DocBauer

Only got to see the last 3 innings, but watching Correa stroke that triple made up for what I missed! The guy is a JOY to watch! Small bummer Paddack couldn't get that last out to get the win. Great way for Jeffers to break out of a bit of a slump! Alcala hitting a 100 and 1 inning again and he dominated. I think we're finally going to see him used the way he should be. Not going to pretend to know what's up with Duran. He's been working on some mechanical things, and has been using a slide step more. Couple days ago he was hitting 101 and 102 again. Still not really worried at this point. Crazy to me how pitchers can throw darts at 90+ mph 60 feet and have so much trouble throwing a ball to 1B. He made a UGLY throw to Santana for sure. Still, it looked like Santana probably should have snagged it. But it was a tough play. Duran makes a semi decent throw, that whole 9th inning probably looks different. So again, not really too worried right now. KC a much better team than they've been. I think the Twins are better. Taking 3 of 4 is still really good. Won't get back to the top of the standings in a day, or a series, just need to keep winning and chip away.

Once again, I didn't like or dislike the signing of Santana when it happened. I doubted he'd repeat his rebound, age 37 season, but the Twins DID enter the season with some questions about Miranda's and Kirilloff's respective shoulders. So some inexpensive, veteran insurance wasn't a bad idea. My issue was Santana as a primary, almost every day 1B despite being pretty bad against RHP, which you're going to face about 75% of the time. I've always thought he should be hit against LHP, be a defensive replacement, and a veteran PH. He's not part of the future, while Miranda and AK probably both are. Julien might also figure in some at 1B as well also. But in the interest of fairness, while Santana's overall season numbers are pretty poor, especially for an offensive position like 1B....208/.295/.360/.655, so much for the tough veteran out with power...he has been much, much better the past 30 games: .242/.330/.434/.764 quad slash line. However, to be continue to be fair, most of that damage was done end of April and first couple of weeks of May. For the past 15 games, his numbers are are even worse than his seasonal ones. So we aren't talking any sort of consistency, just a few good weeks so far. What can we expect going forward for the 37yo veteran? Hard to say. But he's done enough with the bat so far...despite the roller coaster...to earn some more rope to see what he's got. Healthy again, it looks like Miranda remains part of the future, as well as the present as he's actually been one of the team's top hitters. AK is also, potentially, still part of the future. Like Santana, he's been on a roller coaster of a season. But he's also 11 years younger, so he remains a hopeful part of the future as well. I DON'T believe it's time to call Santana cooked and send him packing. But I do think it might be time to start using the 37yo more as a part time 1B/PH/ and defensive replacement in order to help keep Miranda in the lineup, and possibly Kirilloff as well.

Farmer is a real gamer and from all accounts a really good guy, teammate, and leader. And I appreciate everything he did last season. And I was initially happy he was brought back, even if the $ didn't make a lot of sense. And while 100 PA isn't a lot, we are at the 1/3 point of the season. Over his last 30 days he's hitting neen hitting .214 with an OB% of .290 and a SLG% of .321. That's just not remotely close to being good. And as stated, he's not even hitting LHP any longer. Can he still turn it around? Yes. A veteran like him can figure something out, have the law of averages/luck flip and he's the same...or close to it...as he was last season. And that's fine, I care about what happens from today onward, and not what's happened the first 2 months. But so far, we're just not seeing any uptick. Lee is going to need some time to get ramped up after missing so much time. He's also ot on the 40 man. And right now, all 3 spots he would play have a healthy starter. That works in Farmer's favor to get more time. But Farmer isn't part of the future and won't be back next season. Lee IS part of the future, can play the same positions, offers a much better bat, and can help rest Lewis, Correa, and Julien and play on an almost daily basis. Time is absolutely running out for Farmer. There HAS to come a time when you just have to say goodbye to someone not performing and not part of the future for someone else. But I believe Farmer probably has the month of June to see if he can figure it out.

Nothing wrong with his arm that I know of, other than just not being strong enough for SS, which I believe he played his last season at Arizona State. Since he was drafted I've heard he had CF potential. I find that intriguing, but I'd like to know how he looks out there. Is it a legitimate option for him going forward? The bat and overall offensive profile might even play at 1B. AT 6' and around 195-200lbs he's not a huge target for a 1B, but not every 1B is 6' 2" plus. I'm a big fan of Julien, and remain a believer despite some bumps in the road this season. But I can see a future where Keaschall might be as good or better overall bat and base running threat and Julien is moved to 1B, or moved in a trade and Keaschall takes over. Not a knock on Julien at all, just confidence that Luke is going to be really good.

