Platoon

I have saw nothing to make me think that Molitor would be any better a manger with a good pen than this one. If he had a couple dominant relief pitchers he would likely fry them to a crisp by August. Good managers know that somedays you just take a loss and live for another day. It's a long season. He can't seem to do that. As for the bunting? It's getting so obsessive, some fans should consider turning it into a drinking game.

CC didn't like bunting against him when he was young and, er, not svelte. He always was slow afoot and a lousy fielder. Also short tempered. Eventually you would get one in the ribs if you kept it up. Is that ok? It may not be, but your ribs won't care.

Thanks. I don't have the time right now to peruse the whole thing, but I would like to say this: I don't expect any manager to be able to delve completely into all the stats involving all the scenarios between every pitch or batter. But I would expect a manager to show some semblance of recognition of score, pitcher, situation, game location, BP, etc. Not just simply bunt endlessly. Given a late opportunity however slight against a dominant pen, to get ahead, you better go for the kill. The future in the 8th and 9th innings (Chapman) ain't bright! Add your own pens likely inability to hold the other team in check, and it's actually dismal.

Let's say Garcia threw around 90 pitches. I see two called strikes off the corner, and one that clipped the corner. I see one strike called a ball. During the GT there were a few comments about the very large strike zone employed last night? Not as large as advertised? The difference in the game was Chapman. His stuff is ridiculous. A question on the "win probability"? Does that drop in percentage soley relate to the chance to win? Or the chance to tie? Or both. There's an old baseball axiom, play to win on the road and tie at home. We played to tie.

He can play there is no doubt. While his success at every level has followed a seeming adjustment period, the one up here lasted a little longer. Probably not that unusual. He is truly gifted. I do hope that he quits running into the OF fence. The knack of finding the fence, THEN jumping is still in the development phase. He won't win any MVP's face down on the warning track.

That's exactly what happens to teams that need offense to win. Of the big three, pitching, defense and offense, the most variable by far is offense.

Not particularly surprising when you consider Molitors long history of "veteran deference".

2 hits? A bunt, that went under his glove and that EE did not exactly attack and a GB which hit him in the foot? Colon gave up more wood than that in getting 3 outs in the first inning. I am not a big Molitor fan, but it was time to pull Colon. The swings were carefree and vicious, the outs were very loud. Sooner or later he was gonna get dinged. The last 3 innings were the cumulative effect of having shorter starts and relying on the same few RP's each game. Sooner or later they need a night off. My concern isn't that he did not use them, it's that he sometimes uses them when behind in games and then doesn't have them as available as should be. That said, the team has had some good luck (Gordon mis playing TWO fly balls?) and last night the worm turned.

Well luckily Rosario hit it over the fence, instead of off it, or else Mauer would still be standing on third. Some would have considered a PR appropriate with two out.

It's not unheard of for a tall lanky power pitcher to finally get his mechanics in control later in a career and settle in. It's somewhat different for a PTC pitcher to do so. That said, it seems the biggest thing is his control is better in this streak. He is hitting the outside corner nicely. If ones belief that Gibsons value is in long relief, then it would be best to package him and move him. Long relief pitchers are simply failed starters eating decided innings. (Barring injuries) The Twins already have a plethora of those. If Gibson has truly turned the corner, good for him. But I would make next years plans with the idea he had not, and choose to be pleasantly amazed, than yet again horribly disappointed.

Hmmmmm. There is one predictors name noticeably absent? That said the math was excellent.

I think I was misquoted! . Lol. But if you asked me today, I would still lean at the very most to .500 ball. I wasn't as worried about Sano at third as some, and I admit Polanco has exceeded expectations. I still don't think he would be my MLB SS, but he is not as bad as I thought he would be. And I think he will be a much better hitter than Dozier, sans the solo HR's. The OF, as long as they stick to the big 3 is as expected. The caveat was whether Molitor could resist sticking RG in the OF somewhere daily. The injury helped make that decision. But it's the pitching that confounds me. I know it is covered up by offense, but Jeez Louise that's a bad staff. The defense helps, but this pitching staff alone should guarantee a sub .500 season. The position players are ready to move up a notch, now they need the mound to pitch in.

Considering we had a self inflicted and self described burnt out BP, I don't think I ever saw anyone manage? an inning in a more bizzare fashion? There are a lot of games left, sometimes when things go south you just let them go and move on to tomorrow. Lastly, some have pointed to his "dartboard" lineups as his embracement of analytics, but Molitors bunt phobia begs to differ.

. You should just read the online version. They just announced a Elvis Sighting at the Cinnabun in Omaha. He was driving a white Caddy and wearing a pink Kimono. This whole thing has evolved into what so often happens. The message gets garbled by the personality of the messenger. There is no doubt that Sano is an awfully big man. Nor the fact that he is playing an IF position other than first base. Or the fact that he is going to have to work extremely hard to keep himself in condition for longevity and success. He does not possess a maintenance free body. But if that comes from LE3, Bernardino Miller, or heaven forbid Sid is one thing. Put Souhan or Ruesses name on the header, and we tend to get into the 9th page of a thread.

