gunnarthor

So it does look like Buxton has shaken off the rust. Assuming that's true and he continues to hit .400/.500/.600 for another month, do you think the Twins promote him to AAA or skip that and put him in our OF? (Assume the Twins are still around .500).

Yeah, that is a surprise but I like it. Let him start in AAA, he doesn't really need to be a long reliever for now, anyway.

https://gm1.ggpht.com/b--oySLPMITq2u6d2BplMtsRUBs1yCn4RX9_FLq7JSMY3FE6EXGWhG-lyJChqKg9Xfp0j092n9PZn2IC_cmrYDbwQB5ybJ7Hh3AgaLP90LeEH15APdfQ6x2caySK5dd82bdsSFOVrfGTV9Glz1zPe7LyXp2Ou3vza09qceJMNPe2gkNQBwiONBTM0pA-BaZxPC2OhnTOFWvF3RLVua-snDgDzCoIDj9DV_mIog675OKNecLTIoyov1c645pQxd5wC6WGCBVibG4ajmS58BlJgEcE4UZ-ofsZdcphGFFzIfywm2o4rxIRB6HNUI4Fx5ewpU43fppVMdKmajD8AWO5JCRVf24-wRQ0CF3lHQaXu8YCyIcEa67jQ-C1eeOaJAf2vaa_ZgerKIEZGBYswaZzBAPaKuzZUcv83zIgIObYyiiLB1M5kMT4XYsxlr33GrKk4vZlBcWJMf_qMmDz7gbjTqWeX12cZ2osiVHxkWifH9jAh_3Yj0WJT9-IB1nZnUO21eoBjRfnii6GfgM_sqstfdliOqRkW_6ieIsRyoC6Iz2PoBbIaAJ6OpQ6jagr7Vzz5qaUOn0I=w1538-h1272-l75-ft

Well, good for Pressley, I guess.

I'd be ok with either of those picks but I'm really interested in Nikorak. Seems like he could be a pleasant surprise a few years from now.

Org wise? I think Turner is the catcher of the future and Rosario, Kepler, Walker, Harrison are potential corner OFers. (Same with Hicks and Sano, too).

http://deadspin.com/jameis-winston-celebrates-draft-with-crab-legs-deletes-1701489105 GM: "No, Winston is a good guy. Strong character. He's put those things behind him. Sure, he made a few mistakes but he's learned from them. Pillar of the community. He's all grown up now." Asst GM: "Um, sir. Winston just put up a picture of him eating crab legs in a Bucs hat." GM: "****."

Not sure any of that is true, most rookies struggle. Harper and Machedo, for instance, are the exceptions. Cubs fans have already given up on Javier Baez and Jon Singleton is struggling back in AAA. And do you see how dominating Brad Peacock, Matt Dominguez and Jonathan Villar are? No? Those are top 100 prospects out of the Astros systems that have failed (although Peacock is still with the org). Mike Olt was a top 25 prospect and the centerpiece of the Garza trade for the Cubs. Now he's a bench player.

Tin Cup failed. Spectacularly. Pretty sure there isn't a lesson there. (Unless it's the 'don't be an idiot you don't win on a stupid gamble but sure can lose on it' that Tin Cup didn't learn).

I'm ok with this. Milone could be a good pen option but Nolasco has to start, with that contract. Hopefully he pitches well enough that we can unload him. Also a good sign that Hughes doesn't have to go to the DL.

I thought the implied thoughts in this thread was that Ryan hadn't turned around the team fast enough in his three years on duty. If that wasn't the subtext of the thread, my apologies. Anyhow, I figure this is year 4 of the rebuild (or year 3 depending on how you look at what Ryan's done) and it seems on pace with most rebuilds and ahead of many.

Again, those down cycles happened. The A's and Twins have actually been pretty close over the last decade and a half. Since 2001, both have had 9 winning seasons. Twins have made the post-season 6x, A's 7x (one was a wildcard game). Both advanced in the playoffs once while beating the other. A's didn't have a winning record from 07-11 followed by 3 winning seasons and (it looks like) they are starting another losing run now. Giants are similar. Since 2001, 9 winning seasons. Made the postseason 5x although they've obviously done better in the PS (and they've had better payrolls). I'm not sure which trades you think they could have made. A reminder that Hammer was hurt at the end of his first year with us and, with 2 years left, didn't have much trade value. The rumor was he could get a Sean Gilmartin-type back. Twins listened on offers on Suzuki last year but no market developed, so they kept him. I think you can argue that they should have traded Plouffe, Dozier and Perkins but those three could also be part of the next winning team. There haven't been a lot of sign and trades either, although there have been a few. Nothing earth shattering, as I recall, but I might be forgetting some.