Risner is a cool dude and a good pass blocker. But he's not a good run blocker. I guess he counters Bradberry at CENTER. I'm actually a HUGE fan of Brandel as a depth/rotation OL who's also practiced at CENTER...MAYBE appeared as such in a preseason game, but memory fades...despite reports he's never played center. I have been questioning Brandel as the ONLY LG option, even though I like him and had hopes. And he might still prove himself as a starting OL at some point. But lack of competition and depth of talent on BOTH lines is tantamount to a poor team. No matter how the NFL has changed, LINE PRODUCTION on both sides remains paramount to a good team. I'm OK with competition and better depth with Risner coming back. BUT, the interior OL needs to not only protect the QB, which Risner helps with, but it needs to make running lanes. Ingram NEEDS to take a step forward this season. If he doesn't, the interior OL needs a serious change for 2025. Depth is better. A feeling of being "solid" to protect the QB is better with Risner and competition. Are we better? MAYBE. I guess it's better than questionable depth. And that's not a shot at Risner or Brandel. But I still question WHERE the STUD is we can have in the interior to match what our OT provide.

I read the original article and did a head-slap. Would have done a spit-take had I been drinking at the time. Even IF the Jays were looking at some sort of re-build, facing a loss of income due to a bad/expiring TV deal, Guerrero offers enough talent and potential to be worth way more than something like Gonzalez and cash. That's half a bottle of Walker trolling to meet a deadline for SOMETHING to post. I have had a suspicion for months that the FO has actually had in mind to add payroll to the team for a trade move if it makes sense and fills a need, but NOT $10M and a 2nd season of $20M plus. For instance, I can easily see a pen arm acquired in a trade. Especially since we have no idea if Topa will pitch at all in 2024. And, unfortunately, Stewart MIGHT have to be monitored going forward. BUT, I can also see Duran USED CORRECTLY, and Varland sliding back to the pen for September and beyond. It's also possible that Canterino will be back on the mound the 2nd half and fill a spot in the pen as well. So the pen addition idea is a "sorta" possibility. It becomes a more real possibility if the contract includes a second year on the cheap. I could also see a quality RH OF bat on an expiring deal to add to the roster. But again, Lewis, Correa, Miranda, Jeffers,Buxton, how important could that bat be with what's on hand unless there is a serious injury or serious regression? I'm a bit old school when it comes to defense. I appreciate good defense, and want good defense on my team. It helps the pitching staff, and helps avoid second chance opportunities for the opposition. HOWEVER, at times, good defense simply means making the normal play and just not being a butcher at your position. At the end of the day, offensive plusses override defense generally. The Twins appear to be, or are, plus at catcher, SS, and CF...most days at least...and RF. They've been, generally, fine in LF, 2B, and are pretty strong at the moment at 1B. While it's not popular to some, 1B is an offense position first and foremost. It just is. You need production, wherever you can find it, but a 1B doesn't have to be Gold Glove worthy to play the spot. He just needs to make the right reads on plays, be able to scoop balls consistently, and hopefully have the eye and decent enough range to snare foul balls. And I know I'm over simplifying the position, and it's great to have a wonderful 1B, but the truth is we aren't talking about SS here. I have a feeling the Twins next "fixture" at 1B might still be in the minors. But for 2025, it's going to be Miranda, Kirilloff, and Julien. And I'm OK with that. All 3 can, and have, played the position. Experience and work can make all 3 OK defensively. TWO of them are infielders who are "used" to playing in the dirt and handling ground balls. AK is no stranger to playing 1B. All 3 just need to put in the work to be SOLID at the spot. That's not only reality, but the POSSIBILITY of being productive at 1B and at least solid at 1B. The prospect cost and financial cost of Guerrero just doesn't fit, even with a "pipe dream" article written with a drunken deadline.

On the "good surprise" of the 2023 ledger so far, SWR has to be #1. He's been solid to good in all but like one start so far. For a rookie 5th starter, I don't know that we could ask for more. He starts getting a few more K's and can get through 6 instead of 5, he might be a #3. Was Vazquez's throw a couple inches or so wide? Maybe. But they have pulled that play numerous times this year. Get the throw off quick, make sure it's clearly on the 1B side of the bag, and then snap the glove down quickly. Don't have to worry about a hand sliding in ahead of the tag. The runner was out by a good 3 feet. Crazy good! Hey, Julien came through with a big hit! Slump over? And WOW, look what Alcala can do when asked to only throw a single inning. Especially with Stewart out, he should be in a 7th-8th inning role for a single inning each time. Let someone else like Sands go 2 at a time. And Winder is ramping up nicely at AAA for that kind of role as well. Man, I want all 4 of these games against KC so badly!

