. 1] Even with a couple of middling starts the rotation has been excellent. How many teams could pull up their #6 SP for a game at Yankee stadium and get a great start? This rotation and it's depth is for real. 2] Except for a couple innings and a couple HR...which happen...the bullpen has been as good as hoped for. Even Sands, the current 8th man and sacrificial arm didn't really perform all that badly, here and there. Please don't make me say this, but so far, Pagan has looked good in his limited IP. Despite a great start to this season, the offense remains the question mark. Correa looks like he's starting to heat up. The defense has been outstanding. I think, other than a couple of bobbles, Miranda has been fine at 3B. When does the bat heat up? Gordon was OK with the bat 1st half of 2022, excellent the 2nd half. Does he heat up soon? He's always been a bit of a slow starter. Gallo was starting to look like a difference maker in the lower half of the lineup before his muscle injury. IDC about his performance at AAA. What he's doing is just getting AB and tracking pitches. We need his bat and threat back soon. Buxton needs to get "untracked" or "right". A few bad games doesn't diminish who he is as a hitter. This team really misses a healthy Polanco. Hopefully he's ready soon. But until then, I'd ride Julien as long as I can. I think if he just continues to play daily we are going to see the results. I'm sadly sorry to say I just don't expect anything from Kepler these days. I am super hopefull that we will see a healthy AK by June taking over 1B and letting Gallo play out this year in the OF. At some point, mid year, we might see someone like Lewis provide a spark. The problem is, we can't just wait. There will always be slow starts and slumps. It happens. But even without Polanco and the potential of AK at this point, there's enough offensive potential with what's on hand to go earn some runs. Forget the contributions from Farmer and Salono thus far, Gallo, Correa, Larnach, Buxton, Miranda, Gordon, and even Vazquez and Jeffers need to step forward. Even missing some talent on the ML roster right now, there's enough to produce 5 runs per game to support the staff if they just start to click. If the offense starts to click, the Twins are a very, very good team.

Why do all the big moves seem to keep happening lately early in the day and I have to work and come in to the discussion late? LOL This is tremendous news! I'm only partially surprised as I thought this might happen, and was their intent, but I thought it would happen during the offseason. I always felt was this was their intent when the trade took place. To be fair, I also think was their intent with the trade for Mahle, but things didn't go the way hoped for after the trade was made. Time will tell. Despite the new sweeper and a great start to this season, and definite potential still available to grow, it's too early to state he's going to be a true ACE caliber #1 SP. But I would say he's shown enough with Miami, and now, to show a floor as an excellent #2 at worst. But if he remains healthy, which is always true of any arm, and he has had some mild shoulder issues, he is just now approaching the perfect age where STUFF and EXPERIENCE, can lead to prime years as a #1, and possible ACE status. Berrios has been mentioned. And it's not a bad comparison for obvious reasons. The Twins didn't want to do anything close to 7yrs. But even though they lost out on FA like Darvish and Wheeler, they were initially in on 5yr deals for both. So the FO is not adverse to longer contracts, they just don't want deals beyond that. And I can understand that logic. I felt Lopez would need an extension of about $20M per year. Maybe a little more if his 2023 is great. Still manageable. Signing him NOW, slightly lowers what I expected. But it also guarantees him and his family life changing money vs a mitigated risk that always exists for any pitcher who could face injury risk. So this is really a very fair contract for both parties involved. And if he remains healthy, there's a real chance for another deal in his future going in to his age 32yo season. This works well and fair for both sides. Beyond this signing being a good deal, and helping stabilize the future rotation, the Twins are in a very interesting position. Ober is a legitimate mid rotation SP, a #4 at worst. How many teams, including past Twins teams, would have Varland waiting in the wings as a current #7 SP option? Varland is ready now. Who knows about the future of Paddack, but that's to be determined in 2024. There is too much season to play out before anything else happens. But there are very realistic chances that Gray and Mahle might receive offers. I'm not dismissing Maeda, but he's in a weird place where we can't realistically talk about him until later in the season. There's a chance that Gray and Mahle could both receive qualifying offers for $19-20M. Accepting said offer adds another quality SP to 2024 to increase depth. It's also possible one of them pitches well enough to earn an extension vs the QO. But by age, they are in different places. If Gray, a great leader amongst the pitchers, would take a 2yr deal for $30M...maybe a 3rd year option for less with a buyout...he would just about match his best contract to this point. He might jump on that. And Mahle could raise his game, be healthy, and raise his game, and be in the discussion for an extension as well. Again, either might be worthy of a QO to either agree or move on and provide the Twins with an additional draft pick. What the Lopez signing does is provide STABILITY and options.

