Mill1634

Pretty sad that EROD got the QO, as I thought he was a fit here, but I don’t think I’d be willing to give up the draft pick for him unless you’re getting him for a significant chunk under market value.

I don’t really think the bench coach matters that much, but anytime you can hire a former manager that was a part of a competitive team is a great move. Glad to have Jayce on board. Good for both parties. If the Twins rebound, he will surely get another managerial job.

Ober clearly the winner here, with the limited sample of the healthy Kiriloff coming in a distant second.

Hard for me to give the MIP award to a player who didn't even have the best season of his career. Polo was great, but we've seen (slightly) better version of this in 2019. Thielbar is the easy winner on my ballot.

I don’t expect the twins to spend a ton of money on free agents for the 22 season. I think they’ll use it as an evaluation period for young players like Jose Miranda, Brent Rooker, Jeffers, Celestino on the bat side, and countless pitchers like Jordan, Strotman, Ryan, winder, Duran, etc. You may even see them give SWR, Martin, and Lewis a shot eventually. With that being said, I do expect them to bring in at least one more veteran starter to eat innings along with bringing back big Mike. A name I have my eye on is Alex Cobb, who much like ERod, has very good metrics.

Similar to Happ, getting something more than cash for Robles is a W. This guy looks like he might have a chance as a reliever, and even if he doesn't, who cares. No reason to keep Robles around. Let Stashak/Cano/Hamilton/Moran get his innings.

As good as the Berrios trade was, not moving Pineda is an epic failure. I don't care if the offers are below what you deem necessary, get SOMETHING for him. An absolute failure by the front office.

As painful as it is to see the Twins in a position where trading Jose is even a possibility, it was the right move. I had my doubts on him signing an extension, and his value will never be higher. The Twins did fantastic on this trade. Martin needs to develop his power in order to live up to his prospect pedigree, but he's as good as the Twins are going to do. SWR is a wildcard, as he's so young for his level but has struggled and doesn't have fantastic stuff. All in all, I am happy with the trade. Also, I'll be updating the prospect list all day today 1. Royce Lewis 2. Austin Martin 3. Jordan Balazovic 4. Simeon Woods-Richardson 5. Josh Winder 6. Chase Petty 7. Jhoan Duran 8. Joe ryan 9. Jose Miranda 10. Matt Canterino 11. Aaron Sabato 12. Keoni Cavaco 13. Gilberto Celestino 14. Matt Walner 15. Noah Miller 16. Masial Urbina 17. Drew Strotman 18. Bailey Ober 19. Brent Rooker 20.. Steve Hajjar

Yep. I’m completely fine trading Rooker. He’s a 1B/DH type that likely isn’t anything more than league average. Unfortunately, I think his value is lower than it was 2 years, or even a year ago. Now that we’re in this position, there’s no reason not to give him DH at bats everyday until the end of the season. If he shows promise, great, you can trade him and another prospect for an arm this offseason. I don’t foresee rooker having a long term role in minnesota, especially if Sano is still around next year.

Gonna miss seeing nelly in the twins lineup. When we brought him in we were a team on the rise but still needed a legit star, and Nelson Cruz was that despite being a Dh only. He was great in the clubhouse and in the city. One of the easiest twins to root for in my lifetime. I hope he gets a ring in Tampa. As far as the trade goes, I’m very pleased with the return for an expiring 41 year old DH. here is my updated prospect list 1. Royce Lewis 2. Jordan Balazovic 3. Josh Winder 4. Chase Petty 5. Jhoan Duran 6. Joe ryan 7. Jose Miranda 8. Matt Canterino 9. Aaron Sabato 10. Keoni Cavaco 11. Gilberto Celestino 12. Matt Walner 13. Noah Miller 14. Masial Urbina 15. Drew Strotman 16. Bailey Ober 17. Edward Julien 18. Steve Hajjar 19. Spencer Steer 20. Brent Rooker

Now that the draft is over...my top 20 prospects. 1. Royce Lewis 2. Jordan Balazovic 3. Josh Winder 4. Chase Petty 5. Jhoan Duran 6. Jose Miranda 7. Matt Canterino 8. Aaron Sabato 9. Keoni Cavaco 10. Gilberto Celestino 11. Matt Walner 12. Noah Miller 13. Masial Urbina 14. Bailey Ober 15. Edward Julien 16. Steve Hajjar 17. Spencer Steer 18. Brent Rooker 19. Cole Sands 20. Blayne Enlow

One guy I'm keeping my eye on today... OF Jud Fabian (20, Florida) - Great defensively, very young college guy. Also hit 20 homers at Florida, but has a lot of swing and miss in his game. With the defense and power, I'd take a risk if he falls to 61 (unlikely)

Red Sox get the best player at #4...congrats to them

Not a huge fan of the Davis pick. Jack going to a pitchers park in Taxas is awesome. Kid is going to be good.