This all comes together in the end: 1} I don't know how good Wallner might become. I suspect the player he might become, but I really have no idea. But I do know based on everything we've seen the past 3 years in milb and what he's done at the ML level, he's NOT the player we've seen so far this season. I remain confident he's going to eventually get out of his own head, stop pressing, figure things out, and get right again. But just how good he might, again, I don't know. But he's likely part of 2025 and beyond, plus likely part of the equation the second half of this year. 2} Both Larnach and Kirilloff seem to have been around forever, but mostly due to injuries, they have both been and down in performance. Even this current season, Kirilloff started off great, went in to a massive slump, but has been doing well again the last 10 days or so. Is he ready to roll now? Larnach had a good spring, and is putting up good numbers this season so far. His turf toe has hindered his ability to play much OF...hopefully that changes in the near future...but he's changed his approach/stance and has been pretty consistent up until the past couple of weeks. But even then, he's been hitting the ball hard, just with no results. Both are healthy. Both STILL have less than 800 ML AB so far, and less than 9000 ML PA. They are important for the remainder of this year, and beyond. 3} I don't know how good Emanual Rodriguez is going to be, but I suspect he's going to be really good. But being 21yo and raking at AA doesn't mean he's ready to come up tomorrow. I do think he'll be in St Paul relatively soon and hopefully he will continue on his great course. He might even do better as he might have to be more aggressive in his swings, which might lead to even more overall production, even if it means a drop from an insane OB% to only a crazy one. I think he's part of 2025 and beyond, but probably not 2024. Still, he's part of the equation in the OP. 4} Martin, Keirsey, and Helman all offer up some form of depth for Buxton and all those listed above. Martin looks like he's going to make it as a ML player, we just don't know how good of one yet. Utility? Full time starter and table setter? Nice to see him go back to St Paul and crank things up another notch instead of lamenting not being with the Twins. And while we have ZERO clue as to whether or not Keirsey or Helman can actually hit at the ML level, they have nothing to prove at the AAA level any longer. Both offer defense, speed, and some power. But we're talking 4th OF types, and possible platoon options, and not full time starters. But that depth, those quality and versatile 4th OF types are valuable/important as well. And they all are also part of this discussion. Nobody could be happier than me since mid season last year when Kepler finally seemed to take off and become the player I had always hoped he might be. Could be/should be? And it looks sustainable for this season, and perhaps a couple more seasons beyond. QUANTITY over QUALITY is never a good thing, or at least, generally not a winning formula. And no doubt Kepler would be missed if he's gone. But there are an awful lot of options available for the Twins OF next season, with Buxton and Castro obviously still part of the plan as well. The Twins don't need ALL of them to becomes the best versions of themselves, though that would be incredible. But they do need a couple of these guys to reach their potential, with another one or two to just be solid role players. That's not a tremendous ask. I believe the FA market is going to be deflated even more than it was this past offseason due to the crazy flux and uncertainty of TV deals across MLB. Would Kepler love being a Twin enough to sign a 2 year $30M ish deal and stick around? Mmmm....maybe. But if he continues to do what he's doing now, I'm pretty sure he'd get a larger deal than that. But perhaps the Twins should at least ask him? I don't think Max would accept the QO. So it would make some sense for the Twins to go ahead and offer it to him and hope to get the bonus pick. But if the FA market is depressed, and/or deeper than last season, he might not get the offer he wants and might be tempted to accept. Adding $5M to Kepler's current salary is one thing, taking it up another $10M plus is entirely different. Also, I don't believe the Twins get compensation...at least not high compensation...if he doesn't sign for something like $50M plus. Right? So, IMO, the risk/reward scenario probably eliminates the QO from being made to Kepler. And as much as I've been a fan, and really enjoyed 2019 and the past 14 months going back to mid summer 2023, I think it's time to just accept he's gone after this season, without any recompense, and it's time to focus on all the players listed above. They're all part of this season, next, and potentially beyond. No QO will be made. I doubt an extension happens. And unless the Twins just fall out of the race, Kepler will be part of a playoff contending team all season.

