DocBauer

We talk a lot about promotion time. I think he got his first shot a bit early. His second shot was a bit of mess, coming out of the pen. Plus the initial confusion he was comjng out of the game vs defensive realignment. I think he could be OK, but was rushed some.

I love that the Twins won. Thrilled! I love that Wilson has probably as many RBI as hits. (Sarcasm and humor folks). And he may be a great guy and good defensive catcher, but overall, he makes Butera look like Mauer at his prime behind the plate. Maybe we lose today without his hit, and Garver behind the plate instead. But when does a losing team play for the second half, development, and 2019? The more I watch Cave, the more impressed I am. Maybe the elite fleet footed Buxton makes a couple of those catches look "easy". But none of the plays Cave has made are easy at all for normal mortals. He has the chops to play a quality OF. Keep playing him daily! He may surprise. He may be a quality 4th OF. But he shows ability, potential and LIFE when he plays. The OLD Gibson may have shut down after a tough first inning. He responded with 6 shut out innings after. (Don't give me the "it's only Baltimore" crap.) He is the Twins second best SP, and the best 3-6, 3.59 ERA hard luck SP in MLB. There is no SSS any longer. Unless you are overwhelmed, you keep him.

Want to echo the comments about a promotion for Wells. I only pretend to know things, but why isn't he being challenged at the next level at this point? There have been several promotions as of late. But it still feels like we are being a bit slow with some guys.

Breaking it down in the most simple terms, you are short sighted and downright stupid if you don't play guys like Garver and Cave daily. Garver has a strong arm and calls a good game, and might actually gain enough polish defensively to be OK while providing a quality bat. Cave may prove he can play quality ML defense and hit a bit with some power and decent speed to, I don't know, supplant Grossman? I don't care if it's Baltimore. More games like this PLEASE!

Look, this is yet another quality thread with quality opinions. And I'm not going to pretend my thoughts are so much smarter than anyone else's. Nor will I pretend to have all the answers. Nor will I make excuses. But here is my opinion. 1] The front office has been on the job, literally, for a year and a half. Not sure what magic dust they were supposed to sprinkle to create an immediate turnaround. 2] Depending on your viewpoint, of course, the FO made a couple small moves that helped the 2017 team surprise. They even made a couple moves during the season that some question, but have largely looked good. They also used tbe Rochester shuttle fairly effectively. 3] This new FO had what, is perceived to be, a very good draft last year, and played with international FA money to acquire a couple more solid prospects. 4] Forget results for a moment, the new FO made aggressive FA and trade moves like we haven't seen since McPhail was in office. Oddorizi was NOT a bad move. Nor was Duke, Rodney, Reed or Morrison. Or Lynn, who has looked pretty darn good the last month plus. 5] The FO is not directly responsible, so far as I can tell, for Buxton or Sano, or sudden regression from Reed. Nor are they responsible for Polanco's suspension, Castro's injury, Santana's injury, (or Sano and Buxton for that matter), or Dozier and Morrison having the worst seasons of their career. However, they ARE responsible for putting together a AAA roster filled with nothing but internal pitching options! I only liked the Wilson signing to play at Rochester and be a temp fill in if needed. No way they could predict Castro's knee, but still think they set their sites low. The rest of the player roster, except for the injured Granite made me scratch my head. Cave was a smart move, IMO. And it makes me cringe a bit to say it, but I miss having a Buscher or Tyner at Rochester. But let us not lose perspective on the ML issue at hand. When half your projected lineup, and your #1 starter from the year before, miss all, or large parts of the season, you tend to struggle. When a useful piece like Grossman or Adrianza3....maybe being unfair to Adrianza...become regulars, you will tend to struggle. Honestly, the FO punched almost every button right in the off season. At some point, injuries play a factor, whether you like Molitor or not. Rowson was a GREAT hire a year ago as hitting instructor. Now he's awful because of the poor offense? He suddenly made Sano, Buxton, Dozier and Morrison bad hitters? At what point to you just blame the players themselves, accept injuries and weird off season developments, and other intangibles and just say "it's not our year"? Honestly, and it may not be fair, but if I was FORCED to lay blame, and couldn't blame crappy luck and circumstances, I'd put the blame 50-50 on the players and Molitor and his staff. What's IMPORTANT is what happens next. Exonerate Molitor and his staff, but shed whoever you don't see next season. Pick up some prospects if you can, for future trade, or to fill in holes in the system. Audition guys who deserve a chance to see what they can do. They might surprise you! Tell Molitor to play them! Arent you his boss? A lot of milb teams employ a 6 man rotation. Sometimes straight, sometimes by skipping guys every 5th or 6th turn by pitching out of the pen to stay sharp. Be inventive! You are supposed to be a new age FO, then show us you are by getting ready for 2019! Play Garver as much as you can! My goodness, you really think playing an aged defensive catcher who can barley hit above .100 is going to let you win more games? Play Garver, strong arm, good pitch calling, more than average offense potentially, and let him grow and learn! See what you have! Audition your rotation and bullpen arms. One more time, aren't you supposed to be innovative? Prove it! This season, for the most part, is NOT on the FO. Nor is it entirely on Molitor and his staff. But the onus is now on "what do we do going forward for the second half?" And it is a very, very important second half for trades, auditions, promotions, development and even leading in to off season moves.