ABSOLUTELY! It's up to Gordon to prove he belongs. The roster, and prospects, simply state that Gordon has to prove himself again. But to be real, it's very early and he has time to do so, I hope he does so because he could be important for this year, if not going forward. I've thought for a while he's on borrowed time. And that's not an indictment of talent or potential. But there's just too much talent on the rise with Lewis, Lee, Julien, Wallner and others to guarantee any sort of spot. So it's up to Gordon himself to continue to prove his future value. Isn't it great to realize the player portion of the roster is looking at a wonderful "crunch" really soon?

While I missed out on the game completely due to work, I still have a few comments. 1] I applaud Rocco for standing up for what he feels is right. And I've watched all the videos. And I'm not going to state that anyone was cheating in any way, despite the videos, and the stat charts provided in the OP. Let's just say those charts are "interesting". Rocco's post game comments were honest and succinct. I applaud him for being diplomatic and yet succinct. It WOULD APPEAR, from the umpire videos and further comments made, that things weren't exactly handled correctly. And I'll leave it at that. 2] I could care less that ANY glove has a spot on it. Rosin, spit, or sweat, gloves will have marks. But fingers from a pitcher that the umps asked to be cleaned should be a no brainer to do. There is a Guardians pitcher, and I forget who at the moment, who has long hair and it's been "reported" previously that he would use a swipe through his hair and using the rosen bag that he would gain better control, getting better "tackiness". And this goes back to last season. And NO, I don't have links regarding this. It's just memory. But IIRC, the Twins or someone challenged him at some point. Don't recall if anything happened. 3] Regardless of ANYTHING ELSE, the Twins went to NY and WON the 1st 2 games. That's not always easy to do. And while I want the Twins to win EVERY GAME they play, that's obviously not going to happen. How many of us expected at least a split in this 4 game series? No matter what happens Sunday, this team is looking legit. HOPEFULLY, Lopez and the offense leaves NY fans crying. But even if that doesn't happen, our Twins are looking damn good. The offense gets rolling, we could be dangerous.

Largely agree. But I disagree on Gordon and the FO. I DO BELIEVE they like Gordon and have had his back. While he, obviously, never turned out the way a 1st round #5 pick was hoped/expected to turn out, the FO could have moved on from him almost immediately if they chose to. A bit of a slow starter at each level, Gordon always seemed to "figure it out" with the bat. But not a true SS..despite being drafted as such...deeply in tune fans will always know Gordon as "the guy who would have been promoted in 2019 ahead of Arraez, having his best season, before an ankle injury shelved him". Such is history, and baseball. But through injury, covid, intestinal problems that wasted him away during 2020, they never dropped him. Instead, they stuck with him and never dropped him from the 40 man, took long looks in ST, and converted him to an OF and utility player. While we seldom, if ever, disagree on most anything, I'm going to disagree on this one point. I AM concerned about his slow start. But it's happened before with him, and obviously, other players as well. It stinks he doesn't have options left. But we all know these things can be manipulated. Any day now, Gordon might just "get right" and start hitting the ball like last year and this is a moot point. But isn't it also possible he might suddenly have a sore arm or ankle and hit the IL and then have a rehab at AAA to get a "reset"? I'm not convinced that Gordon has a long term place on the roster due to Julien, Lewis, Lee, and maybe even Martin. Not to mention Celestino in the OF. But I'm also not willing to doubt his LH bat, versatility, and his 2022, especially the second half. But it IS up to Gordon. I do agree that a return of a healthy Polanco, one of these days soon hopefully, might squeeze out Julien. But, of course, it depends how well Julien is performing, as well as any other injuries that pop up. It gets even more muddled whenever Kirilloff is ready to go. Doesn't it suck...EXTREME SATIRE...that by May, July at the latest, and even going in to 2024, that the Twins position player roster may be so deep we're trying to figure out how to play and keep Polanco, Julien, Kirilloff, Celestino, Martin, Lee, Wallner, Gordon, Farmer-still under team control, and even consider re-signing Taylor and Salono? And I've probably forgotten someone. Not to mention other milb players who might force some 40 man issues over 2023.

