Sam Morley

Whoever signs this guy, he should go straight to double A and earn his way onto a major league roster like everyone else. On the mound, he has great stuff you say? Great. Prove it at double A. At the plate, he can hit a little bit you say? Great. If he signs with a national league team and makes it as a starter, he can get two or three at bats in the games he starts, just like the other pitchers in the league who can hit a little bit. If you think that this guy, or anyone ever, will be able to be a major league pitcher on an American league team and also DH, you are delusional. If Ohtani thinks he should even be given a chance to see if he can do it, he is delusional. There have been some published comments from Levine that the Twins are open to giving Ohtani the opportunity to pitch and hit if that's what it takes to sign him. If the Twins believe in Ohtani's ceiling and proximity to the show as a starting pitcher and it takes telling him he can hit to sign him, I don't know if I'm okay with that, because its a lie. I think that lying to or misleading prospective signees is an ugly direction to head in.

Here's my favorite Joe Nathan memory: My younger brother Paul and his buddy Matt (who at the time were relief pitchers on the bethel college team) and I went to a late season game at the dome. The twins were in the thick of a division race which they eventually won, and that nights game was close enough that Joe came in for the save and got it. The done was blowing up and we were pumped. We decided to go hang out in the parking lot where the players came out. There was already a large gathering of fans when we got there, in a long line stretching from the door. We found a spot to stand and cheered whenever one of the guys came out or drove by. We weren't thinking of meeting anyone (though I think a few guys stopped to sign a few autographs at the front of the line) we just wanted to keep the energy going from the game. Most of the guys would wave and give a fist pump or something. Carlos Silvia had been the starter and had a great outing so the crowd roared for him. Joe must've been one of the last guys to come out (fitting for a closer- and one who couldn't walk away til age 42). Anyway, Joe starts signing autographs and shaking hands. But he doesn't stop at the front of the line, and just keeps coming, saying hello to everyone. Paul and Matt and (guys in our early/mid 20s) start asking each other, "is he gonna go down the whole line?") I guess we had some time to think of what to say before he got to us, but it didn't occur to me to say anything other than 'way to go, Joe' and shake his hand. Matt, however, popped off one of the strangest questions, given the context, of all time. "Hey Joe, what kind of oil do you use on your glove? It's so shiny." He says, and I couldn't tell if he was being sincere or a little goofy. But it got Joe to break his 'meet the fans' character for like a second. He makes this wtf face, quickly recovers his smile and says, "I don't know, somebody else does that. I have a couple gloves, one I play catch with and a game glove." I was laughing, but Paul's wit succeeded him, and as Joe moved on to the next fans in line, he called over to him, "Hey Joe, what kind of shampoo do you use on your hair? It's so shiny!" Paul didn't get an answer but he did get a quality laugh out of Joe, who was on his way to shaking hands with every fan in line. Great pitcher, great Twin, great guy; happy trails, Joe.

Gotta tip your cap to boshers on that one.

Looks like we found our long man.

I think I've seen about enough of Ryan Presley dooking all over #57

So terrible. Kintzler gets gifted a strike on a 2-0 count off the plate and then instead of extending the zone even further or coming back inside or throwing a different pitch, he throws the same pitch at the same elevation only over the corner instead of off. Kintzler is not a closer. This bullpen needs to be managed non traditionally according to matchups. Kintzler has no business being entitled to the ninth.

Looks like joe Nathan was released yesterday... eh? eh? Isn't Glenn Perkins on the comeback trail? Hughes to the pen isn't very inspiring, but it would be something. Can't imagine any uptick in velocity would be significant... fb avg from 89 to 91? Meh. Surprised this article doesn't call for Gibson to the pen, especially since it does call for a Romero call up. If Romero were to come up, wouldn't we rather see him in the rotation, especially over Gibson and/or Hughes? Gibson's stuff it seems would play up out of the pen, especially compared to Hughes. He regularly hits 95 as a starter. How often have we seen Gibson cruise through 3 or 4 innings only to get solved and pounded the second-third time through. It's really hard to imagine him having success for the twins as a starter ever, at this point- maybe for another team. Seems like a try in the pen is worth it before parting ways.

I guess Castro needs an actual take sign. Unbelievable.

Does anybody think that either Greene or McKay can play the field and hit daily and then take a turn starting pitching every fifth day over a full major league season? My opinion is that that would be impossible. There is no way to effectively dedicate yourself to both the craft hitting and the craft of pitching (not to mention fielding). The only possible two way value for an American League team would be if they were a starting pitcher who could be used as a pinch hitter. If either of these guys are a legit top 25 prospect as a hitter, I think they should hit first, and hitting at each level until they fail before going back to pitching. Elite hitters are more valuable than elite pitchers. Does anybody know where these guys rank as hitters/position players independent from their status as pitchers? McKay is supposed to be the top college pitcher and the top college hitter, right? Is Greene the top prep hitter as well as being the top prep pitcher?