As we all know, the Twins season has been a disaster almost immediately from the get go. The first seven games went as expected, and the Twins saw themselves with a 5-2 record through a weeks worth of games. However, they are now 2 months into the season, and through the entirety of last seasons total games played, and find themselves sitting 13 games below .500 at 24-37. I don't think anybody, even models that predict the bottoming out of a team, saw them playing at this pace. There are many different reasons for the Twins poor start, including the bullpen, injuries to key hitters when they are needed the most, and bounce-back candidates simply not rebounding like many had hoped. Another issue that has set the Twins back is the offseason acquisitions. On paper, the class of Alex Colome, Hansel Robles, J.A. Happ, and Matt Shoemaker on the pitching side appeared to do a sufficient job. However, only Robles of this group has even returned moderate value, and Colome and Shoemaker should likely be DFA'd in the upcoming days. The hitting side didn't see the signings that the pitching side did, with only Andrelton Simmons being brought in to bolster the infield defense, and Kyle Garlick, who was claimed on the waiver wire, and may actually be the best move they made all winter. With that said, let me go down the alternate rode of myself being the GM, and taking a look at how things may be going if they made the moves I mapped out in my offseason blueprint. Arbitration SP Jose Berrios - 5.3M (Tender) CF Byron Buxton - 4.4M (Tender) RP Tyler Duffey - 1.7M (Tender) C Mitch Garver - 1.8M (Tender) RP Taylor Rogers - 5.5M (Tender) LF Eddie Rosario - 10M (Non-Tender) RP Matt Wisler - 1.4M (Tender) The real life Twins' front office made very similar choices to myself, which all seemed pretty obvious. There was no world where any of the top 4 names on the list were going to become free agents, and although there was some questioning around Taylor Rogers, I never believed the Twins would let him walk. The first real decision came on fan favorite Eddie Rosario, who like the Thad Levine and Derek Falvey, I let walk away. I had no issues with it at the time, and in retrospect still have no issues with the move. Rosario is slashing .244/..294/.356 for an OPS+ of 79. The batting average and on base percentage are near career norms, but the slugging percentage is at a career low, and it isn't close. One bright spot to Eddie is that he's been aggressive on the base paths with Cleveland, totaling 7 steals in 56 games. The first differing decision I made was the decision to tender Matt Wisler, who was just waived by the San Fransisco Giants after signing a one year deal. Wisler was very, very bad this year, so that was a swing and a miss in this hypothetical offseason, but at just a projected 1.4 million dollars, it was a risk I was willing to take. Following arbitration and the guaranteed salaries that we all knew were going to be on the book, I gave myself around 40 million dollars to spend to fill out the rest of the roster. So, how did I spend it? Let's take a look. Free Agency Robbie Ray - 1 year, 6M dollars In the real universe of the MLB, Robbie Ray signed a 1 year, 8 million dollar deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Ray was an intriguing bounce back candidate who at the minimum could fill the back end of the rotation with higher upside. Even at 8 million dollars that he got in real life, it would be a risk that I would take. Ray was one of the first players to sign this winter, and it has paid off huge for the Toronto Blue Jays. Ray has made 11 starts and compiled 2 WAR on 81 strikeouts in only 64.1 innings pitched, and has an ERA of 3.36, a number he hasn't posted since he was an all-star with Arizona in 2017. Ray does have a FIP of nearly 4.40, and negative regression will likely come at some point, but Ray would've been a huge success for the 2021 Minnesota Twins. Tyler Clippard - 1 year, 2.5M dollars The Twins chose not to bring back Tyler Clippard in 2021, and it turns out that it was the correct move. Clippard pitched 26 innings of 2.77 ERA baseball for the Twins in the shortened 2020 season, and I thought he was perfect as the first or second guy out of the bullpen in the 5th or 6th inning. However, he's been dealing with an injury that will likely keep him out for the rest of the year. Obviously he isn't to worthwhile to a bullpen when he's on the IL. Joakim Soria - 1 year, 6.25M dollars Soria only got half of the money I was willing to give him in my offseason blueprint, signing with the Oakland Athletics on a one year, 3.25 million dollar contract. Soria was an arm who I believed in as he's always posted great numbers, and has experience closing ball games. Things haven't gone as planned for Soria in Oakland, throwing 13 innings of 4.85 ERA baseball. The surface numbers are ugly, but Soria appears to being unlucky with a HR/9 innings of 2.5, a number which sits at 0.8 throughout his career. The strikeouts are in line with where they've always been for the 37 year old, and he still rarely gives up the free pass. Would Soria have been a late inning weapon for the Twins in his current form? Probably not. Would he have been better than Alexander Colome? Absolutely. Ehire Adrianza - 1 year, 1.5M dollars The second re-signing that I mapped out for the Twins was bringing back utility infielder Ehire Adrianza. In this universe, Jorge Polanco was given the ability to stay as the shortstop because I believed the bounceback year was coming at the dish, and I simply didn't care as much about the defense as the real life Twins front office did. Adrianza would serve as the 6th infielder and fill in once a week, and provide late inning defense. The real life Adrianza signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves, but has been on the major league ballclub the