I'm an optimist for the offense the rest of this season and going forward. Big surprise huh? LOL Getting Lewis back and for the rest of the season is of tremendous importance. That's a given. But ANY thought of sending down Miranda would be idiotic. He's young and doing well again. He can backup 3B, play some at 1B, and DH. You KEEP your best bats! And 1B and DH are the worst performing spots in the lineup. Period. Miranda can help with that. Due to Jeffers, catcher is not a bottom performing spot, despite Vazquez pretty much stinking. Being a veteran, I guess there's SOME HOPE Vazquez will improve slightly. But his defense and game calling absolutely has real value regardless. A 60-40 split between Jeffers and Vazquez should be the norm going forward, with Vaz starting against LHP as much as possible to help mitigate his overall lack of production. Considering he's not a bad bunter, I wouldn't hesitate to use him in that capacity from time to time with runners on base, similar to a pitcher batting 9th. I'm super excited about Emmanuel Rodriguez, what he's doing, and what he might become. And I think he's close to heading to AAA. But placing hopes on a 21yo to jump to MLB and be a savior is misguided at best. And while I have great hope/expectations for Lee, he's a few weeks away from helping with all of the time he's missed. I'd like to think he's 2nd half help if an injury happens, IF Julien doesn't rebound, or IF Farmer is somehow gone, which I doubt. IMO, one of the biggest keys for offense is Larnach, Kirilloff, and possibly Wallner. Larnach has made major adjustments and has been productive. Despite his lack of production recently, the contact has been decent, and he's really stung the ball with little result. He can DH and if his toe heals up more, he might play a little more corner OF. Kirilloff started hot, slumped terribly, but has been on fire the past 7 to 10 days. Can he continue his upswing? He's also, potentially, part of the DH/1B conundrum as well as a little time as a corner OF. The Wallner we've seen in 2024 is just NOT the player we've seen the past 3-4 years as he climbed the milb ladder, or what he's shown at the ML level. Can he get RIGHT for the 2nd half? All 3 of these guys are potentially important for this year, and beyond, BEFORE we even fantasize about E Rodriguez and what he might become. TWO of those THREE figuring it out really changes the complexion of the roster now, and going forward. But even ONE, helps make a difference. Larnach and AK STILL have less than 800 ML AB even though it feels like they've been around forever. Roster construction with Lewis being back may crowd out any immediate idea of Keirsey coming up. For now at least. But I just can't ignore a kid on the upswing for the past couple of years who is making AAA look easy. Defense, power, and speed are impossible to dismiss. Can he HIT at the ML level? We'll never know until he gets his shot one of these days. The basic principles of having offensive balance of RH/LH batters is solid. But it only takes you so far, especially when you consider A] You still face RHP 75% of the time, and B] Just how good/productive ARE those "extra" RH depth batters? No vitriol, but Margot has done little defensively for the club, despite past reputation and ability. He's always been pretty decent...not great...against LHP. But even in that regard, he's still about 50 points behind league average OPS. Add in poor, average at best, defense and he's taking up a roster spot with very little production. June 1st is around the corner and it's time to let loose the least productive player you have rostered. Note: I've removed Vazquez from the previous comments not only due to his contract, but because he's in a different discussion as a strong catcher. With all due respect to Farmer as a person, a teammate, his contributions in 2023, and a still solid glove, and a fairly decent uptick with the bat the past couple of weeks, he should be considered as a possible removal come July if Lee is ready and there are no significant injuries. I'm not saying he should be on the chopping block now, but there's a real chance Castro and a fully rehabbed Lee could not only be better options, but part of the future as well. Lewis back, Margot goes. Kepler, Buxton, Larnach, Krilloff, and Castro are your OF. Buxton goes down at some point, time for Keirsey to get his shot. But you also have Martin in reserve, and maybe even the versatile, hot, and late blooming Helman as an option. Vazquez you treat as already stated. This is a club that is "oh so close" to being pretty damn dangerous with Lewis back, keeping Miranda, and SOMEONE of Larnach, Kirilloff, and Wallner FIGURING IT OUT, even before we talk about Rodriguez and Lee.

Despite the seeming revolving door in LF, as of a few days ago, the Twins were 17th overall in MLB in LF. 1B and DH have been near the bottom of the league. Thats where we really need to find improvement.