It sounds to me like both Greene and McKay are better as hitters, McKay for sure if he's working sub 90. And with Greene, the projectability of a high school pitcher has to be about zero- even if you knew the outcome of Greene as a pitcher would be top of the rotation guy, if you also knew his outcome as hitter was slick fielding power hitting ss, you have to prefer the latter. Don't you have to compare the ceilings of these guys as pitchers and hitters, and then also consider their 'somewhere in the middles'? Obviously the floor is never reach the show at all. The calls to draft a pitcher based on organizational need seem misguided. As pitchers, the college guys are two years out at best, and Greene is four or five. The team will be significantly different in two years, and almost totally different in five. The way I see it, we have one sure thing: Miguel sano; we have two guys we hope will be sure things: buxton and berrios; we have the following guys we hope can be contributors and will be pleasantly surprised by anything approaching stardom: Kepler, Rosario, polanco, Vargas. Possibly gone in two years, for sure in four: dozier, mauer, Castro, Santana, Santiago, Hughes, the whole bullpen, the whole bench. My point is that you should always draft the best available player, especially when you are rebuilding (the player you think will be the best when he reaches the big leagues). If you think that in four years, Greene will be the next correa or lindor, you take that and forget about pitching. Polanco is playing great now, but is he firmly established for the next six years- no. Gordon is hitting for average at nooga, but hasn't demonstrated any other plus tools so far- it sounds like his ceiling is 'solid'- which would be great, but not something to bank on. If you think that in two years, McKay can replace mauer at first and put up kris Bryant ("best hitter in college baseball") numbers at first, I'd say that's also more valuable than whatever his ceiling as a pitcher is, greene's ceiling as a pitcher is, or wright's ceiling is. It seems to me that guys touted as 'best hitter in college baseball' especially in recent years are fairly reliable at transitioning their production to the big leagues. All that being said, it does seem like the value of both Greene and McKay is possibly being inflated by their statuses as being both pitchers and hitters of quality. You have to figure out: is he a better pitcher than he is a hitter or the other way around, and whichever he is better at, that's what he is- no looking back. The idea that if he fails at one, he can try the other sounds like a recipe for a long drawn out minor league career (though I suppose in the case of McKay in particular, if he blows out his arm as a pitcher 1b seems like a more reasonable fallback). The idea that either of them can somehow do both is impossible, in my opinion. My questions are: who is the best hitter right now in the draft and who has the highest ceiling as a hitter in the draft and who is the best pitcher right now in the draft (projecting ceiling for a pitcher seems pointless, esp when you're picking 1:1). Seems to me like the talk is that the answers are: McKay is the best hitter right now (and might also have the highest ceiling) Greene has the highest ceiling as a hitter/position player (as a ss) and wright is the best pitcher. I think McKay is the closest thing to a sure thing in the draft, but as a first baseman, and I would be happy if the twins took him (with dreams of kris Bryant in two years). I think Greene as a SS is the most interesting pick with the highest potential payoff and I would be happy if the twins took him, looking forward to watching his progress in the minors for the next four-six years. If they take wright or any of the other two as a pitcher, I will be gritting my teeth and crossing my fingers and hoping it somehow works out (thinking of kohl Stewart and Tyler jay).

You don't see that every season

Gophers are on BTN right now, just homered, are winning, and apparently are contending for first place in the big ten

Hawkins calling Dick "Richard" instead of Dick is by far the best part of this broadcast.

I didn't like the buxton bunt in the second either, esp not to the right side. I guess he always has the chance to get a hit out it though. A buxton bunt is never truly a sacrifice. The polanco bunt attempt in the 7th was far worse.

Hughes got crushed tonight. Rockies could have double digit run total easily. His lack of velocity is hurting. Rockies hitters were hitting low outside fastballs deep in the count for base hits. Those pitches should be fouled off at best, but with the high 80s fastball they have enough time to poke it in play.

Why is polanco giving away his third ab against freeland? Worst ab of the season.

Okay, no more gift outs for Trevor

Also, is there an infield version of statcast's catch probability (for outfielders)?

Does anybody know where to find individual player game logs for advanced defensive statistics? I couldn't find it in fangraphs. They obviously update season total advanced defense stats daily, but don't have defensive stat game logs.

I don't know about Vanimal, but this beast is sleeveless in what I'm guessing is low 50s at best. Pure sox fan, topped off with a black white sox beanie. I'm not kidding, the arms are like a he-man action figure.

Anybody else notice the lady in the stands with the hulk hogan arms?

That side by Hughes was amazing. The fastest pitch he threw was 87, in Cabrera's ab. I was really hoping he was going to k Frasier. That would have been incredible.

I have seen all of buxton' abs this season, and they have been getting worse. Worst lineup move in recent history to put him in the three spot. He needs to be moved to nine immediately. He's not going to figure things out with the pressure of batting third. He might not even figure it out batting ninth. It's beyond me why molitor would sandbag him with the responsibility of batting third, especially with his history. Hopefully he can relax and recover in the nine spot. It's hard to imagine him having to go back to trip A given how important he is to the pitching staff. Right now, he looks like he did when he first came up.