Exactly! Motter is actually the kind of high potential, low risk many have advocated right here on TD. He's relatively young, athletic, versatile, and has shown performance in milb. He becomes available, so you take a loom-see to see if you are the right team, the right place and time, concurrent with maturity, where maybe he starts to figure stuff out. Motter is not the problem with this season.

Frustrated but I have to disagree with the blanket approach of thjs statement. They came on board fall of 2017. They've made changes throughout the organization, both initially and since. Buxton and Sano, the obvious biggest question marks, were here before them. Is a year and a half sufficient time frame to judge this aspect? If it is, then credit the development of Berrios and Rosario to them.

You know what, I have to admit I feel the same way. At least at first. And then I thought about it for a while and ran some things through my head. And afterward, I'm not so sure. These 5 guys are about projection. Jay may be a washout. But how many times have we seen a big arm just "get it" after a few seasons? With just a little more consistency, that arm is still plus. The same could be said for Stewart. He was a top selection with a huge arm, all the athletic talent in the world, and we were all tempted to think we drafted a big horse #1 SP. He has teased and frustrated the hell out of us. We've heard report after report about velocity and weak contact. And we've also heard, over and over, about how he was football first and was still very raw as a pitcher. (Also heard a few innuendos about attitude and maturity). And now, here he is, on a bit of a hot streak, at the ancient age of 23, hitting AAA with the highest SO numbers of his career. Maybe he simply has been a longer term project than we hoped. Leach is a big project, with projectability, and I think we all know that. Think Balazovic, also from the baseball hotbed of Canada. Miranda should bring excitement and optimism. Not trying to spin things. Just taking a step back and looking closer at this group. Jay is 24. Sucks he isn't already what we hoped for. But what if he's 26 in 2020 and rocking it in the pen? Not the SP we hoped for when drafted, but what if he's a big cog in the pen then? Would still be a quality contributor.

Great post! And a lot of really good comments! Going to try to hit all positions quickly and directly: ROTATION: Trade Lynn for best prospects(s) you can get. Keep the Rochester shuttle moving, employee a variable 6 man rotation maybe, and get Romero, Slegers, Mejia and Littell as many opportunities as possible. Not sure a 100% healthy Santana is gone for sure. Could receive a low 1 year offer with incentives with ML invite. But the kids need to pitch! BULLPEN: Trade Rodney and Duke. Cut ties with Belisle. Audition the kids and keep that AAA shuttle going. Some of the young starters can pitch out of the pen between starts, hence part of the 6 man rotation. CATCHER: Not sure how to address this, really. But for now, get rid of Wilson and let Garver play. He calls a good game. There is potential with his bat. How will you ever know what he can do or become sitting him for a 34/35 vet who can barely hit above .100? Austadillo COULD be a decent 25th man. But he can catch, at least a little. How about seeing how well? What's he going to do, lose games for you? INFIELD: Keep Escobar and re-sign him. Let's not be silly here! Trade Dozier for what you can. Since Gordon has to be added to the 40 man anyway, give him a taste. He may not be ready yet, but it might give him something to build on. Don't know what Joe will want to do, or if he's cooked, but keep playing him to see if 2017 and the first half of this season is for real. He's auditioning for himself, and the organization. OUTFIELD: Keep playing Kepler and working with him! Young and talented, pretty much skipped AAA, loads of potential, and really, started a step back of most HS age players considering his background. Might be time to just move on from Grossman. Keep playing Cave. There is potential there as a useful piece. Not convinced Wade is ready, but see Gordon comments above. Excited about Rooker and his potential. And I'd like him to see even a little AAA time to get ready for 2019. But he literally has just over 1 year or pro experience at this point. And with 40 man roster decisions to be made, I'd hesitate a ML audition at this point.