I look at it as prospects that have a chance to help this season even if they aren't on the 40 man at this time, or considered amongst the TOP prospects in the system. Severino has been heating up and doing much better lately. But he's got to take a few more steps before he's even going to be considered as a late season option. And as pointed out, for the moment, we've got enough guys playing 1B. Despite Raya being brought along slowly, and understanding why but hating the length of the process, he's just not going to be part of the equation for this season. Take those two off and add Keirsey and Helman instead. Neither on the 40 man, but Margot is not long for the team the way things are going. Keirsey and Helman are older "prospects" but prospects nonetheless. Helman has been on the Twins radar for a couple of years now, but has been held back due to injury. After a slow start this season he's been doing really well and he provides a POTENTIALLY decent RH bat with pop and speed and real position flexibility. He could be an option in the second half due to being RH, having speed, and filling in if we have some unfortunate injuries. We've talked about Keirsey enough on so many different posts that going in to reasons why just aren't necessary at this point.

Keep wondering what Wichita's record would be with some pen help. Just feels like I'm seeing blown leads almost every day in the milb reports. I do think Rodroguez is going to move up relatively soon. But from what I hear/read there still seems to be some concern about passitivity at the plate. Is he that disciplined? Because the pitching is only going to get better as he moves up and he may have to move from his comfort zone without opening up to the wide swing and miss stuff. I can't see where a couple weeks hurts him before moving up. No offense to Schobel, who seems a solid prospect, nut Keaschall is just bigger and more powerful and appears better. I think he'll adapt reasonably quick to AA and I also agree he's not someone you trade. At least, not unless it's part of an excellent return. I'm also on the band wagon to bring up Kiersey even though he's a LH bat. Margot hasn't shown any signs of turning it around. Kiersey offers defense and speed and at least a CHANCE to be a decent hitter. I'd also like to see Ohl promoted to St Paul. I was somewhat disappointed he didn't begin the season there. But he's been throwing really well and I think it's about time for the next level. By the end of this year and/or the start of 2025 at St Paul: Festa, Headrick, Ohl, Raya, Matthews, Morris, and Lewis as.long as he has no more setbacks. Wow! And if he doesn't take a step forward in command to remain a starter, Varland is then free to be that big arm for the pen he's previously teased us with.

IMO, the reason Rodriguez us performing even better at AA us not just maturation as a ballplayer, but because the level/quality if pitching is better than at A+. He is a very patient hitter with an excellent eye. As a result...and the fact that he's a power hitter...he's always going to K quite a bit. It's the nature of BEING a patient hitter with a great eye. You swing at strikes you can make contact with for hits and XB hits. But he's also going to BB a ton for a high OB%. And he's probably going to hit for a solid average. But the K's will always be there when you work the pitcher/count. You're going to lose some of those battles. He looks like the real deal! I'm excited about him! On the one hand, the more pitches in the zone he sees...at AAA for instance... the more aggressive he CAN BE making contact for hits and XB hits. The one concern I keep hearing is he's almost TOO passive at the plate waiting for a good pitch to swing at, hopefully making good contact. On the other hand, as he reaches AAA...eventually the ML...he's going to see pitches that are more "wicked" and look like a strike and then dive down or out of the zone. So he will need exposure at each level to harness his patience, balance his aggressiveness on strikes, but will need to learn to lay off certain pitches. He just might be one of the top prospects in all of milb. And he's absolutely raking at AA! Forna 21yo kid in AA for only 35 games isn't being held back at this point, IMO. He's just getting developmental time to adjust and adapt. Unless he suddenly regressed, I have little doubt he's going to see St Paul somewhere around the break. That gives him half a season to continue to adjust, grow, and prepare for 2025.