What change? and why? A different GM, right? Maybe a different manager, not from inside? I do want some clarity here. People want change because of the last four or five seasons of losing? I hear people say no other team would tolerate so many successive seasons of losing without making changes in management. Or, do people want change want it because of specific mistakes made by management? I said, earlier in this thread that my only big criticism of TR is when the team was good, he didn't do enough (anything) to make it better. It seemed like we were always one or two pieces away from being competitive in the post season, but the management was content with division titles. To me, the previous four-five seasons of losing are a function of rebuilding the minor league system. I think it's well worth enduring the losing seasons for the result of a stocked farm system. I think this is the way to achieve sustained success. I've come to appreciate the Twins' "family-style" approach to management. It makes me feel like I'm rooting for real people, not some abstract idea of the Twins represented by a jersey. The team/organization are the actual people that compose it. TR is a part of the Twins. Ron Gardenhire is a part of the Twins. Paul Molitor is a part of the Twins. Joe Mauer is a part of the Twins. All the former players and Minnesotans on the broadcast crews are part of the Twins. I don't just want to see the Twins win the World Series, I want to see the people who are the Twins win the World Series. Don't get me wrong, I'd be very happy to see the Twins win the World Series with any collection of players and management, but for me it would be much much better to see Joe Mauer win the World Series with the Twins. From what I can tell, the Twins family/loyalty approach toward management does extend to the players as well. If anything, I wish it did even more so. I think loyalty results in a better product, and I think in this era it's really difficult to foster. I think the loyalty makes the players feel like they are a part of something. I think it leads to them making stronger and more lasting connections in the community. Players seem to like being a part of the organization so much that in the rare event someone gets treated with some measure of disloyalty, they are seriously offended for years. Papi has held a serious grudge his whole career, and Carlos Gomez too. Speaking of Papi, there's your specific mistake. Anyway, I try to remind myself that when I root for a team, I'm rooting for the players who are on that team as much as the colors and the history of the team. I'm glad the Twins make this easier. I reason that the players are playing for the team, for each other, and that they want to win for themselves, for each other, for the team- all the more so if the team has treated them with respect. I don't think the players are playing for me, a fan. The team plays because that's what it does. It doesn't play for me. It's not trying to win for me, for the fans. As for the notion of firing Molitor, mid-season or after: they won't, and that's good. Even if it were a good decision baseball-wise (which it probably isn't) it would be dishonorable and disgraceful. It would be extremely disrespectful to Molitor, a Hall-of-Famer, a former Twin, and a Minnesota native. I don't think, in the grand scheme of things, any management direction alternative to Molitor is worth the disrespect. Personally, my preference at the time of the search for Gardy's replacement was Mientkewitcz, but whatever, Molitor is the guy, and he's fine, and he's an all-time great, so that's cool too- all the better if it's him that brings home a title. I think the Twins will return to winning baseball in the next few seasons, and I think they are building to stay a winning team for several seasons beyond. I think watching those teams is going to be extremely gratifying and fun because they will be comprised of players we have watched the organization draft and develop, and it will be fun to have a hall of famer minnesota native at the helm. As for TR, I hope he's still the guy when his work comes to fruition, and this time I hope he's ready and willing to make the little tweaks and additions necessary to win it all. I'll have to reserve my judgement of him until then.

I'd say, everyone on this list, with the exceptions of Mauer, Park, and maybe Dozier, is a placeholder. I believe that the team is committed to the rebuild in process via the farm system and prospect development. So, somebody has to play the games while we wait for the youngsters. Everyone on the list, with the exceptions of Nolasco and Park, contributed to last season's push for the playoffs. From the point of view that they are placeholders, it would've been a remarkable achievement of management had they made the playoffs (where anything can happen, even the Royals winning the world series). When they were in the midst of the push, it was tormenting for me, a bystander with no responsibility in the matter, to decide what I thought Ryan should do- should he make deals to improve the team and increase chances for the playoff push, or should he hold steady on the rebuild front? If he had gone for it, and the team had made the playoffs, we would be sitting here now in the same situation, but with a far less stoked farm system. In my opinion, it would have only been worth it in exchange for a real shot at the world series. Losing Hu to gain Jepsen might not have been worth it. I've only ever had one general significant criticism of Ryan. In the seasons when the Twins were making the playoffs and getting eliminated in the first round, I don't think he did enough (anything) to make the team into a playoff competitor. He didn't do it mid season, and he didn't do it in the off season. The starting rotations of those teams were built to get through the season, but didn't have the talent to compete in the playoffs when everybody steps it up a notch. Ryan has done an excellent job building the current farm system. I am very excited about more players than the MLB team has room for. I am hoping that Ryan has learned something from the failures of the playoff teams of the 2000s, and that when the team is good again with the talent he's amassed, he doesn't make the same mistakes. I'm willing to wait and see. It doesn't make any sense to have someone build something and then dismiss them right before their efforts come to fruition, especially with the risk of their replacement ruining everything.