DocBauer

20 pitches in 2 IP for Duffey. Do you risk a 3rd inning?

Going back to the original and more important topic...as someone born and raised initially in South Dakota, who has lived most of his life in Nebraska, and who has often visited Kansas, I can offer my own perspective. Northern SD may be green, but is probably as desolate in regard to traffic or civilization than anywhere but Wyoming and the desert states. Nebraska is miles and miles of flat and fields with windbreaks of trees. Kansas is far, far ahead of both states in regard to rusted automobiles off the road and anti-abortion signs. Just saying.

Like Mejia's stuff overall. Has the build to suggest stamina as long as he keeps things under control. Learns to economize/learn the further nuances of pitching, I think he's going to be OK. #3 capable? Maybe. But just a good #4 is acceptable.

While I love Granite and what he brings to the table, and suspect he may be more than just a 4th OF, and could maybe be a true OB, speedy leadoff hitter for the Twins one day, I'm still a believer in Rosario and all his potential. I give him the rest of the season for sure. At the least. When I look back at guys like Hunter, Gomez and even Hicks, who all struggled initially and were even sat at times, or ent to AAA a couple times, and what they did after a couple of years, (speculating that Hicks may have actually found homework in N.Y.), I just can't give up on Rosario at this point. I tell you what, if I were a team involved in trade talk with the Twins, one of the guys I'd want is Rosario. All the offensive talent in the world and the ability to play all three OF spots. Yeah, I'd want him, take him, and I'd deal with a few rough moments while he continues to gain experience and improve.

And 8 of the 15 should finish the season at AAA I'd not with the Twins! And the list doesn't even include Granite.

Pitching: If Webster had a baseball exclusive dictionary, one of the definitions might be d) the Achilles heel of the Minnesota Twins. TWO things right away: 1] the last administration is gone, so retrospection and creation simply do no good other than offering venting. 2] this was NOT going be fixed in one abbreviated off season by the current administration. The issue really is, what do we do going forward? Dozier is a really fine ballplayer. And he's the most easily replaceable, yet quality, asset the team has to trade for help. But will he bring enough back to be worth trading? Sure didn't seem like it this last off season. Will that really change now? Santana has real value, to the Twins, and to a contender, especially if they have sudden need and will overpay some. But his value is tough to define. He will eventually regress, but how far and how fast is pure speculation. I feel speculation he will suddenly fall off a cliff is unfair. Could happen to many a pitcher. And if it were true, then his value is suddenly diminished anyway. Would someone pay or overpay enough to make it worthwhile for the Twins to trade a quality arm for prospects? Or does he have more value the next season or two for a pitching starved team even if he regressed to a solid #3 starter? As I see it, there are really only two options for the Twins at this point: 1] Make trades. Move Santana and/or Dozier for the best you can hope for. Move Gordon, Rosario/Granite, at least one of Gonsalves/Romero and a couple more solid prospects and try to come away with a solid SP who is cost controlled for a few years at least. This could help this season and future years. But you've also lost at least one, if not two, quality arms and possible the solid, proven arm of Santana. Not to mention other prospects. 2] Hold on. This doesn't mean you are giving up on this team. And maybe it requires some juggling, and some patience, and even a few crossed fingers. But in a season that was really meant for evaluation fromn the top on down and a continuation of the rebuild, you bank on Santana and Berrios. You stick with and keep working with Mejia. You get Santiago back healthy and ready to go and hope his head is on straight. You stick with and work with and kick the fanny of Gibson to keep being aggressive instead of trying to paint corners. By the second half of the season you have Gonsalves, Jorge, and possibly Romero at AAA along with Slegers, maybe, as later season options. (You also stretch Haley out as a starter on his rehab. I mean, why wouldn't you at this point?) You work on the bullpen. Pressly comes back, better hopefully. You give Busentiz a real shot. Same with Hildenberger. Chargois and Jay get healthy and ramped up at some point. Reed, Curtiss and Melotakis get to AAA SOON to get ready for second half auditions/promotions. Then, in the next off season, you can take a good heard look at what you have...or need...and make trades or a quality FA signing or two. I'm not sure there is a right or wrong. But as much as I love this team and what they've done thus far, I tend to lean toward the second option.