No statistical evidence, just my opinion and observation watching the game for 45+ years. The steroid era and Sportscenter highlights started the demise of the bunt, situational hitting and stealing bases. Post steroids has brought about concentration on exit velocity and launch angles. This has done a couple of things. 1] slowed down the pace of the game as hitters are looking for pitches to drive out 2] increased SO totals as a result of a more free-swinging approach and smart pitchers throwing stuff high. Most sports see evolutions in their game. I almost wonder now if you build your team with more contact, speed and situational ball you wouldn't be considered "innovative ".

Ahhh, Joe Benson, I had almost forgot about him. Probably deliberately. Might be one of my personal biggest disappointments over the last 20 years or so. Just seemed to have so much potential. Jersey was still a high selection, but from what you read about him, if there are no additional problems with his hip, and his speed comes back fully, or close, have to wonder if we got a steal there.

Curious about your defensive comment regarding Bechtold. Thought he was supposed to be a true 3B, glove and arm.

Like the idea of Rooker getting at least a taste of AAA before the year is out. It would help prepare him for next season. Still perplexed why Lewis isn't at Ft Myers yet. Like Rooker, only his first full season. Everything offensively seems more than ready for said promotion. I can only guess they are continuing to have him polish his defense at the lower level still. Arraez is starting me re-thinking the future of the Twins infield!

I get the result of this game stunk. And yes, Rodney did blow the save. But he HAS been largely good for some time now. Littell may have a quality future in MLB. I hope he does. And I'm not excusing a closer who has done a really good job until tonight, but Littell pitched scared tonight. Really, there was nobly else to throw tonight? Couldn't keep Busentiz over Belisle? Couldn't promote a single RP from Rochester who could bring it and throw a strike? Not piling on. Just frustrated as can be!

On seeing the thread headline, reading nothing, my answer was absolutely not. I then read the thread. And it was well thought and logical in all respects. And my answer was still, absolutely not. Look gang, I was a Gibson believer and apologist before wanting to give up on him the first half of 2017. His 2016 season stunk! As did just about every member of the team. And his 2017 season was just as bad the first half, before things began to click for him. And we are SO BEYOND SSS from mid season 2017 to kid season now. I am so tired of repeating myself, but go back and look for yourself at his 2014 and 2015 seasons. In 2014, he would have been a rookie except for 1 1/3 IP, getting his feet wet in 2013 following his return from surgery. Almost every single stat line in 2015 was better than 2015. Look for yourself! His poor 2016 season and bad start to '17 has made him a whipping boy. Now look at what he's done since mid season last year to now and tell me he isn't an entirely different pitcher? We bitch and complain we can't produce quality SP, and now we have a viable #3 SP who sometimes pitches like a legitimate #2 And there is talk of trading him for prospects? What's next, trade Berrios while he's hot for even more prospects? Yes, I'm exaggerating. But I do so to make a point. The new and improved Gibson is beyond SSS. TJ robbed him of a season. He had 2 nice years in the rotation followed by a crappy season and a half. He's finally the SP we kinda hoped he be. And he's still young enough to give us another 2-4 season's of quality performance that won't break the bank. Goodness, he could double his salary and still not cost what Lynn is getting paid this year. Make no mistake from his recent "demotion", Romero will be back again. And he will be a fixture in 2019, health and baseball gods willing. Barring a surprise, the 2019 rotation will be Berrios, Romero, Gibson, Odorizzi, (still solid), and Pineda, (who could also be lights out in the pen), or Mejia, Gonsalves, Slegers, Thorpe, Littell, a re-worked deal for Santana, or a FA to be determined.

