Twodogs

I think Ryan can be counted in the pipeline, but I also think there is a difference. So Ryan in his rookie season was 26 years old. Santana and Liriano we're both 21 when brought up to the majors and Santana had like a 6.70 and a 4.70 eras for his first two seasons. Liriano also spent 300+ innings in the minors in the Twins system. He did that in 2 seasons. Now it would take 4 years for some prospect to accumulate over 300 innings in the twins system. Brad Rake is similar in that he was brought up and allowed to fail early. Derek Jeter says to young players be prepared to fail, if you can handle failure you have a chance at making it. Now had Joe Ryan struggled really bad last year the Twins would probably be pivoting away from him. Because he is so old. I really think if you want a pipeline to produce you need to get these guys up here when they are 21 years old and see what they can do. Then when they fail, they can go back down and work on those things that didn't go well and come back in a year or two and still only be 23. They need to be pushed when they are in the minors, to see if they can handle it, not constantly babied with ridiculously low inning limits, it's seems to me that with these limits they are trying to develop relief pitchers and not starters. Anyway I digress, they need to bring these guys up early either their stuff plays or it doesn't. If it doesn't they are young enough to develop another pitch, ie Santana's changeup. Or they can then be groomed to be a relief pitcher or something else. But when they wait until they are 24 or older to finally bring them up it's like do or die, either they produce right away or they move on from them. I'm hoping they give SWR a real shot this year as he will turn 23 this season. He will need time to fix stuff if it doesn't work in the bigs. Maybe he will be a polished reliable starter by the time he is 25. But he probably won't if he rots in the Twins minor league system much longer. Also, on a side note. Seems like Cleveland is still bringing up pitchers that do pretty well. I mean Falvey hasn't been there since 2017? So maybe the smart GM had nothing to do with the Cleveland pipeline, maybe he just drafted kids and traded for some others and someone, a pitching coach, a baseball guy, in the Cleveland system developed these kids and turned them into really good pitchers??? Falvey supplied them with raw materials and the system made something out of those raw materials. I wonder if people maybe think that if the Twins had all of those raw materials that Cleveland had that they still wouldn't develop any pitching. I sometimes think that the Twins need to quit trying to spend 100's of millions of dollars on bringing in some player who is going to be the savior of the franchise and maybe spend those 100's of millions and steal away the coaches in Clevelands organization, and spend that money of the player development people in Houston's and the Dodgers organizations. Then they'd probably be able to save their money on free agents and then turn around and spend it on the guys that they develop. I'm starting to think it's not the GM's that produce these pipelines, it's the people working down in the systems that are doing it. I mean for example Falvey left like quite awhile ago and Cleveland still produces better overall pitching than the Twins. I mean I'm sure these player development guys and coaches have a price too?

Trevor Bauer might be available?

Joe Mauer signed an 8 year 180 million dollar contract and almost everyone hated him for it around here during his last 3 - 4 years. And Joe is a hometown hero. Are you telling me that the people that are pissed off about not signing Correa to this really long term contract wouldn't be on here in like 4 - 5 years saying that because of Correa the Twins are not able to compete? I mean I'm ok with the big money long term deals, but I just remember all of the anger slung at Mauer in his last few years that I don't think TwinsDaily would be able to handle all of the hypocrisy had they actually signed him.

You only have 22 players? No DH and a 10 man pitching staff. You could bring in some stud relief pitchers.

Hey looks like Eduardo Escobar is probably available?? ?

Eh, this kind of stuff has happened before, the 80's and 90's steinbrenner Yankees. I even think the Mets have done this before, remember Bobby Bonilla? The McCourt Dodgers, the Arte Moreno Angels have spent big money over and over again, Pujols, Hamilton, Rendon, etc, etc, etc..... I predict the Mets will have so much pressure on them to win the WS this year that they might not even make the playoffs. I mean good luck getting past Atlanta and the Philly. Atlanta doesn't spend anywhere close to what the big market teams pay. But they are always better, now they may have cheated a little a couple of years ago with foreign signings and such, but by and large they have developed their team much better than the Mets and the Mets are the Mets, most likely they won't win the WS this year. So if you don't feel like following the Twins because you want to fish more, or you don't want to follow them because their own front office keeps screwing up the roster I'd get it. But not watching the Twins because the Mets do something stupid, and probably something that will keep them from winning big for years to come seems overboard a little. All I'm saying is that don't just assume the Mets are going to be good because of this. Always remember they are still the Mets, and they will always be second fiddle in their own town. So just relax, I know our own front office seems to always be screwing things up. But that's independent of the Mets screwing up their own team.