I really like this post a lot! And I think it speaks to a real conundrum that will hopefully sort itself out in the next month or so. I am NOT pointing fingers at anyone, nor am I trying to make a blatant blanket statement, but isn't it interesting that before the season started there was great debate about whether this team could even approach .500? And now that the team has done so, and lead their division for most of the Year, we are debating about potentially buying to make a run. I don't think that's necessary a cause and effect from several years of bad baseball and sudden, urgent optimism, but rather, a reflection of what we all see. And what we all see is a much, much better and improved team. Why? Because there is a LOT to like about this team. Much better defense. The offense is starting to click, and I'd argue, just STARTING to click. By next season, if not the second half of this year, just think how much better guys like Sano, Polanco, Rosario, Buxton, Kepler and Vargas might be. We might even throw in Grossmaan, improving and not the least bit old, and Adrianza might be. And very soon, we may be talking about contributions from Gordon, Granite, Garver, maybe even Vielma, Palka and Wade. When the worst position player on your team...production, ability and potential all factored in...is your backup catcher, you are on to something! As to the pitching...well...thats to be continued in another post.

I don't buy the idea of selling. Dozier is a really, really nice ballplayer. But attempts to trade him last off season prove fruitless despite his coming off a tremendous season. So we trade him now for prospects? Has his value suddenly increased in a league with so many good 2B? I'm not saying you can't try, and maybe there is just that one perfect match out there. And if anyone in the roster, he's probably the most replaceable regular. But I just don't see it. Santana? Love the guy. Big believer, I would bet he has at least one if not two quality season's left even if he should regress to the level of a quality #3 starter. But even with that, unless a contending team has a big need through injury, trading him makes a weak position even weaker. And are we really going to get enough back to really make trading him worthwhile? A little better luck on the injury front could go a long way to having some quality rotation and bullpen arms ready next season. There is also, hopefully, the opportunity for a quality FA SP next off season. Possibly a similar bullpen arm. But if you really want to make moves, it would seem to be as buyers and not sellers. But at this point...and I'm not saying I have the answer...are we really ready to trade off some of those young arms, Gordon, an OF or two, to come up with a Sonny Gray type? Or are we better off sticking with Mejia, hope Santiago comes back with his head on straight, and pray the more recently aggressive Gibson can continue to be at least average and wait until next off season?

Best of luck to the Kernels! Now that we are at the milb break and draft signings are under way, I can easily count 7 or 8 guys that are ready for promotions to the next level. Let's hope the "transactions" section is filled up this week!

At a 6yo super hero birthday party in a power outage. Apparently too much super hero power in one place. My super hero name is "Turbo Shield". Late to the thread after checking my phone. Maybe Turley sucked the power out of Omaha?

He should go immediately to CR and become acclimated there. Too talented, too mature to do otherwise, IMO. Get half a season there and then half a season for Ft Myers. Perfect first half season for him.

Can I like this post more than once?! LOL Love David Allan Coe! We have a winner!

The Twins have mentioned bringing Gonsalves up straight from AA if he was ready, but his late start to the season and now 34 UP after going through 7 last night would seem to be what is slowing him down. I think the Twins really like him and I'm betting he's at Rochester after one more start. From there is anyone's best guess. But I'd be willing to bet we see him in a Twins uniform in September.

I'd say it is simply due to his late start to the season and only 34 IP thus far. The Twins have mentioned they would consider moving him directly from AA if they felt he was ready and there was a need. But he's off to a good start and I have to believe he's about ready for Rochester. We're I a betting man, with the draft over and signings about ready to commence, I'd bet he gets one more start at Chattanooga before his AAA promotion.

Going to have to disagree here. Guys deserve chances. Guys who seemingly might be getting it together deserve second chances. Shuffling deck chairs is doing both with guys who just can't get the job done. We don't really know what Busentiz can do yet. He was barely mentioned when acquired and hasn't even been talked about much until lately. Curtiss, Reed, Chargois, Burdi if ever healthy, Jay if he also can ever get healthy, Melotakis, etc, are guys we are familiar with. Busentiz's stuff and numbers indicate he deserves consideration. He may not be a pup, but he's also not old.