I'm still more worried about the interior OL...protection and run game...than I am the #3 WR, as previously stated. I sure hope Brandel is ready, and I like him, and that Ingram takes a step forward. But I agree with you on the defense keeping the team in games. The HITMAN is not what he was. He's a future HOF, IMO, but he's still smart and still pretty good. And he's got young help around him. I'm HOPING Cine takes a step forward, but I just don't know if he will at this point. Still, there's some good talent here. CB is missing that STUD, but depth of talent and options are not missing. Murphy is pretty good. Griffen might not be done yet. I mean, he's only 28yo and has had a solid career. Blackmon really flashed as a rookie. Evans has surprised and flashed some early, but he slumped late in 2023. Can he get back on track? Booth, man, I just don't know. I've seen good and bad. The talent is there. Can he stay healthy and take the next step? Rookie Jackson looks super intriguing. McGlotheran just might be an UDFA who could make the club, or should at least be a practice squad player with real upside. The entire LB has almost been rebuilt and, dare I say it, might be deeper and better as a result? I mean, losing someone like Hunter and a solid player like Wonum seems deathly. But they've added younger and somewhat less expensive talent in Greenard, Van Ginkel, and the solid veteran Ward. Then you add in top draft choice Turner and ABSOLUTE UDFA STEAL in Murphy along with still having Jones and 2023 UDFA darling Carter on hand and you might be cutting someone who's instantly snagged by another franchise. Pace and Cashman make a good pairing inside. Hopefully Asamoah takes a step forward in his 2nd year in this new defense. (Heard he was slowed by a bum shoulder in 2023). Grugier-Hill provides some veteran depth. Dallas Gant from Toledo might be another UDFA surprise the way Pace was last year. Bo Richter from Air Force, IMO, will be a practice squad player converting to MLB that might surprise. Lots of good! The DL is still an issue. They have ONE really good DL in Phillips. Bullard is OK. The couple FA they signed are hopes and prayers fliers. Can Roy take a step forward in his 2nd season? Is draft choice Rodriguez just a good story? Or is the universal good faith and love the entire organization has for him for real as a potential surprise? Is there any chance that the recently re-signed Lynch, healthy again, a poor fit in the 4-3, going to excel to any degree in the 3-4 we have in place now? The defense could be soid to good, maybe really good. But I don't have a lot of faith in the DL right now.

Never heard this. The only concerns I've heard are: 1] He wasn't asked to carry the team offensively as it was a run first offense. Though when he was asked to make plays on 3rd down, he generally seemed up to the task. 2] There were questions about him throwing to the sideline as supposedly he stayed mostly within the numbers on most of his throws. Opinions and scouting reports vary, so who knows, that's just a couple things I ran across pre-draft. Initially, I was NOT thrilled by the Donaldson signing. And then I looked at his career numbers, and the teams he played with, and was pleasantly surprised he hasn't been as bad as I Initially thought he was. Privately, I'm hoping the Vikings follow the more old fashioned route of developing McCarthy, similar to what the Chiefs did with Mahomes. Unless he is just ready at some point, I'd love him to just sit and work and absorb everything he can for a year and then be turned to in 2025. So many QB are just what was hoped. Some are rushed, especially as "franchise saviors" without the talent and coaching around them to properly succeed and develop. McCarthy has the coaching, system, and talent around him to potentially succeed. But so does Donaldson as a relatively young "fill in" option. Remember, we're talking about a talented kid, an athletic kid, a winner, who is still 21yo. Sometimes the old fashioned approach is best. For 2024 and beyond, my concern is the running game. I love Jones and Davenport as a duo, though I'm not sure what's behind them. And the OL remains a bigger question to me than WR #3 or how to fill Hockinson's spot. Can Ingram continue to improve at RG? I actually like Brandel a lot, but is he ready to take the next step?

I don't know...nor does anyone else I'd wager...where the drop in velocity has come from. I mean, we're still talking a guy throwing consistently 99-101! That's still HUGE. I believe strike 3 today was 102! It just might be impossible for a human being to throw 103 and touch 104 on occasion past a certain point. MAYBE his while build up being interrupted is the issue? MAYBE 99-101 is his new norm? AGAIN, that's HUGE velocity. IMO, we might still see a couple RPM come back once he settles in and gets in a routine. And he's hung a bad pitch or two here and there. It happens! But MAYBE, what he needs is to drop the curve and splinker a MPH or two just to change the batters eye? Just spitballing.

I don't believe in the Royals, not yet. The Guardians...man, I still have a hard time calling them that...are solid as they generally are. I have tremendous respect for them, and I picked them 2nd for the ALC in 2024. Unfortunately, head to head, we've had problems facing them head to head. But I still think as a TEAM, the Twins are the more complete "unit" and should come out on top. My opinion coming in to the season, and I'm holding on to that opinion despite some injuries and maddening streakiness.

