diehardtwinsfan

I think the Twins are going to be competitive in the central from 2015-2020, but what's with this talk about starting the parade?

Given that top flight QBs are best found with a high draft pick...

and there it goes.

I'm about to renounce my Vikings fanship...

They are as frustrating as the Twins.

It's all context. Post all star game (and that discounts the month of June where he had a .902 OPS) Dozier has been a .257/.315/.480 hitter. These certainly aren't stellar stats, but for a 2B, that puts him solidly above his 2B peers and in a category that only a handful of 2B exist. The question at hand is whether the improvement legit. I don't know if it is or is not, so he needs another year IMO to prove it, but the fact that he's sustained this now for 3 months says that there's something there. The key to fielding a winning team is having guys who are better than average while playing average or better defense. Dozier has been better than average as a 2B on both sides of the game since June 1. That's a good thing. Rosario looks like he can be the same only with a better bat, which if true would be a great thing.

Lewin Diaz?

quiet night I see.

I think he starts in Rochester and remains there till he earned it. I'm hoping he doesn't have the slow start thing again given that was facing much tougher talent in the big leagues. In his defense, he did end his season on a high note, and I hope he gets off to a great start and forces his way back. In the mean time, Presley gets the starting CF job and a chance to prove if he can stay. If they both hit well, there's a potential trade chip in there.

I get that hitters last longer, and I get that they play every day, but looking at it in terms of plate appearances, starting pitching plays just as much, and good ones play more.. That and pitchers have far more control over the game than anyone else on the field. The guy on the mound is the most important guy on the team at any given time, and in the Twins' case, they have far too little of it. Trading Span and Revere was the right thing to do, especially given the seasons that they had this year. People complain about TR not selling high, but it's looking like that is exactly what he did. Oh, and Meyer looked pretty darn good in AA this year. May, while not as good, certainly made some improvements... Both could flame out, but on a team with little high ceiling pitchers, these two are a sight for sore eyes.

I'd like to chime on this comment. I'm hardly a game thread regular. Sometimes I'm there, most often I'm not. I've never felt unwelcome or like I'm breaking in on something. Most of the witty banter in there consists of a few people watching the game and joking around. Anyone can jump in, as I did this year. Just my 2 cents.

Most of mine these days is women I've never met saying they want me and job offers for 6+ figure salaries and 10 hour work weeks. I guess it has improved over my long lost rich uncle from Nigeria who has left me millions.

There's this kid named Drew Butera who has managed about 500 ML at bats and managed to get traded for a nice prospect

Huh? I can find dozens of examples this year about things Gardy has said about his players in public, and I'm pretty sure the drive to win is why players are still trying... that is if you want to call the baseball they've played lately as trying.

Both? I highly doubt it. Maybe 1, but history says they won't go hard after either. I hope I'm wrong.

Does anyone think that Gardenhire is going to get his 5 wins yet this year?

Law gets that way from time to time... I just hope people keep feeding this to Gonsalves. The kid seems to have a chip on his shoulder and would likely benefit from that.

He's not an interim GM anymore. I agree with you on Gardy, it's his time. He will find a major league job if he wants one, but he's definitely not the guy you want managing the next wave of rookies as they come up. As for Ryan, I'm not sure I agree... yet. Right now, this team needs a guy who can stock a farm system, and he does that very very well. While Smith gets some of that credit, Ryan has also done a pretty good job in that regard the last 2 years. If you think shedding him will suddenly improve our odds of winning in 2014, I think you're wrong. Where I do think his problem lies is what happens in 2015-2020 when he has a real good idea which of these young guys are studs and which need to be replaced. When those free agent signings need to be made, I'm not sure Ryan is the guy I want manning the helm.

I would hope they'd make an exception on the years for a Tanaka or Abreau type contract.

Not sure I'd call it tanking. Willingham and Doumit might give the Twins the best shot of winning any day, but playing Parmelee and Presley is more important. Might see an extra game or two in the L column, but it's better off for the team long term. That's not tanking

I would personally hope they just bid less. Regardless of whether he checks out or not, he has upside. That's pretty clear. If they look at him and see back of the rotation arm, you still bid, but not as much... Though with the Twins, that one might get a higher bid (that was a joke BTW).

The wait comments are here because Dozier isn't all that valueable right now, and Rosario's value is more likely to increase than it is to decrease. I get that Rosario has value, and if someone came and offered an Alex Meyer type pitcher for him, I think TR would trade him in a heartbeat, but I doubt that offer comes along as teams are wary of trading elite SP, and I am not sure I'd be comfortable getting a Berrios type player for him. Dozier's value is still going to be low, much like Plouffe last season, he's not going to be coveted based on a few months of excellent play, and even though I think there's more reason for hope with him than what there was for Trevor, GMs aren't going to offer much for him. Not this year at least. I get that there's risk that both will implode and be worthless, but speaking from an odds standpoint, at least one will likely work out and there's a better chance that they both do at this point. An attempt to "sell high" might be premature, and you run the risk of trading the wrong one as well. Not sure this makes sense this offseason unless someone comes in and blows you away. As such, this is definitely a "problem" for next year. My personal opinion is that Dozier is likely a better SS option than Florimon or Santana if this improvement is sustainable. I do think the 15-20 HR power is legit (take a look at his 2011 power in AA, he has some pop). The Twins need an above average SS almost as bad as they need pitching. Given their needs, my plan would be to shift Dozier back to SS before I traded either one of them. That could change if someone dangled a Meyer/Cole/Bradley/Tallison type prospect for one of them, but I don't think that would happen this year, and even if Rosario/Dozier's value rises, I'm not sure you'd get that next year. And that is what it would take for me trade them.

We don't have enough prospects to fill all the holes on this team, and that's with the best farm in baseball. I'd note that trading for established players also carries with it some pretty substantial risk and can be just as damaging (and far more expensive). There's a time to trade prospects for good players. That time isn't now.

They do number 6 pretty well. I owe my career to them.

Multiple versions of IE... and I wouldn't be surprised in the least if there's nothing you can do about it.