I would tweak the rotation to set up my preferences. There is no sense in going to NY and getting your brains bashed in yet another time. My choices would be Santana, Santana, and then Santana. Oddly after those three it would be Colon. His stuff isn't as good as Berrios or Gibson's but he appears unflappable. Which will be a necessity in NY. Then Berrios. As for Gibson? He has been Kyle Gibson for years. Sooner rather than later he will return to Kyle Gibson.

Probably true! And that could apply to social media in general.

I always read where Turner was a MLB ready defensive catcher, and that Garvers bat was way ahead of his glove. I have not ever saw Turner catch, but it's not hard to see where he must have been better than Garver. The decision to again choose offense over defense at certain positions puzzles me. As for Perkins, either him or Molitor need to decide that he will not be any help this year. If he wants to continue his comeback next spring, go for it. But this ain't the time or place.

Access is very much a two edged sword! For both the reporter and the reader. There is a fine line between the reporter being coerced by access, and abusing it. It's a dance I would not want to do everyday. IMHO a reporter maintains a professional, yet agreeable distance between himself and his subject matter. If he writes what he considers a disruptive piece about the subject, he must be sure that his report has some basis. If it doesn't he will end up like me, sitting in a chair writing on a thread to TD. If he writes nothing but fawning accolades, his access will last much longer, but his readership will dribble to the choir. It's likely a far more difficult task to remain employed at that position for that many years, as Souhan, Ruesse, and their ilk has, than we would care to admit. At the point of that sword is the reader. We should be responsible enough to decipher and appreciate the nuances and the differences of the zillions of words and opinions spewed out daily by the press, bloggers, and some guy sitting in his chair. For if we decide about the validity of a story, simply based on who wrote it, or what the subject was, or with a bias towards the publication or media, then we waste time reading it, and even more time commenting on it. Whether one likes Souhan or not his article on Sanos weight was not disrespectful or insulting, and Sanos weight is certainly a concern. The lashing he took for it was probably overwrought, as was his blog response. I don't think his core premise that Access = Accuracy was wrong. But he could have left us decide which reporter/blogger uses their level of Access to the utmost Accuracy.

As one poster so generously said due to the rotations of the earth I also cannot remember the exact wording of the article. But I don't remember the word "fat" in it. While I didn't agree with some of John's post, his comments following the post have been respectful and well versed. Some others have taken, shall we say, a more personal approach. When I read Souhans column I never found anything in there worth any sort of emotion, certainly not enough to call for his head. The column seemed factual and it mentioned the fact that a lot of it was based on discussion with Twins "insiders". I don't remember anything racist, or fat shaming about it. There is considerable history which indicates carrying too much weight is not conducive to success or health for baseball players. There is also considerable history that anytime Souhan or Ruesse write a non fawning column about one of our heroes all hell breaks loose. This is what caused the follow up blog, not column. Souhan is correct about Access. John is correct about being able to write about the team intelligently without Souhans level of Access. But in that same vein, there are things Johns more limited Access will not reveal. It's a sliding scale. What is true is that there is room for both, and one can read both TD, and the local fish wrap, and get something or nothing depending on the day, from either one.

>>>>>>>" So allow me to share my philosophy, which simplifies the choices considerably. You can either read people who reward your trust in them with thought-provoking, entertaining coverage of the Twins. Or you can rely on those who feel justified in regularly breaking that trust with incendiary garbage due to some fictitious self-important exclusivity."<<<<< Or you can do both, and decide what is most plausible. There is no doubt that Access is not a synonym for accuracy. But it does allow a closer look, and this becomes the genesis of many an opinion column. I had no problem with Souhans original column. Nor do I have any doubt that his comments on Sanos weight were accurate. He has looked "bigger". Even his frame can't carry 285-290 over the long haul. Yes he can do it for a year or two, but its not a long term plan. There was nothing wrong, or insulting about the column. The oddity is that there are pages and pages of digital ink on this site and others, about homerism in the local media. They don't "tell it like it is". But when someone does they get blasted for issuing an opinion adverse to one of our sacred cows. Souhan has a point. Access is information. That does not mean that everyone who has access will use it in the same way, or with the same goals, or with the same effectiveness. But it gives them a step up on the rest. There are certainly things I am more familiar with, and have access to more resources to than does either Souhan or Ruesse. That's simple fact. For any of us to deny that out of petty jealousy is basically childish.

How long did that take?

You are pretty patient, but two things made me in this case more so. One is the historical 1500 or so AB's it seems to take to make an analysis of a players likely career, and more importantly Buxtons persistent and consistent struggles whenever moved up the ladder. This one may have lasted longer, but it was not surprising given his history. As for his swing, I think it can be tinkered with. Everyones can. But the bottom line is you can either hit a baseball or you can't! There are a thousand different swings out there. If one was factually better than the other, everyone would use it. Hitting s baseball is a hand eye coordination talent that few possess at the MLB level. And he is one of them.

Being the second best pitcher on the Twins is sort of like me being the second best golfer in my twosome! It's almost unavoidable. Btw, given the facts of Berrios age and experience, or lack thereof, Gibby isn't even the second best Twins starter.

There is of course the remote possibility that the lack of patience by Twins fans is more likely the cause of Buxtons "problems" than was Buxton himself.

I doubt there is a metric for this, but when an infielder knows he can cut loose with out fear of an errant throw automatically hitting a cameraman, he throws with more confidence, and quicker. And probably with more accuracy.