IMO, Castro is a good, solid, pretty much average or somewhat above performer offensively. That's based on his 108 OPS+ in 2023 and his 120 OPS+ so far in 2024, which is probably unsustainable. I know the run game portion of his performance is down right now, but I can see that picking up. Defensively, and this is MY OPINION based on watching him quite a lot as a Twin, eye test if you will, his best 2 spots are LF and 3B. I also believe he's just fine at SS...though Lee will have something to say about that soon...and he's decent/solid/OK in CF. IMO, his issues in CF are playing there too much. I remain hopeful Martin or Keirsey will establish themselves as a 4th/5th OF with offensive value as the PRIMARY backup CF. But unless we see real regression...which we aren't seeing so far...Castro is NOT an Al Newman, or even Punto type of utility player. I think the comp to guys like Merrifield are fair. He's really a average or above 10th man who fills a unique roll in the lineup, or off the bench. I don't believe he needs to be extended at this time for sure. We've still got him under control for 2025 to continue to see how he does. But he's certainly not going to break the payroll next season, and I doubt he'd do so IF signed to a 2 or 3yr extension. But again, it's not a decision that has to take place for at least a year. But I can see a logical scenario where he remains a Twin through his age 30 season on some sort of a $5-6M per extension. There's a lot of talent on this team that is going to remain fairly inexpensive for the next few years, on hand, and coming up. For now, he's valuable, productive, important, and under control for 2025.

Good win. Can they make it a sweep? If Lopez can bring his A game, e en his B+ game we can. So far, he's replicating his 2023 season, good start, looks very human at times but still solid, and we can only hope he continues his last year pattern and cranks it up another notch going forward again. Paddack gutted out 5 solid innings. I do suspect he will get a skip or two at some point this season, All Star break will help with that, but he's been mostly impressive this season. Nice to see Sands rebound. I'm also a big fan/believer in AK, as long as he's finally healthy. Weak contact and ground balls are his MO when hurt. But he and the Twins say he's fine, just struggling. After his hit start, he's been pretty bad for about 3 weeks. Don't look now but his past 7bdays, 16 AB, he's been on FIRE to the tune of .313/.389/.875 with power flashing again. Hard work and the law of averages might be starting to pay off here. On the other hand, while Larnach has better seasonal numbers than AK, he's really been fighting it as of late. But if you've been able to watchnor listen to the games, he's been mostly squaring up on the ball for a bunch of hard hit outs. Will the worm turn for him soon? I sure hope so. Despite seemingly being around forever, both Kirilloff and Larnach have yet to eclipse 800 ML AB. They've both had their careers interrupted by injuries. Both are sitting around 26-27yo and while I won't say make or break, this seems to be the year where they need to stay healthy and push their success forward. I haven't given up hope on Wallner at all. He might be better than both, despite having massive struggles this season. If 2 of these 3 get their game together, it's a huge win! Add in Emma being reasonably close, the future looks bright. SUPER EXCITED to have Lewis, and Lee, and Jenkins back playing ball again! Royce back in about 10 days? Lee at St Paul sometime this next week? Fingers are crossed!

Raya up to 60 pitches per appearance pretty consistently now. Just speculation on my part how he's been used so far, but I'm betting he's released to 70 or more pitches each turn by July. Sort of a slower version of the ramp up Festa was on and spoke about.

Mostly, I agree with everything you've said. Martin is a question wrapped inside an enigma. My biggest problem...Jay's and Twins...is how he's been developed in the first place! Man, I HATE rehashing the past, but he was a college INF who mostly played 2B/3B. And while I sorta get the idea of playing/trying SS as long as possible to HELP learning how to play the infield in general, there is a limit to this logic. He can play a good 2B. Fine. The arm isn't great, but he can play some 3B. Fine. But don't us he's a "natural" in CF/OF and then NOT convert him there. ESPECIALLY when he wasn't allowed to play at all when drafted, and virtually sat for a year and a half before being tossed in to AA as a SS! I don't blame the Twins for keeping him at SS when acquired. I DO blame the Twins for keeping him at SS the next year...he'd already played a ton of INF in college, just put him where he belongs...and ANY time at SS should have been replaced by time at 2B/3B if ANY base! But it should have been OF. There was NOTHING wrong with trying to add a little more power to his game. He went to the AFL and ROCKED IT! He also went back to a different approach/stance he felt more comfortable with. In his AFL appearance and a little short of a half year at AAA in 2023z some of us were encouraged. Some believed he was ready to start 2024 on the ML roster. Whew! How crazy prospect hype and hope grabs some people. As a rookie getting his first shot at the ML level, I thought he held his own. He didn't look like he didn't belong at the plate, or in the OF. He's actually shown defensive potential, SB potential, and some XB hitting potential. And then he came right back up again and looked totally out of place. I have NO IDEA how to rank Martin at this point. For his sake, and the Twins, I hope he can sit at AAA for a couple months and just play OF defense and work on his batting approach in order to actually BE a solid ML ballplayer. He's starting to look like, no offense, to being a talented late bloomer who might figure in to the second half of 2024, and a possible 2025 fixture.