Unless you're a big market team that can spend yourself out of this, you're going to have these down cycles. Tampa - 10 losing seasons followed by 6 winning seasons. Losing season again last year. Balt - 14 losing seasons followed by 3 (current) winning seasons. Tor - 2 winning seasons in the last six. Haven't won 90 games since 1993. Also have only lost 90 in a season in that time frame. Det - 12 losing seasons followed by winning seasons in 7/9 years. Also started buying out of problems. KC - 17/18 losing seasons followed by (current) 2 winning seasons. Clev - 5 losing seasons followed by 2 (current) winning seasons. Chi - kind of like Tor - always around .500. 5 losing seasons out of the last 8. Hou - currently on 8 straight losing seasons Sea - 4 losing seasons, currently on one winning season. Spent a lot of money. A's - 5 straight non-winnings seasons followed by (currently) 3 winning ones. TX - 8 losing seasons in 9 years followed by 5 winning seasons. Losing season again last year. Mets - currently working on 6 losing seasons. Atlanta - always good. 3 losing seasons since 1991. Not a huge payroll team for all of that either. Marlins - currently working on 5 losing seasons. Nats - 6 losing seasons followed by (current) 3 winning seasons. Cards - always good Cubs - currently working on 5 losing seasons after 2 winning ones. Pirates - lost forever Reds - losing seasons in 10/11 followed by two winning seasons. Losing again. Brewers - Losing team for a decade than alternated winning and losing 2 year streaks. Col - currently working on 4 losing seasons Dbacks - 3 winnings seasons since 2003. Padres - losing seasons in last 6/7 seasons Giants - 4 losing seasons followed by 4 winning seasons. 1 losing season, 1 winning season.

That's not exactly true, though. Cubs signed tons of old guys - Edwin Jackson, Dejesus, Reed Johnson, Malholm etc. Frankly, I think the Twins and Cubs have been doing very similar things although the Cubs have been a little healthier and have a slightly higher payroll. Houston has been a little different (although they've signed a bunch of Correia like guys too) in that they decided it was ok to lose 100 games and have a criminally low payroll while doing so. I don't think that would have flown around here.

Just to update the story, the blogger was fired/quit from SB Nation. He had a good bye post that was also yanked but is on reddit somewhere. It wasn't sane but basically blamed society for being too hard on him. Halos Heaven is looking for someone to replace him (he was comparable to Jesse at Twinkie Town). And now HH is looking at themselves and seeing if they really created a bad/negative/insulting place to follow the Angels. The results aren't good. It's going to be a fun place so long as you know they won't take crap from you. -sigh- http://www.halosheaven.com/2015/4/30/8521333/are-we-really-that-bad

I think I've given up on Hicks being a fulltime player but I'd be ok with him being the weaker half of a platoon with Arcia in LF and giving him occasional spot starts in center in the longrun. In the short run, I'd probably be ok with him starting in center over Schafer anyway.

Houston could be the 2001 Twins but they could also be the 2009 Royals. I said before the season that I thought the Twins would be .500 team this year so I'll stick with that although I'm not as confident now. But I do think this FO is on the right track. I think you also worry too much about age. The Cubs, like the Twins rely on a handful of 30 years old as well (Lester, Hammel, Montero, Coglan). The Astros do too. You could make a case that the Twins should have gone with other pieces in the pen, I won't argue, but I don't care either.

Lots of patience required. Remember, Sano missed all of last year and is still only 22. He's a year and half younger than Kris Bryant. He could spend the whole year in AA and still be ahead of the curve. But I think both he and Buxton will figure things out sooner rather then later. He's still taking walks and isn't striking out that much (for a slugger who missed a year). They both are huge talents and usually talent wins out.

Good for him, hope he does well.

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/4/29/8507795/ahead-of-the-curve-twins-sleeper-prospect-taylor-rogers Nice write up on Taylor Rogers by John Sickels at minorleagueball. Says his fastball has creeped up a bit from college and now can sit in the 90-93 range and Rogers could be a backend starter or a bullpen piece.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/301738121.html So we'll probably see someone go to the DL. And now we have room for Nolasco! If Schafer goes to the DL, I assume Hicks comes up. Not sure who would replace Fien though. Pressley, maybe? I think he's on the 40 man.

Wow, yeah, that's a bit of a difference.

Actually, Sano isn't doing too bad in the peripherals either. His krate is a little high at 28% but considering he missed a year, that's not that bad. His walk rate is nearly 15% which is darn good, considering he missed a year. His babip is only .171 and it won't stay that low.

Right now, Giants/Dodgers is probably the best rivalry in baseball and last night Bumgarner and Kershaw dueled it out. But the fun part was when Vlad Guerrero popped out to shallow right field and Bumgarner told him "you're not that ****ing good" after Guerrero acted frustrated for popping out. A nice way for Bumgarner to remind him that he's Vlad Guerrero and he's Madison Bumgarner. http://deadspin.com/madison-bumgarner-to-alex-guerrero-youre-not-that-fuc-1700947591

On the plus side, Buxton has been walking a lot more lately and striking out a lot less. That's good. Hopefully, Sano gets going soon. As to Meyer, just let him keep plugging away. Not much else they can do. I'd call him up as soon as there was an opening so the ML staff can look at him. And maybe have Rick Anderson to work with him 24/7 in the meantime (isn't he technically still getting paid by us?). Trevor May said Anderson really helped him when he had trouble throwing strikes.