I started thinking about this today while listening to the recent Gleeman and The Geek. It depends on how Maeda feels. There are no indications anything is wrong with Maeda other than being 35yo and having not pitched for a year and a half. It appears this was nothing other than rest and a missed turn to "stretch him out" for the season. I've thought, and stated previously, that I felt Maeda...and perhaps Ober at some point...would miss a couple turns here and there, or take a short IL stint with a "tired arm" to just monitor innings for the season. The Twins seem to really like having the 8 man pen. And by the time I finish this and anyone reads it, Varland might already be swapped out for a bullpen arm. BUT, I agree where there is a logical scenario where Varland is kept, Mahle could now miss a turn, and Varland gets at least one more start. That doesn't necessarily limit the pen, because in this scenario, Mahle would still be available to pitch a game out of the pen instead of a side bullpen session. That's always been the way the Twins could have a pseudo 6 man rotation. What does slightly confound the situation is there isn't an easy choice to bring someone up to replace Sands immediately, who has to stay down for X number of days. Winder and Henriquez aren't ready. Megill is usually a 1 IP arm, nowhere near a long man. Do they make room for someone like Rodriguez? Do they want to promote Headrick this soon? So it MIGHT make more sense to keep Varland up for another week before simply bringing Sands back up again.

He's been a really good and really smart addition, even though I didn't understand the fit when the signing first happened. He's been good at 1B, and I'd like to think he can still slide to 2B and be good there as well, if needed. I don't know how or if he still fits in at 3B or SS...positions he's played before...at this point in his career. It would be nice if he could be an option there with Farmer out for a time. But he seems to be a real pro and has definitely earned his nickname. Solid AB, sprays the ball, and has doubles power. He's been a real help so far and while good health elsewhere on the roster might limit his future playing time, he's been a great signing.

Apples to oranges. Paddack was a bit of a risk that didn't turn out, but he sure looked good early. But Gray wasn't his normal self. Ryan was a rookie. Maeda was in recovery mode. A seemingly healthy Mahle wasn't even with the Twins until the second half. And Lopez was in Miami. And Ober was great when healthy, but missed the entire middle third of the season. Yeah, early 2022 returns were based a lot on luck and smoke and mirrors. And they didn't have Varland and SWR...and Ober as of now...for depth. This is almost an entirely different rotation. The great K numbers will probably drop some. And the ERA's may climb a little. But the rotation and the entire staff is very different, more talented and deeper, than 2022.

What's been nice is the "bench" players have been performing well, including the now injured Farmer. And Jeffers, now a reserve, has been playing well also. I've been disappointed in Gordon. He's been a slow starter before, and I have hope things will begin to click soon. He could be very important if the bat starts heating up. Also disappointed in Wallner, even in SSS. I haven't given up on him as a prospect by any means, I was just hoping he'd take advantage of this opportunity to do something. It's nice to have someone like Garlick as a 6th OF option instead of being a potential opening day addition. But I did wonder if Lamarre would have been the choice based on defense, CF ability, while still being a RH bat. No complaint on Garlick, just thought it might have been Lamarre. Really wish Helman had been health this spring because I thought he had a chance to be a non 40 man option that might force his way on the roster at some point. Maybe later in the year? Call me crazy, but I kinda like Castro as a "prospect project". I don't know that I expect much, but Detroit hasn't exactly been a hotbed for player development the past few years. And he's talented enough and young enough to still have potential as a nice utility player. I think he'd be better served at AAA for a while, but I like having him as a useful last man on the bench right now. There is a good chance that over the next month or two, a roster crunch might happen. But I love that possibility. Echo the fact that it's great the injuries haven't hit the staff. I think the Maeda move, with Varland coming up for a game, was calculated based on opportunity. And it seems pretty smart. Use Sands, send him down, bring up a top prospect for a game, extend Maeda a bit by missing a turn, then swap put Varland for another arm. Just not sure who that will be. But a nice way to play with the staff. But I really don't want to test the depth any more than we already have. Can't wait to see guys come back soon, and can't wait for June until we have even more options ready or near ready.