entire year. He still isn't hitting with an OPS+ of 78, which is just a few points lower than his career norms, but that isn't what I resigned him to do. We know he can field wherever you put him, and that is where the value is. The Twins chose to bring in Andrelton Simmons, and that was a fine move too. This role was never filled for the Twins by Falvey and Levine. Jonathan Schoop - 1 year, 6M dollars I already signed one backup infielder for my hypothetical squad, but still felt like I needed another as I wasn't a huge believer of Luis Arraez defense at second base, and knew that the Twins needed a right handed bat to face off with southpaws. Schoop got a 1 year, 4.5 million dollar deal with the Detroit Tigers. Our old friend has had a solid year manning second and first for the Tigers, with an OPS+ of 104, which is 4 percent higher than league average, and has also batted 9 balls over the wall in a stadium where it isn't easy to do so. On my 2021 Twins team, Schoop would primarily hit against left handed pitchers only, but also have the ability to fill in with injuries to Luis Arraez, Miguel Sano, or Josh Donaldson. Schoop has 59 at bats against left handed pitchers, and has 7 extra base hits including 3 homers for an OPS of .840. This would give him an OPS+ of 130 if he were to only hit against lefties, while filling the role that Willians Astudillo currently finds himself in. I think this is an easy upgrade that the Twins executives missed out on. Kevin Pillar - 2 year, 12.5M dollars The last signing in my hypothetical offseason was outfielder Kevin Pillar, who was the only player I was willing to give 2 years to. However, I went way higher on the money than was really needed, as he signed a 2 year deal totaling 6M dollars with the New York Mets, but that doesn't really matter here in La-La Land. Pillar wore a fastball off the face earlier this season, but with that non-withstanding, has been about as advertised for the Mets. Pillar plays good outfield defense, although he is a bit stretched in center field, and is a league average hitting with an OPS+ of 101. On my Twins team, Pillar would split time with Jake Cave in left field in a platoon until Trevor Larnach was ready to be called up, and then would be the fourth outfielder on the team. In real life, the Twins opted to claim Kyle Garlick for a similar role, and he has certainly worked out just fine. However, Garlick is nowhere near the defender that Pillar is, so we'll call this one a wash. Pitchers SP - Kenta Maeda SP - Jose Berrios SP - Michael Pineda SP - Robbie Ray SP - Randy Robnak RP - Taylor Rodgers (L) RP - Tyler Duffey RP - Matt Wisler RP - Jorge Alcala RP - Cody Stashak RP- Tyler Cippard RP - Joakim Soria RP - Caleb Thielbar (L) Much like the real life Twins, I was counting on Kenta Maeda having a similar season that he had in 2020. Obviously I wasn't expecting a cy young season, but I thought he was a #2 starter, much like Berrios. We know Kenta has struggled, but Berrios has been about as advertised. Pineda has continued to stay consistent, and the presence of Robbie Ray in this rotation is gamechanging. The Twins are currently handing the ball to JA Happ every 5th day, who has been mediocre, when in this universe they're using a potential all-star. I also gave the 5th rotation spot to Randy Dobnak instead of signing a Matt Shoemaker type, which is an easy upgrade no matter who you give the ball to. The bullpen would face similar struggles that they've seen in 2021, as the only real change here is Joakim Soria. We know that Matt Wisler has been bad, and Tyler Clippard hasn't even thrown a pitch. Much like the Twins brass, I was counting on Rogers, Duffey, and Soria to close out games with the rest of the guys being able to get me through the middle innings. I think the Twins addition of Hansel Robles puts their bullpen on par with the one I drew up here, which isn't good news for either of us. Lineup C - Mitch Garver, Ryan Jeffers 1B - Miguel Sano 2B - Luis Arraez (L), Jonathan Schoop SS - Jorge Polanco (S), Ehire Adrianza (S) 3B - Josh Donaldson LF - Jake Cave (L) CF - Byron Buxton, Kevin Pillar RF - Max Kepler (L) DH: Alex Kiriloff (L) I opted to split catching time behind the dish much like the Twins planned on doing before Ryan Jeffers stumbled out of the gate and sent him down. We have seen Jeffers bounceback as he's been getting every day starts. The infield is the biggest difference on this team, with Jorge Polanco staying at shortstop, and Jonathan Schoop and Ehire Adrianza coming off the bench. Schoop fills in for Willians Astudillo, which I would consider an upgrade, and I think many others would as well. The Adrianza role wasn't filled in real life, and that's fine because they signed a defensive wizard in Andrelton Simmons and had the luxury of Jorge Polanco being the second string shortstop. Kevin Pillar fills the role of Kyle Garlick, which is a wash. The biggest change I made was not re-signing Nelson Cruz, as I had questions about him after seeing him struggle to end the 60 game season. Through nearly the same amount of games in 2021, Cruz has slowed down from his early years in Minnesota, and is potentially playing in his "swan song" season. I would've given the role to Alex Kiriloff from day one, and I think that would've been a potential upgrade over the 40 year old slugger if the wrist injury never came for AK. Obviously it is hard to grade my offseason because there is no way of telling which players do or don't get hurt, but on paper I think that with the addition of Robbie Ray, the starting rotation is a lot deeper and a lot better. The lineup is largely the same with Alex Kiriloff instead of Nelson Cruz, and in retrospect the bullpen would face many of the same issues here that we've seen on the field in 2021. Grades Rotation: A- Bullpen: C- Lineup: B Bench: B+ Overall: B