I think these off day podcasts are a great idea and I've really enjoyed them. They fill a space, help us know the TD posters a little better, and are fun. Was this the best one? IDK, but it was the most entertaining one for me. HAVE to make a couple comments: 1] Castro is my choice to last longest in a zombie apocalypse. He's quick and fast enough to stay ahead/away from most or a horde, and being a switch hitter, he should be able to handle guns, hatchets, swords, daggers, etc, in both hands. 2] BOO on anyone hating the Twins cream TWIN CITIES uniforms! They are CLASSY and even remind me some of the iconic Dodgers home jerseys. I'm still not a big fan of the "Northstar M" being used as it feels tired to me. Why does the while "northstar" theme even matter that much? While I MUCH prefer the traditional "TC", I think a variation on the "M" used years ago would have been a much better choice. I actually LOVE the current uniform selections, even though the road gray choice appears too "silver" for my taste. I'm probably in a minority, but I miss the NEWER version of the old school powder blues the team wore recently. I'd like them for special occasions again. But yeah, those cream uni's are classy as hell! 3] Have to grudgingly disagree with Sherry sending down Larnach when Lewis is back. And a lot can chance between now and then. Kirilloff has had a better last 7 days than Larnach, but for the past 30 days, Larnach has been much better. And while AK has stroked a pair of HR the past 30 days, he's hit a lot of ground balls. Larnach has hit 3 HR in the last 30 days and has continued to hit the ball hard, despite poor results. I'm sticking with the guy having the better 30 day total and hitting the ball harder.

Just my personal opinion. Stevenson was a guy who got a chance or two and never took off enough to warrant staying on a roster. Keirsey is a couple years young, his performance has been on an upswing for a couple years now, and he hasn't received an opportunity as of yet despite some very good production, the aforementioned upswing, and a reputation for being a legitimately good CF/OF defensively. Being a little younger and not having had his opportunity yet is the biggest difference to me.

I don't know exactly how the rest of the 2024 roster is going to take shape, nor 2025 though I have some ideas, but to me this is one of those issues that usually seems to take care of itself. Miranda was a rather middling prospect with bat and power potential that suffered from "too much contact" as he was trying to hit everything thrown his way. He finally figured out how to reign himself in and only swing at strikes and he became a very good prospect at age 23 when he did so. He had a really fine ML rookie season in 2022 at age 24. He then completely bottomed out at 25yo in 2023 that seems to have been pretty much related to his shoulder injury. (I've heard reports of great pain). Healthy again, we're starting to see the 2022 version of Miranda again. As of today, Thursday, his quad slash line through 34 games if virtually identical to his 2022 numbers. Even with outstanding health luck, guys will get hurt, dinged, or just need days off. A 13 man player roster will still need another 3-5 guys to fill in at times during a season as the 26 and 40 man rosters are moved around. Miranda can play 3B/1B/DH/RHPH, so there's value in what he brings, even if a return of Lewis will cut in to his playing time to some degree the rest of this season. We already pretty much know Farmer, Margot, and Santana will be gone off of next year's roster. Kepler is probably gone as well. We're still not quite sure what we have in Larnach and Kirilloff, though I think most of still have varying degrees of optimism. Again, I don't know exactly how the playing time will work out the rest of the year, or how the roster will look next year, but I think there's going to be room for him, and these things just tend to work themselves out.

No matter how much I cross my fingers and have hope for a fully healthy Priellip in 2025, for NOW, I would probably have dropped him at least slightly, I sure as heck wouldn't have nudged him up. I wouldn't have moved Cory Lewis down just because he hasn't thrown yet this year. Weird how one guy goes up and one guy goes down and yet neither have thrown in 2024 as of yet. Keaschall is too low. I really enjoyed having the "extra" 5 on the list, and agree with @Dmanthat adding another official 5 would just make me want to see 30 or 40, LOL. I have some hope/belief Keirsey can be a solid ML 4th OF who provides some pop, speed, and defense. But I get him not being in the top 20 despite a really nice past couple of years due to age. Having kids like Mercedes and Doncon and Cespedes not in the top 20 with the kind of seasons they are having speaks to both system depth, as well as lack of familiarity with prospects so young, IMO. But those are a trio...especially Mercedes IMO...worth a lot of excitement.