I think this early in the season, any "NAILED IT" comment might be a bit hyperbolic. But bench players who provide depth are such because they generally aren't good enough to be starters on winning ball clubs. If they were, they wouldn't be bench players. And that's not any sort of indictment of anyone. Farmer, Salono, and the surprising not mentioned Taylor have all been decent, solid starting players at times in their careers. They make great reserves! I'd rather have any and all of them instead of White, Soto, or Lamarre. It's not nearly optimal to have all 3 playing daily due to injuries, but would you rather have the AAA infield/OF instead??? Castro is nothing special. And he made the roster out of necessity. But he's fairly talented, has ML experience, can do a little bit of everything, can play decent defense almost anywhere, and still has some potential at not yet 26yo. I'd rather see Helman in his spot, but he's been injured thus far. But you could do a lot worse than Castro as the last man on the bench. Unfortunately, Farmer is going to be out for a while after his awful beaning. And a month from now, it's very possible injury returns from some talented players could provide a nice roster crunch. But yes, the FO has done a really nice job of building their bench.

Yes, the Twins need production from the OF and there is plenty of hope and ability there. And I'm pretty optimistic. Larnach just needs to stay healthy. The good news? Neither of the injuries he suffered in his first 2yrs were related or appear chronic. Buxton also needs to be as healthy as possible. Nothing new there. Despite being well conditioned and a great athlete, he's had a series of leg injuries. I don't believe for a moment he's DONE in CF, but I'm 100% OK with more time at DH to just save on his legs. While he bring great value defensively, the Twins have a tremendous substitute for him there. And Buxton's bat is special, so I'm OK if he loses overall WAR by playing less CF in order to keep his bat in the lineup. Unfortunately, I could see a Molitor-esque move in the future to more of a full time DH role. But I don't think it's time yet. Considering past production, still under 30, great as recently as 2021, I had real hope Gallo would turn it around with this fresh start. So far so good. Hopefully his muscle issue is mild. At least it's not an oblique, which can linger. I just don't know what to expect from Kepler. At some point, all the nice looking metrics and "unlucky" BABIP is just reality and I don't have hope of a renaissance from him. ANY improvement, with his defense, makes him a viable lower order bat. I just don't have a lot of belief at this point, and that makes me sad. I have hope Gordon is going to get going soon. And he could be really helpful as a regular contributor. He's looked better the past couple of games. I have no illusions of Wallner being another Gallo defensively. But he moves very well for a big man, surprisingly, and has a cannon for an arm. Like Gallo, he takes walks and has great power. The continuous improvement he's shown the past couple of years tells me he might be a better HITTER than Gallo, similar power, decent OB, and just needs to be OK defensively to warrant a spot. But right now he's behind the others, and still needing to prove himself. I hope continued development and opportunity will see that happen as Gallo is probably 1 and done, and we don't know if Kepler will be back either. Yes, I do think Lewis might help the OF as well. So might Martin at some point.

There are games when a SP struggles but gets the win anyway. And there are games when said SP just DEALS and loses or gets a no decision. Such was the case for Lopez tonight. Man did he deserve the win tonight! But stuff happens. I'm sure Duran feels terrible. But what's most important is the win. Sorry, but I find it incredibly ironic as there is a thread about Buxton at DH and he delivers a big shot, and his "fill in" also has a HR and lays down a winning bunt, albeit with some help from the Sox. Tremendous start from Lopez. Great bullpen efforts from Thielbar and Jax. Duran had a small hiccup. It happens. And then he took out his frustration on the next 3 batters. Honestly, not a lot to dislike here. Now, Gray and the offense need to win Wednesday and take this series!

He's looked great so far. I always felt he'd bounce back, even if he wasn't as purely dominant like he was the first half of 2022. His family situation isn't so drastic now, one supposes, and he's settled in as a Twin after being traded while his family situation was taking place. Further, he's now got a full year under his belt in his bullpen conversion. The stuff is great. The potential is there to be great. There's been a couple appearances where he hasn't faced the heart of the order, that being trusted to Duran or Jax, but he's not only done the job, but working on confidence a bit isn't a bad thing either. I love the first 6 of the pen, fully believing Moran is going to be just fine. I understand and appreciate the last spot being a rotation one in which we will see a number of guys, including Sands. I'm still looking for someone to eventually step forward and replace Duran.