The Twins have started to turn things around as of late, but are still 11 games below .500 nearly a third of the way through the season. Certainly there is a chance for the squad to go on a long win streak, which features the next 12 games against the lowly Orioles and the free falling Kansas City Royals, but injuries are still piling up, and we've seen the Twins play just as bad as the two aforementioned squads. As of now, I still firmly sit in my stance that the front office would be best suited to have a fire-sale at the deadline, moving every expiring deal, and taking offers on players with only one year of team control left. This group of players is highlighted by Jose Berrios, Byron Buxton, and Taylor Rogers. If they get a 'blow your socks off" offer, I see no reason not to take it. Today we take a look at some infielders that the Twins should get an extended look at in the second half of 2021. RH C Ryan Jeffers Jeffers was fantastic as a rookie, featuring a fantastic defensive game behind the dish, and was part of what appeared to be a two-headed monster catching duo headed into the 2021 season. However, Garver got off to a slow start, and Jeffers was flat out bad. Jeffers was performing so poorly in limited at bats that the front office sent him down to AAA Saint Paul where he's been given the opportunity to start nearly every day, whether behind the dish or as the DH. Jeffers has returned to form at the plate, OPSing .753 for the Saints, including three home runs and four doubles. Jeffers is also using a patient approach, drawing 10 walks in 77 PA. He is still having trouble with strikeouts, with a K rate of 25 percent, but hitting the ball hard while playing fantastic defense at a premium position is worth giving a look at. When Jeffers was up, he was only starting against RH which puts him in a hole. If the Twins are out of things come July, I'd like to see Jeffers split time with Garver, including against southpaws. MIF S Nick Gordon Nick Gordon isn't the top 50 prospect that he was a few years ago, and he hasn't put up great numbers in the high minor leagues, but I believe that Gordon can be a utility infielder at a minimum. The one thing holding back Gordon right now are the facts that he struggles against left handed pitchers, which is a bad thing for a platoon bat, and can no longer play shortstop, at least over a full season. However, Gordon has succeed in the young campaign with the Saints, hitting .393, including a homer and a triple. He has also added four stolen bags, which we saw on display in Gordon's MLB debut, where he stole second base twice. If Gordon can play a strong second base, and potentially develop an average glove at third, and fill in in left field a few times a year, which with his speed I think is a possibility, he is an MLB bench bat. There is a very strong chance we see a ton of Nick Gordon, and the front office either commits to him as an MLB utility player, or removes him from the 40 man roster. 3B/2B RH Jose Miranda At only 22 years old and no spot on the 40 man roster, I don't think it's too likely that we see Miranda in Minnesota this year, but I don't think that should be the case. Miranda was mediocre in the low minors, but started the season at AA Wichita, and has gotten off to a blazing hot start. Miranda has hit .309, and has an OBP of .372 in 18 games. Jose has shown the pop that we've seen in the past with 5 homers in 68 at-bats, as well as 3 doubles. Fangraphs had Miranda ranked as the 20th Twins' prospect heading into the year, with a game power grade of 50, and a hit tool of 55, but doesn't love the defense as they note he's likely a "shift-enabled" 2nd or 3rd basemen. Miranda has good bat to ball skills which have shown well in AA, with only 10 strikeouts in 78 plate apperances. It is worth noting that Miranda is rule-5 eligible this upcoming off-season, and will have to be added to the 40 man, as he will certainly be taken if not added. I hope the Twins get out in front of things with Miranda, and see what he can do in 2021 at the big league level.