Disappointed in Watson at this point, though I totally get his frame, potential and being LH. Clearly, his spot on this list is potential. Very disappointed in Bechtold this season. He had a nice debut last season, and we've heard about a solid bat, good instincts, good defense, and some power potential. It's still very early in his career, so I'm not down on the kid, just really disappointed in his season thus far. His OB is just over a 100 points higher than his BA. That tells me a second half surge may be coming. Moya is intriguing, though a bit of an enigma. LHRP don't have to throw high heat to be effective, especially with a decent breaking ball, or change. Combine that with his funky delivery, and he could confuse the hell out of anybody trying to read his pitches. He could be anything from a LOOGY, to a guy who could give you a full inning or two. Can he translate his milb success? Balazovic, WOW, 19yo and from the prospect hot bed of Canada! (Yes, I jest). But seriously, from Canada, only 19 pitching in Cedar Rapids, low A ball or not, below average age where top American drafted players are slotted, and even fresh college draftees make their entrance, and he's put up those numbers? With so few UP, perhaps he tires before the season is done. But this seems to be a kid who could vault in to the top 20 by the end of the year.

Whitefield is one of my favorite prospects. How could he not be? His story is just so good! THIS is a guy you have to be be patient for. But if he can be healthy and learn to hit breaking stuff, he seems to have the kind of talent and potential that would have made him a pretty high draft pick. De La Torre is just so young, but all reports seem to indicate he's a young man to keep an eye on. From potential and skill set, it be really interested to know how he compares to Javier. I both understand and am confused by Slegers being so low. Despite his big frame, he just doesn't bring real heat. I get it. But he's performed at every level, and has shown flashes in his brief ML appearances. The Twins are, thankfully, a bit flush with rotation starters, rotation prospects very close, and a couple really good ones a year or two away but filled with real upside. Still, it seems to me Slegers is about perfect as an ideal long man who can swing in to the rotation when you need him to. A RH version of Duensingm if you will. Wonder when, or if, he actually gets a real shot to stick. Wells injury really stinks. Let's hope he makes a full recovery for 2019.

Side note: Jax didn't start the game, of course, but he essentially produced the equivalent of another quality start. He's a little bit older due to his military commitment taking away development time. But I think he's a guy to keep an eye on and could vault up the prospect charts by the end of the year.

Although he may be working on his defense before promotion, I think what's keeping him down is the simple fact he missed all but 3 games in 2017. He was at Cedar Rapids in 2016, so really, he's already been promoted 1 level. Every time I look at the future Twins infield, I keep seeing Polanco, Lewis, Gordon, Javier, (damn the baseball gods for his injury this season), with guys like Blakenhorn, Bechtold, Miranda and maybe Cabbage just a notch behind but talented. But I am starting to really think about a hit and OB machine like Arraez as part of the equation.

First, this is an intelligent and well thought out thread with no real bias. Thank you Jamie. Second, I have to refer to some things I said in Nicks article. Molitor is NOT responsible for Santana, Polanco, Mauer's injury, Dozier to have his worst season and "cold streak", nor Morrison having probably the worst season of his career, nor the injury to Castro. Norris he directly responsible, IMO, for Sano's injury and rehab and off-season distractions, nor Buxton's injuries. Kepler's sudden regression is debatable. IF we want to hold him accountable for at least some of these, then let's give him, and his staff, credit for Berrios, Escobar and Rosario. Also, I find it ridiculous to say he lead a team to contention up until the end of the 2015 season, lead them to a disastrous 2016 season, and only improved a few games in 2017. A hot couple of months notwithstanding,they are different season's, a year apart, and have to be considered individually. The Twins were hot as hell to finish 2017. OK. So Cleveland's magic run in 2017 DOES count however? Third, there are so many things I like, and have issues with, in responses, that I couldn't possibly address all of them independently. So here goes: A] I completely agree that star players seldom make the best managers and head coaches because everything to them was so natural and obvious that they simply don't know how to translate and identify with their team. History has shown us that in most any sport. That doesn't mean Molitor can't, and he's been learning on the job...still a mistake IMO...and has had his team in contention 2 of his 3 full season's. B] I do find the comparison between 2 teams and 2 managers interesting but a bit misguided. Each team may be decimated, but one team may have certain players who perform above average, or have a hot prospect or two who steps in to counter the loss. C] I still believe a manger has a big impact on his team. Baseball in the only sport that has a "manager". He's still a "head coach". The best head coaches oversee EVERYTHING and delegate to his assistants, and sticks his nose in where it belongs, and where he can help best. And they lead their team, whether it be a 12 game season or 162. The Twins don't look like they want to compete? Boy, they sure competed and never gave up in 2017! No matter how you want to view Molitor, the jury is still out. We've seen a lot of good in '15 and '17. We've also seen a good deal of bad, including stubbornness, at times, with his lineup and bullpen usage. I simply can't blame him for everything that has gone wrong this season. Now, stubbornness and basic gaffes have me frustrated and wondering what he is doing and what his input really is. It is one thing to deal with injuries, suspensions etc. Again, every team and every situation is different. But how does the team perform the second half of the season? How does the lineup look and perform? How is the pen used? To me, the second half of this season will define the job Molitor does. And whether he is the guy going forward.