So much angst over Buxton DHing right now. If the offense wasn't starting slow this season, would we be having this conversation? If Taylor, all by his lonesome, was off to a better start, would we be having this conversation? I don't want Buck as the full time DH either. Taylor is a tremendous CF, but I want Buxton out there. And I want an ever better bat to fill that DH spot on the normal rotation basis. But if letting Buck ramp up slowly, save some pounding on his legs to start the season, and some regular turns at DH during the season, can keep him more healthy for the season, I have zero problem with that. And the Twibs have been very open about this, basically stating that very thing, ramp him up, save some pounding on his legs, keep him fresh. There is nothing being hidden here. BUT, I do have to say that I've never liked a full time DH unless they were special. Think Cruz, for example. I prefer the deepest and most talented roster I can put together and rotate the DH. SO, if Buxton DID become a full time, or mostly so, DH one if these days, and the Twins plug in another high quality bat in CF...Martin, Lewis, Rodriguez, etc...might Buxton just become one of those SPECIAL DH bats? I don't think there is any sort of plan to do that at this time. But it's worth considering down the road. For now he's simply being ramped up and "saved" a bit. Correa and Gallo aren't playing a few games because they are "tweaked" at the moment. They aren't being held out to cheat the fans or because the Twins aren't trying to win. Come May, Polanco should be back, Buck will start playing more CF, and both Correa and Gallo should be OK in a day or two. I get frustration and disappointment, but come on, nobody is withholding anything or not trying to win.

Yep, that was me. FWIW, I'm also high on Cory Lewis as well, drafted a round later. My initial thoughts were I liked this pair above any other 2022 drafted arm not named Prielipp. And pretty much for the same reasons. I'm not plugged in to any special information but I just love a kid like Matthews who is around 6' 4"+ and 210 lbs...downward plane and arm extension...who already throws in the low to mid 90's with decent control and at least one other solid pitch. He was a juco kid who moved up a level and was as good or better. With pro coaching and able to devote himself full time now, how much more velocity might he gain? If I have any kind of good developmental plan, my coaches should help him refine hisbsecondary stuff and find that 3rd or 4th pitch. And I see Lewis in nearly the same light, but with the intrigue of his knuckler, which will be interesting to watch. (Pretty hard to have a good one if you don't throw it a lot).

My mornings are now much better, much more complete now that milb results are back! Echoing every one else, just a great day for the whole organization and what a performance by Varland and Festa! But tip of the cap to Kyle Jones and 5 strong in his 1st start after pitching a single inning post draft last year. And as it appears to be a common theme this season, he's been pushed straight to A+. And really, not a bad 1st start for Andrew Morris either after 2 games and 5 IP after being drafted last year. It's early, but I've been really excited about the early results. Young prospects being pushed, and so far, a lot of promising results.

Yeah baby!

