John Bonnes

Thank you for posting this and then continuing to update it. It had so much good information and people were definitely wondering what was going on. It's very generous of you to do this legwork and share it with everyone. 

I find it kind of amazing this hasn't happened yet. It feels like it could almost be a liability issue. 

Great story. It's funny the little moments that make our fandom worthwhile. 

I look forward to seeing what you write about next. Thank you for sharing this.

Glad to see you blogging! Looking forward to reading more. 

If you have a specific pitcher in mind, it seems like it might make sense to start a topic in the Twins Daily forums called something like "Josh Winder (or whoever) Scouting, Analysis and Fixes" and see if that generates some community responses. Maybe it'll work or maybe not. 

I think Fan Graphs early projecton system on this team has them at 81 wins, and that was before Gallo (and maybe before Vazquez). So you're objectively right - it's not a bad team. The question is how do they get better?

I hadn't paid much attention to that walk rate before this. Thank you for sharing it. That's an interesting aspect to consider when thinking about his future. 

Great story. Thank you for sharing it. I truly love the headline. Really solid writing and analysis. 

I also agree that having Arraez follow Gallo is intriguing. Having Gallo bat ninth... not so much. Not sure how to resolve it. But I'd want him up with men on base. 

I'd definitely suggest you fly to NYM, train to Bos. You will not want to drive in either NYC or BOS, so you'll just be paying massive parking fees. If you DO drive, I'd suggest leaving your car someplace in Newark and taking the train from there into NYC.

I'd definitely recommend Patriot's Day, and I'd suggest you get there the night before if you can. Boston is a big party that morning. (It might also be the night before, but that experience was 30 years ago and it might have just been because Chrissie was hanging out with service industry workers, who tend to go pretty hard on Sunday nights.) 

Here's what I like about this: you started writing, it kind of led to a dead end, but you saw it through and hit publish. This happens all the time to writers. 

Awesome story. That first paragraph is fantastic, btw. 

I was SO GLAD to see you writing on TD again! Great post. 

I loved this. Thank you for writing it. 

Thank you for the kind and thoughtful post. 

Interesting name. If the Twins had not signed Pineda, I'd be a little more interested in Gonzales. And I still might be interested if they lose out on Bumgarner and Ryu. But if they come out of this offseason swapping Gibson for Gonzales, I'm going to be at the front of the pack with my torch and pitchfork. 

Like you, I have trouble believing the Marlins are too revved up about giving anything of value for Rosario. That franchise just doesn't care that much. If this is the best they have, I think we look elsewhere and hang on to Eddie. 

Not a bad prediction. The Yankees did outlast the Twins and their bullpen was the difference. But neither was particularly strong. 

This is great. Do you have any links to historical references for it? I have never heard this story. 

This would be a nit-picking exercise but for your approach.

Using only the next 5 picks makes it interesting.

Thank you

I thought the same thing. I really appreciated the approach and methodology, and the research it required. Great idea, and well-executed. 

AAaaaand then he stubs his toe again last night a little. Sigh. 

Still, those peripherals are pretty (38K in 28.1 IP with 10 BB). For all the hand-wringing going on at the major league level about Mejia, it's sure nice to see a southpaw that can bring the heat. He does seem like a kind of pivotal guy to keep an eye on. 

I loved this Matthew. Thank you for doing it. 

There must be some labor law I’m unaware of that teams will have at least one off day in a two-week period as the Twins play on 13 consecutive games at a few different points throughout the season.

You're guessing right, I think. I've always heard that is the case. and if they need to make up a doubleheader on that off day, the players need to approve it. 

I loved this format. I thought of a couple of different ways you could analyze this is you want to continue.

1. Assuming the most important games of the season are versus the other likely Wild Card contenders (which, per Vegas, are the Angels, A's and Rays), when are the most important stretches of the season.

2. If you (or someone else) are mathematically inclined, you could use the Vegas over/under values to determine a strength of schedule for each month. Like how many wins or losses above average is the schedule for that month. (Or even each homestand/road trip). If you want to see the methodology up close, I did so here:

http://twinsdaily.com/articles.html/_/minnesota-twins-news/report-from-the-fort-2018/report-from-the-fort-the-twins-strength-of-schedule-r6489

Thank you for posting this. The Profar case is an interesting comp, though his shoulder injury makes everything harder to compare, especially regarding the return they got in a trade. I don't think we're talking about something similar with Buxton, unless the toe injury is recurring or the migraines are a concussion symptom or something else chronic. (Or at least I hope this is the case.)

The main point here seems to be that the move sours the relationship with Buxton, which is probably true. The question is how that affects things when or if Buxton has the power in their dynamic. Ironically, this team hopes that shift happens, as it would mean Buxton is becoming the player they expected. 

I don't see Byron becoming a "me-first" guy, or at least not any more than any other ballplayer is. His head is on straight. But I suspect the relationship between him and the Twins no longer has a lot of fuzziness around it. It's now a business relationship, and the Twins certainly did their part to move it in that direction with their decision. Buxton has every right to treat it as such, and would be wise to do so.

I hadn't thought about the fact that so many of the top 10 prospects who were in Cedar Rapids might also get off to a slow start due to their age. 

Either way, I imagine it's a joy to see Lewis and Kirilloff play every day. 

Amazing what Suzuki is doing at age 33 and 34 with Atlanta. Almost 500 at bats and a 127 OPS+. Don't think you can blame the Twins for that one - he showed no indication that he had this in him. Literally his two best hitting seasons are coming at ages 33 and 34. Insane.

 

Good to see JRM hitting. He was never as bad as he seemed for the Twins - he'd hit in MLB and MiLB before. Glad it's happening in the NL.

I'll add that Suzuki was awfully streaky with the Twins, and we got fooled by early season success from him once, too. Let's see where those stats sit late in the year. 

Pretty good except for the last four words....

Thanks for jumping in and this is a good

I was wondering if you found any contracts you thought were comparable. Specifically, which ones? I’d be interested in comparing them. (I also wonder about the willingness of this front office to give a multi-year deal to a fairly average veteran. I’m not sure I see that happening.)