So SF made a mistake and resolved it by making up a fake medical issue?? I mean if that is truly the case then SF will have a tough time ever signing any free agent. I mean if Boras thinks SF did something wrong then he will convince all of his clients to go elsewhere. So I think something really came up and Correa pivoted. I sure hope SF didn't get buyers remorse.

Yeah that's all I care about. Sometimes when this data is all you see or hear about then I start to think that's all they are looking at. And sometimes when you see decisions that have been made then you start to wonder if it is all they are looking at. So if they are looking at the whole player every time then that is perfect. Hopefully they do that. Also yes, if someone played college baseball they are very knowledgeable about the game. I respect anyone who has played at the college level.

Oh for sure the info is very useful, but someone like Arraez can barrel the ball up and hit line drives and not necessarily have a high exit velo. Sometimes I think that there might be more Arraez type players out there, but because some people, who never played the game, look at these types of numbers and simply just pass up guys like Arraez. So because many guys like Arraez never get a chance MLB might be missing out on the next potential .400 hitter? Plus, it appears that with Buxton at least, players can significantly improve on these numbers. If that's the case, a guy like Arraez, not saying that he actually will, but a guy like him could eventually change his profile. A guy like Arraez could end up, later in his career, hitting 20 home runs because he has the ability to barrel up the ball very well but not hit it super hard. Maybe 3 - 4 years from now he will still be a .300 hitter with 20 bombs. I just feel that sometimes these numbers get in the way, because some dude like Oswaldo Arcia hits the ball with a ton of exit velo and he gets a bunch of chances while a guy that profiles like an Arraez type continues to get passed up. I hope that's not the case, but I feel as baseball has more and more people running the day to day operations that never really played I can see them looking at something like this and using it as their only qualifier of who is a good hitter. Just my take, the info is very informative and interesting.

ARod and Tom Brady were judging their new girlfriends and dozens of other very good looking women in a spur of the moment bikini contest. I have all of the photos, but in order for you to see them you must pay the caretaker fee. ?????? I couldn't resist. I'm just joking, I don't mind the caretaker fee. But when I see something I can make fun of, I just can't stop myself.

But isn't it a lot easier for a pitcher to miss bats if the hitters are all swinging out of their shoes? I'm pretty sure Tony Gwynn would be just fine and hitting all of these pitchers that are throwing upper 90's. I mean if Luis Arraez can do it, pretty sure Gwynn would also. Could you imagine if Luis Arraez had to face Maddux who could throw the ball 4 - 5 inches off the outside of the plate and still get a strike called? I mean at least now, that they post the strike zone most umps at least call the inside and outside pretty close to the zone. I think there is a lot more at play here than just hitting analytics. They are nice to study, and if two players being equal I'd take the one who hits harder. There are a lot of pitchers who throw slower than Pagan, but they perform better than Pagan. I'd rather have the guy that performs better. Now if the other pitcher performed close to or the same as Pagan then I'd take the guy who throws harder. I think the same should apply with hitting. By the way, I don't have the data. But I wonder what Buxton's exit velo was in his first 300 AB's and where it's at now? Just curious.

No, I didn't say that you said that. I was just throwing out there what the Yankees would probably offer. Especially after watching them bench him in the playoffs. No I didn't say that you said that at all. I've been frustrated with Kepler, but I just don't want them to give him away. That's all I was saying.

I sure hope they don't trade him for Isaiah Kiner Falafa. To me that would regulate Farmer to the bench and I think would make the Twins worse overall. But I'm not sure that all of these teams are really in on Kepler or if they are just kicking tires to see what looks good. I mean there are a lot of OF'ers laying around such as Conforto that they could get without trading anything away. That's the main reason I don't want them to trade Kepler just to trade him because these teams know there are other guys available and they have the power to really low-ball the Twins. So to me this front office probably needs to consider keeping him until at least they know if we are competitive or not, say June/July. If they aren't in the running then trade Kepler and probably about 3 or 4 other guys. Because then you'll know which teams have injuries that they are trying to fill etc..... It just seems like this front office does things to appease the fan base. I mean when they can't accomplish the big thing to appease the fans, like Wheeler, then they go out and get Donaldson. When they can't resign Correa they go and pull in Gallo. I also think that everyone wants to move on from Kepler, which I get he hasn't lived up to what he was billed as. Especially after his big 2019 season. But Kirillof and Larnach just haven't proven themselves at this point in time. And believe me, I would love for one or both of those guys to break out and hit 25 bombs and have a .800 ops but I was hoping for that with Restovich and Buchanan too. It never materialized, at least we know that with an OF of Buxton, Gallo, and Kepler the Twins will have the best fielding outfield in the AL. If Gallo and Kepler rebound just a little then they would have a chance to do something. But we will see what happens. There seems to be a lot of relief pitchers sitting around out there still also.