Ugh! Just NO WAY I can pick ONE GUY at each level that I'm watching. I'm watching them all! LOL. But I will TRY to FOCUS best I can. AAA: Dobnak is not merely a feel good story. When healthy, he's been a pretty solid back end starter. But Dman is correct that he just doesn't have a "put away" pitch, and that hurt him at the ML level. He doesn't have to K 9 per. But even with weak contact and a load of ground balls, he's got to be at least 6 or 7K per. His future with the Twins will be as a middle/long man. But his career pursuit as a SP might just be with someone else. Despite not being on the 40 man, I can still see him added at some point to be a contributor at some point. Good sentimental call. But I am 100% focused on Balazovic. Still frustrated and confused why he was pitching with an aching knee that threw off his mechanics in 2022. Why? It had to mess with his head as well. But he felt better late in the year and actually threw much better his last few starts. He reported to ST early to get ready for this year. The entire "sucker punch" debacle can be debated at length, and has been. And I'm just not going to spend type rehashing all the opinions and possibilities. But you don't have his frame, his stuff, and dismiss all that potential after one bad season due to a troublesome knee. His arrival "clock" is certainly delayed at this point due to his broken jaw. At this point, I don't care if he's ready August instead of June or July because I'm still looking at the long game with him. He isn't exactly old. My #2...since we're NOT focusing on the obvous...is Headrick. HUGE season. AA numbers aren't great for 2022, but he finished strong. I was still surprised he jumped to AAA this soon, but love the aggressive approach. The Twins see something to make this move. AA: Funderburk is an interesting choice. What hasn't he done right so far? But, IMO, he screams a mid/long LH who will join Laweryson or Winder as an outstanding 7/8 man grouping in the pen who you can count on for anything from 1-4 IP and NOT feel either has to ride the shuttle as the top 6 in the pen and the rotation talent won't necessitate so much movement as we've seen in the past. But if we are choosing to ignore the OBVIOUS, which is Festa, and concentrate on the less obvious, then it has to be Adams. Drafted in 2021, apart from ONE appearance, he didn't debut until last year. Solid numbers at A- and mediocre numbers at A+. But already at AA? College pitcher or not, he's being moved aggressively. My #2 is Enlow. He was mediocre in his return from TJ in 2022. How does he look NOW? A+: OK, can't chose the obvious of Priellip? Got it! Nowlin is my guy! Top arms come various places and sometimes surprise. This kid has STUFF! Does his frame allow him to pitch multiple innings at the ML level? (Probably still filling out at is age). Can he harness enough control? His ceiling says he will fill out a bit physically to deal with the demands of being a ML SP, and he will gain enough control to be at least a mid rotation starter. His floor screams a dominate 1-2 IP RP arm. Still only 22yo, there's a lot of variance in his future. My #2 is actually my 1A. I want to see a healthy Raya..."small shoulder issue"...ready by May as reported. This kid seems like lightning in a bottle. He was my favorite 2020 draft pick and I'm riding my opinion on him until he proves me right or wrong. I think he's a combination of Berrios and Ryan and I think he's going to be a keeper. A-: Other than Priellip, the entire rotation of Ft Myers is pretty much draftees from 2022 and FCL arms. I'm OK with that. There may be some optimism with position players, and it will be interesting to watch. But I like the rotation here. Is Oliveras a potential stud coming from the DSL? The Twins have been largely in to position players regarding international signings. And they traded a few away in recent trades. But Oliveras might be one they stick with. But my #1 and #2, as of now, are Cory Lewis and Zebby Mathews. Both are long framed and have a nice build to say they are projectibale. I actually like them better than Morris, the 4th round pick last year. So they are the guys I'm looking at initially unless someone Oliveras jumps up and proves themselves.

6 games per week and 6 games for a SS. 3 guys, if including Ross, and I would, to be split. It's not as simple as 2 games each, but it's not that hard either. They all play almost daily between 2B/SS/3B and you can even rotate SS enough for each to start 3 games every 3rd week. There will be injuries here and there. At some point, there may be a promotion to AA for someone. 6 total infielders for 4 spots and 6 games per week shouldn't be that hard to get everyone a lot of playing time overall. You still have to hit and field regardless of being in the lineup at SS that day. Just rotate days and even weeks to make sure everyone is getting shared time there.

AAA: Wallner for sure. He only has half a season there and keeps getting better. He just needs to keep doing what he did last year, and polish his defense. Martin when he gets healthy. Julien is a given. And I'm really intrigued by Carmago ar catcher. There's life in his bat. Can he make enough contact? And I'm with Dman on Helman as a super utility player who can play everywhere. AA: Lee is a given. I liked the way Severino took another step last year. I think he's close to AAA. Prato might be very undervalued as a utility player and potential table setter option, but he's behind some other good options. Winkel already at AA! Always got my eyes on catchers. Just don't know what to think about Sabato. Sooner or later he has to show HIT ability. Not sure I believe in him, but I'll be watching him. A+: The question here might be is there anyone NOT to peak my interest? I hate to say it, but Cavaco has the least of my attention, though I natural hope for a sudden turnaround. I do like moving him to CR to see if something breaks free. But the INF is LOADED and the OF might be just as much. Rodriguez is another given, but does Urbina make a move and start to harness all that talent? Rosario got a long look in ST and has huge power potential. And I can't but help focus on Cardenas behind the plate. The talent seems to be there, and he knows the zone. Does the bat and power potential start to manifest itself in 2023? A-: Ft Myers is interesting but it's a complete collection of most of the past 2 drafts as well as some young international players moving up from the FCL. I'm really intrigued by the staff, and I'm not sure how the offense is going to perform. DeAndre obviously has my attention. Why are Perez and Shuffield there??? I have to believe this is a temporary assignment for both until a few things settle in above them and they are quickly promoted. But once again I'm looking a lot at the catchers. Cossetti had 1 game of pro ball after being drafted last year. He showed a good bat in college. Does it translate? Tatum as the 3rd catcher drafted in 2021 and did nothing with the bat last year. And Olivar seems to be budding as a hitter and is a much better athlete at catcher than you normally see. Can they harness that in to him being a legitimate catching option? Keep wondering where Baez in all of this?