I agree that none of these names are all that exciting, but I do think Cano can be a successful MR right this second and should be given the chance. Chalmers has closer like stuff as well, but just struggles with the walks. Get him up and see if the stuff plays. As for the top pitching prospects, I see no reason to bring those guys up right now. If the twins were 28-15 instead of 15-28 I would have a different view on the issue, but with a lost season it’s more beneficial for them to continue to develop as starters in the minor leagues.

I wrote a few days ago on starting pitchers that we are likely to see in the dog days of summer. This of course assumes that the Twins are going to continue down the horrid path that they've gotten off to in the first 40 games of the season, and expiring deals like Michael Pineda and J.A. Happ are moved. The bullpen also contains two names who were brought in on one year deals, one throwing very well, and the other getting off to a horrid start. If someone told you that one would be good and one would be bad, you may not be shocked, but the fact that Robles has outperformed Colome is surprising. If the Twins do decide that they are going to sell, those two will certainly be moved. Some other names like Tyler Duffey or Taylor Rogers could also find themselves being traded, but as I'm writing this I don't foresee it happening. Either way, with injuries, taxing bullpen arms, or relievers not performing, there will be plenty of chances for the Twins brass to bring up some young, intriguing arms. RHP Yennier Cano Cano was signed as an older international free agent in 2018 for 750,000 dollars, just before the international period was about to end. The Twins essentially traded OF Zack Granite to the Rangers for Cano, as 750,000 in international money is what the Twins received in compensation. Cano was ranked as the #2 player in the international class, behind OF Victor Victor Mesa. Cano features a unique three-quarters delivery in which he features a fastball sitting in the mid-90's, topping out at 97 MPH. Cano also features a heavy sinker which induces a lot of ground balls, and works a slider and splitter for strikeouts. Cano is currently in AA Wichita, and has gotten off to a torrid start. At the time of this writing, he's worked 6.2 innings with 12 strikeouts, no walks, and no home runs. Cano is likely going to be called up to Saint Paul in the near future, and if things go well, there is no doubt that the 27 year old will be up with the Twins. Due to his age, the ceiling is limited, but Cano could prove to be a useful middle reliever on a team the could badly use one. RHP Dakota Chalmers Chalmers was acquired as a lottery ticket arm in the 2018 trade that sent Fernando Rodney to the Oakland A's, after being a 3rd round pick in the 2015 draft, being signed way over slot at 1.2M. Chalmers battled injury issues early in his career, and received the dreaded Tommy John Surgery in 2018. Due to Chalmers missing much of the 2018 season, the Twins sent Chalmers to the Arizona Fall League in 2019, where things didn't go according to plan. Chalmers made 6 starts, totaling 17.2 IPs, allowing 17 hits and 12 walks. However, Chalmers, who has always had 80 grade stuff, struck out 25 batters. Despite the rough outing in 2019, the Twins added Chalmers to the 40 man roster. Chalmers has continued to work as a starter in 2021 at AA Wichita, but the results still haven't turned around. Chalmers has walked 4 in 8.2 innings, and given up 8 hits, including 4 home runs. Due to Chalmers having 20 or 25 grade control, his chances at starting seem slim to none. Getting Chalmers in the bullpen as an effectively wild pitcher is the best hope for both him and the Twins brass. RHP Tom Hackimer Hackimer is an under the radar pitcher within the Twins organization, not appearing on any top prospect list on any site. However, Hackimer has been a very effective reliever in the minors, largely due to his unique delivery. The Twins righty throws with a submarine type wind-up, which he compares to former Astros reliever Joe Smith. Hackimer doesn't have blow you away type stuff, with a fastball that sits around 90 MPH, topping out at 94 MPH, but due to the spin rate and unique arm angle, it plays faster than it is. He also features a big, sweeping slider that can get right handed hitters out. He is also working on developing a changeup in order to get left handed hitters out more effectively, but it's a work in progress. If Hackimer is ever going to crack the big leagues, at least with the Twins, this is going to be the year he does so. He is not on the 40 man roster as of now, but with the expected trades, the Twins can make a move to get him a look if they feel like he can succeed. Hackimer is currently at AAA Saint Paul, putting up a scoreless 7.1 innings pitched, and 11 strikeouts. During his minor league career, he's thrown 176.1 innings of 2.65 ERA, while striking out 204 batters.