Really like this post a lot! Going back for a moment to a comment you made Mike, I don't feel in any way Lynn or Odorizzi were late, bottom of the barrel moves. The market was strange last season, and slow, to say the least. While not top talents, each of these guys had shown real MLB ability and success. After losing out on Darvish, thankfully it appears, they made a pair of solid moves here. This was not dumpster diving. The Reed signing was also late, but universally hailed as a good move and potential steal. We can argue all day about the Rodney Experience and his notorious slow starts, but if the age number is removed from the equation, he has not only had a nice career, but some of his best years have been lately. I might debate with you, but not dismiss your opinion, that Sano and Buxton struggles, and Kepler's recent regression, are the fault of the coaching staff, but I don't see where that is the fault of the FO. There have been moves, and non moves, the FO has made, and not made, that have me frustrated and confused. But injuries, suspensions, and overall poor offensive performances are not their fault or responsibility. Now, the catching situation is a huge issue, and I won't discount that for a moment. Though, to be fair, a healthy Castro and a young Garver as his backup learning on the job is very different than what we are facing now. Though again, in the interest of being fair, offensively speaking, this is not what is dooming production on this season. And I absolutely agree that moves like Belisle, and Motter to a lesser degree, are frustrating as hell vs promotion. Fine, pick up Motter for depth and a flier. But as someone to count on? Come on! Reading Seth's interview on Gordon, I am reminded again how much he has flashed, and developed but how young he is. Would it really been in his, or the team's, best interest to promote him weeks ago? Going forward even with mistakes made, I agree in taking the time to look at more young players. FWIW, we've seen several recent level promotions and I think more are coming. But Belisle like moves have to stop, and stop now. And unless they are convinced Castro will be 100%, and still like Garver, they need to make a move here. (Side note, I like Garver's arm and game calling. I can live with some still developing deficiencies if he could/would just hit to his seeming potential). Even a career norm for Morrison, he'd be a solid addition. Same with all the staff additions. Ironic that we have the best overall staff we've had in years even with holes, but the offense has just been inept. Other than better AAA depth, something I've talked about since the season began, the FO has mostly done their job. I think where you and I would agree though, is what do they do going forward. Address catcher. Get rid of Belisle. Run the Rochester shuttle back and forth, as they did last season, and audition the prospects for the second half. At some point, the fault of the season comes down to Molitor and his staff, injuries, and the players themselves.

Thanks Seth. These articles are a lot of fun. They put a real life story and personality with the player. And was much as some of us following the minors, there are so many names you can get lost at times. This really helps organize who is who.

IMO, he should be groomed as a RP. Realistically, where else is his value?

To my immediate knowledge, there is no study that would indicate any correlation. However, right or wrong, it has long ben believed that consistently throwing that many pitches on a very young arm can be detrimental. Note, I said consistently, and not one game. And it makes sense when you think about someone still maturing physically and not used to that kind of workload. If you listen to Blyleven and Morris and other veteran pitchers, they make strong arguments on 2 points: 1] Pitchers never develop the ability to throw more than 100 pitches because they aren't allowed to. And... 2] they often talk about long toss programs that used to be employed to develop arm strength and endurance. I'm no expert, but I never hear anyone talk about long toss used any longer to develop arms.