Cory, I assume from this and previous Blogs that you are following a list from Fangraphs. And that's fine. It makes sense. After all, we're talking about non 40 man players, which make 2B look pretty damn good for now, and the future. But I do believe their list is a bit out of order, as well as missing a few options here. Right now, of course, beyond the 40 man, Perez is a "break glass" because everything went to hell player. He's only there to give the Saints a solid fill in player. And that's fine. It's beyond that where I have arguements with the list. BEYOND the 40 man, which is super deep at the moment, the list should be: 1A] Anthony Prato. 7th round pick in 2019. Plays 2B/3B/LF and some SS. Does everything well with the bat. Thought he might be at St Paul to begin the year. 1B] Severino. He plays 2B and 3B and has nice set of tools. He was one of those prospects that were declared FA after it was discovered Atlanta violated signing rules. His 2022 was his best season, and he has a chance to make a real move coming off his best season in 2022. 3] Schobel, Shuffield, Ross, Ortega, and and Perez. Honestly, make your own choice. Ross has helium due to talent, production, and independent leagues. Schobel was a 2nd round pick with a few AB that showed little in those. Do we care at this point? Suffield is older and re9ached AAA simply because they neeed someone to play and didn't think he'd be overwhelmed. To his credit, he did OK. Ortega is a big bat Dozier kind of player getting ready for 2023. Perez is a great athlete from a great family. He's shown signs of ability. Can he harness that ability? These are ALL draft picks the last couple of seasons. A couple might actually stick at SS. Any 2B prospect other than these are just too far away to project to anything.

I have to admit this is a big bummer for me. When I see someone like Winder, a top 10 prospect, with increased velocity and some good secondary stuff suddenly have a "shoulder impingement" without an actual physical injury reported I think rest and rehab, get him back to 100%, and let it ride. He EARNED his shot in 2022 to be that middle/long/swing man and didn't look bad. I was confused a bit that his FB was his worst pitch, but he was a rookie, and sometimes all it takes is a little adjustment here and there in location, sequence, or grip to make a difference. Sometimes, it's actually throwing a little slower for better location and movement. This is one of those times where I wish the FO would be a little more informative and tell us what they are thinking. Do they just believe his arm/shoulder are just built better for the pen instead of the rotation? If so, he just jumped ahead of Sands and probably Laweryson as the best middle man in the pen going forward.

Not going to find a bigger fan of Arraez than me. And I miss him. And he did a great job as the leadoff hitter, doing what he's supposed to do, which was hit and get OB. But he's gone, and the Twins need to find the best option(s) to replace him against RHP until someone grabs the spot. The problem here is perception and definition: 1] The LEADOFF hitter is a term used almost since baseball began. I even use it. The problem is it should be TABLESETTER by action. And even at that, a LEADOFF hitter bats FIRST ONE TIME A GAME, guaranteed. If things fall a certain way, they MIGHT hit first an additional time in a game, maybe second. 2] There is a very logical arguement that batting your best hitters in the #1-4/5 spots makes the most sense as they get the most opportunities at the plate in a game, and throughout the season. The issue there is, even in a great lineup, your last 2-4 hitters are the "worst" of your team. So following that norm, do you necessarily want one of your best power/RBI threats to follow your weakest hitters throughout the rest of the game? And that's where the rubber meets the road. You want someone who can hit a little, get OB a little, and have enough power/pop to be not only a TABLESETTER for the bats behind him, but who can advance runners and knock in runners from the bottom of the lineup when they actually perform and get OB! As limited as Kepler is as a #1 hitter, he has something like a .760-.770 career OPS against RHP. That's not great, but it's OK. And after a good ST, a poor first THREE GAMES doesn't change that fact. Gallo has an even better career OPS overall, and can be more dangerous in that spot than Kepler, knocking in runs when/if runners from the bottom of the order are OB. But because he has more pure power, the Twins are wanting him to hit lower, behind the "better" bats ahead of him than the bottom of the order hitters. So they are looking at and hoping Kepler will simply be what he's always been, which is an OK hitter with decent contact and OB, with decent speed and good base running, and solid power, to knock in some guys, keep an inning going, and help set the table for the next few batters. I am NOT saying the bottom of the lineup stinks. And I'm not saying Kepler is anything close to being ideal in the #1 spot. I'm just stating why he's viewed initially as the best option for that spot now. He has the potential to not be great, but do a little bit of everything there for the moment. Buxton's surge as a power hitter, with speed and solid base running, without a career proven AVG and OB, makes him perfect as a run producer hitting lower than the 1 spot. It's only SSS in his career, and a great ST, and 3 games to begin 2023, but why on earth would anyone want Larnach to hit anywhere other than in the heart of the order? I can't wait for Polanco to be back. And a 100%, or close to it, Polanco is maybe best as a #3 hitter who can do everything well. That provides production, slides everyone down for a deeper lineup, but might not be his best spot AS THE TEAM IS BUILT CURRENTLY. When he's back, he might be the best #1 hitter until someone like Julien or Lewis is ready to take over. Heck, it's only been THREE GAMES. But if Gordon gets untracked, his 2022 had a .743 OPS with some budding pop and he has speed to play with. He and Farmer/Solano might be a perfect combo at the #1 spot until things change. And I'd be looking at that as an idea over the next few games.