I get what you’re saying, but Eddie is having an absolutely horrible year. OPS+ of 61 and an OPS of .580. Only getting on base at a .258 clip, and has been worth -0.2 WAR. He would still provide timely hitting at times, but he would mainly fit in with the rest of our putrid offense. I’m fine with the route they took and would much rather see AK and Larnach get a chance.

I do agree that the ceiling on all 3 of these pitchers being fairly limited. However, you don’t need a staff full of number one or number twos in order to be successful. Having a handful of mid rotation starters from within saves you money from having to bring in JA Happ, Matt Shoemaker, Rich Hill, etc. and allows you to go spend on more premium positions. I don’t think it’s out of the question for Dobnak, or even Thorpe, to be that. As for Ober, I’m not high on him and questioned him being added to the 40-man, but since he’s here there’s zero reason not to give him a look in the what appears to be a lost season. The key to the twins future does weigh heavily on one of Jordan or Duran being a top of rotation starter, very much so. I just think it’s a year too early to expect too much impact from either at the MLB level, although Duran will likely be up this season.

Thanks for the feedback. Always fun to think about the future, especially when the present is absolutely horrible. Stay tuned for a piece on Friday. I have a feeling Cano will be featured in the RP section of the article Winder is a guy haven’t read/watched a ton of, so I can’t give an informed opinion. As for Whitefield, he’s intriguing if he can truly hit and is at worst a 4th OF with his defense and speed. Hopefully the continues to develop. Appreciate the reading and conversation!

Least shocking news all year..that that lineup couldn't hit Lucas Giolito. Actually somewhat impressed with how close the game was. Shoemaker was bad, but got good results in a weird way. Polanco looked good at SS, and Cruz hammered the ball. Colome staying rolling is pretty big for nothing else than trade value. Twins just have too many journeymen types on the roster right now, or a few guys who should be in AAA still (Rortvedt, Ober). Oh well. Starting to get numb to many of the loses, including this one. At least we'll have always have yesterday. Also..if anyone like me is done with the first half Minnesota twins and just want to get on with seeing some young guys play and figure out if they’re any good, I wrote about some guys we could see in the second half of the year, starting with starting pitchers. Feedback and interaction is encouraged and appreciated!

In retrospect, the trade hurts after seeing Ynoa come up and have success with the Braves. However, at the time I don't think it was an outrageous move, as Ynoa was a teenager lottery ticket arm who fail a whole lot more than they hit. This one just happened to hit (or throw?). As far as Littell, he had some good outings with the Twins and looked like he could possibly be a consistent middle reliever, but turns out it was all smoke and mirrors. Really liking this series!

Agreed on this point. A few of those guys will be features in other sections of this piece. I think Chalmers is probably a reliever with his control issues, and he's probably up as a reliever at some point this season. Duran may be up this year, but I'm not 100% confident in that. Balazovic I would be somewhat shocked to see unless they think he plays a major role in the rotation for 2022. As for your Dobnak point, I do agree that sometimes the sinker does seem to have too much movement on it, where it would be on the edge of the zone if it broke just like a normal sinker, but instead has extra movements and comes back into a hitters bat path. Either way, I expect to see a ton of Dobnak in the second half of the season (and maybe sooner) as you don't extend a guy with no clear plan. If this season continues to go off the rails, figuring out what you have in Dobnak should be fairly up the priority list.

HIP HIP!!!! Season hasn't been what we hoped, but man, it's fun to see these guys win, especially against the Sox. Sano with an absolute monster game that could be the start of one of his hot streaks. The bullpen that we expected to be good showed up in a huge way tonight. Ober was fine in his first start, and probably showed enough to be deserving of another look sometime this year. What a win. Enjoy this one!!