Having fun while trying to make a point. Maybe on the country song part. But I didn't mention anything at all about momma, or trains, or trucks, or prison...or getting drunk. (And a big high 5 and a cyber beer for anyone who gets that reference).

Sooner or later, reality will and must meet later. I only hope later meets reality sooner. Sooner shouldn't be an unrealistic rush, or you may regret it later. But if sooner doesnt appear to be too soon, then sooner is clearly better than later because later can sometimes become too late.

Concur! How much better is this team, overall, if Buxton starts to figure it out offensively? (Could almost say the same thing about Rosario).

Seeing how the draft ultimately unfolded, I can't say I dislike it. I'm still torn on the money saving theory to spend money later on for a "steal", when you may have bypassed the best/better player early on. However, if you truly don't feel there is that definitive #1 guy, then you are smart to draft the way the Twins did. (BTW, this is not an indictment of Lewis or his potential). I really hope we can sign all 10 rounds. And it would be awesome if we could sneak a couple guys from day 3 that aren't college seniors. Looks like a couple risky picks there, (unsignable), that could be steals if we had a little left over cash available. Still wondering if Leach doesn't ultimately make or break this draft.

If there is positive on Gibson, it is that he previous few starts were at least decent and better than how his season started. And he did throw better after his little pep talk with Molitor on the mound. I will now put my dirty polishing rag in the hamper.

Like I know anything...but...after 2 days in the books...im feeling pretty good right now. (After questions and concerns last night). I would have proffered Wright or Gore because, you know, PITCHING. But I just can't dislike the talent, potential and makeup of a kid like Lewis. Booker seems like a really nice bat, and possibly a fast riser, and possibly Mauer's sucessor. I hate to put a lot of pressure on the kid, but Leach could make or break this draft. Obviously the Twins like something about this big kid and see him as very projectable. Hope they are right. Absolutely love the Enlow pick and it helps alleviate a lot of the angst after last night. Bechtold sounds like a legit 3B prospect with the glove and bat. Did we get a potential steal in SS De La Torre? A tall, projectable LHSP, a possible bullpen piece, an athletic OF and a couple senior SP that should be easy signs. Not sure how it will all shake out, but feel much better today than I did last night. But I have to wonder, as others have mentioned, is there a HS arm sitting there to open the 11th round that is just waiting to be picked and signed with an over spot offer? And do we have the money to do so? That could really cap off the draft.

Now THIS starts to make sense and gets the day started off right! I really like this!

Six straight starts pitching in to the 7th inning. Four straight starts with 2 or fewer runs allowed. And the team is 11-1 in games he has started. Wow! Despite pedestrian SO numbers am becoming a bigger and bigger believer in Jorge as a quality SP prospect.

Still not entirely sure I embrace the choices made last night, or the possible strategy involved. And we absolutely won't know a thing until the draft is done and each of these guys get a year or two under their belt. But a few thoughts after sleeping on it last night: 1] The Twins need pitching. The Twins didn't draft pitching with their first two picks, HS or college. Therefore, angst and frustration for the selections made. But any potential financial savings or not, Lewis is one of the top players in the draft, period. You can never add enough or have enough talent. Booker appears to have a potentially high quality bat at an OF corner, or perhaps 1B. Unto themselves, these are quality picks with excellent potential. I think Leach may end up defining this draft. We know virtually nothing about him. But obviously, the Twins have scouted him intensely and like what they see and his projectability. 2] I have read a few places that the best overall talent in this draft was in HS, not college, particularly on the mound. Isn't it entirely possible the new FO was drafting the BPA vs reaching for a college pitcher just because they need pitching? I dont know. But if that is the case, then I have to applaud them. Especially in the crapshoot that is the baseball draft, it's supposed to be about adding talent and potential vs drafting strictly for need isn't it? After all, there is always the future possibility of trades of veterans and prospects. 3] Perhaps the plan at 35 and 37 did get blown up. Not sure we will ever really know. But couldn't that banked savings from the first few picks be spent on a couple high upside HS guys in the 2nd-4th rounds to keep them away from college?

I'm not saying the Twins blew tonight. I'm not saying Lewis and Rooker don't look like quality future players. I'm not saying 3 years from now we won't look back in wonder at how smart the new FO was. But right now....something just doesn't look or smell right about this draft.