A 3 game sweep and 2 shutouts, on the road, to open the season. I don't care who you are playing, that's a great way to start things off. Add in KC being pretty good at home in 2022 and the Twins pretty lousy on the road, makes me feel even better. A few more hits here and there and I'm doing cartwheels, and I've never done a cartwheel in my life. But after the disappointment of 2022, I'm willing to learn if we keep playing this way and the offense upticks a notch.

This was the one level I've been "concerned" about as I think it lacks a degree of talent and depth due to past trades and other promotions, and some younger players not yet ready. Not saying Wichita is devoid if talent, but it feels as though it lacks in amount. I was a little surprised Headricks jumped to AAA, pleasantly so, and wasn't sure if Festa might do the same. Glad to see they feel he's up to the challenge. Definitely surprised to see Adams pushed this quickly. I hope that means they really feel he's ready. Guessing here, but I think Enlow is listed as a reliever because he finished there in 2022? While I don't doubt he'll see some innings there, as many do, I'm betting he's really in the rotation plans. Not sure what to think about the pen. Other than what MacMahon did last year, I'm not sure there's much to get excited here. Probably enough arms to work well at the AA level, but not sure I'm seeing much upside. Winkel already at AA, after being drafted in 2021, is very interesting. While Cardenas might have the better bat potential from the same draft, Winkel has been a level above him and held his own offensively so far. Does Isola face a put up or shut up season? He can hit and make contact and he's got some pop. But he's mostly aged 1B and DH and the bat doesn't look special enough for that role going forward. Time to prove he has actual cather potential, IMO. I think the INF is the strength of the club and Lee makes it pretty good by himself. I think Severino gets overlooked a lot. He seemed to raise his game to a new level last year. If he can continue on that path, both he and Lee might be at St Paul by mid season. I like Prato a lot as a do everything and play everywhere super utility that I thought had a real shot to begin at AAA. Has Gray done enough for this promotion? I guess so, even though he didn't set the world on fire since being a pretty high draft choice, with a mediocre 2022 probably being his best season so far. Sabato? Not sure what is left to say. He either discovers the ability to actually HIT, or he's going to be an organizational player only. But he's going to provide thump in the lineup, and that's a positive. I think Keirsey has a real shot if he can build on what he did last year. I don't understand the Giants making Armani Smith available. With covid, I believe he's only played 3yrs and has shown some decent numbers until last year. Can their 40 man really be that full? He wasn't exactly a late round pick. Soularie is an athlete but is he a ballplayer? He's had injury setbacks for sure. Can he finally tap in to all of that athleticism? The aforementioned Prato should help in the OF as well. Holland is super fast and can run wild on the bases. But even if he plays great defense, he has to hit at some point. I like the INF quite a bit. The OF has a shot to have at least a couple solid guys. Really going to keep my eye on Winkel at catcher. Still not sold on the amount of upside across the roster, but there is talent here. Could be a fun team if the pitching holds up and a couple of the best arms, like Festa, can continue to develop.