Yeah you could be right. But I put Garlick on the roster because they seemed to use him a lot vs left-handed pitchers?? So I kind of looked at that ability to pinch hit late in a game against a lefty reliever or to start vs some left-handed starter.

Yeah it's weird. I mean like it or not the starting pitching doesn't look bad, especially when you consider they are competing in the AL Central. But the hitting lineup looks way below average. They have some potential up and comers like Royce, Julien, maybe Walner, Kirillof, Larnach, Lee, Martin, etc.... But by the time they know weather they can depend on this new group of hitters almost all of the pitchers will be gone??? Just doesn't seem like they have been able to time things very well.

With no more moves this is my opening day roster. C: Christian Vazquez ($10.00M) 1B: Luis Arraez ($4.50M) 2B: Jorge Polanco ($7.50M) 3B: Jose Miranda ($0.70M) SS: Kyle Farmer ($3.16M) LF: Joey Gallo ($11.00M) CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M) RF: Max Kepler ($8.50M) DH: Alex Kirillof ($0.70M) 4th OF: Kyle Garlick ($0.70M) Utility: Nick Gordon ($0.70M) Utility: Trevor Larnach ($0.70M) Backup C: Ryan Jeffers ($0.70M) SP1: Sonny Gray ($12.00M) SP2: Tyler Mahle ($8.00M) SP3: Kenta Maeda ($9.00M) SP4: Joe Ryan ($0.70M) SP5: Bailey Ober ($0.70M) RP: Jhoan Duran ($0.70M) RP: Jorge Lopez ($3.00M) RP: Griffin Jax ($0.70M) RP: Jorge Alcala ($1.00M) RP: Caleb Thielbar ($2.00M) RP: Jovani Moran ($0.70M) RP: Emili Pagan ($3.00M) RP: Cole Sands ($0.70M) Payroll is 24.24% under budget

I totally agree that the young guys have not done a very good job of proving themselves. But if everyone is off of the Kepler bandwagon then that means one or more of those unproven players have to replace him. Now Kepler also had a really bad season last year. One of his worst, but going by WAR Kep has produced more war over the same career length. He also has 304 extra base hits as compared to Joey's 275. Kepler is being paid like 8 million and Gallo 11?? So I'm assuming that everyone is assuming that Gallo is here to replace Kepler, but to me it looks like Kepler is better, not considerably better but better than Gallo at a lower price? So if the twins go with an OF of Kepler, Gallo, and Buck with Nick Gordon and Larnach as depth then the Gallo signing looks ok, a little more power and better fielding overall. But if the Twins cut bait with the less expensive Kepler then it doesn't make sense to me. Plus all of the left handedness is pretty crazy too. On another subject, I think had the Twins brought back Correa and then signed Rodon and then brought in Gallo I don't think anyone would be that crazy about all of this. But since this is like the biggest signing so far I think it blows this out of proportion a little bit.

War huh yeah! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again y'all I couldn't resist. Sorry. ?

Well the Dodgers wanted JD more than they wanted Gallo? That should probably tell us something right there, I mean Gallo was with the Dodgers. I guess the Twins front office is just that much smarter than the Dodgers front office. But I mean what makes anyone think that Gallo is going to be a good hitter? He hit .160 with a total of 29 extra base hits last year. JD hit .274 with 60 extra base hits last year. JD had a .790 OPS and Gallo had like a 630 OPS. I mean even if JD regresses slightly each year it's still going to take awhile before he is as bad as Gallo. Plus he is right handed which is what the Twins need at this point in time. I mean could we imagine if Gallo regresses even more? I mean dang, I am a Twins fan through and through and I hope and pray Gallo can hit his weight and 30 bombs, but I just don't see it. I know JD is going to slowly regress from here on out, but dang if Gallo doesn't remind me of a left handed hitting Sano right now. Should have just kept Sano. Not to mention Gallo was hitting for the Yankees and the Dodgers last year. Loaded lineups where he wouldn't have been the focus of the pitching staffs. Should have seen plenty of fastballs with The likes of Judge or Betts hitting around you. Gallo scares me.

Hey Eric Hosmer is available??

At least with Kepler and the ban on the shift he has a chance to do better. Gallo strikes out 200 times per year. I mean with over 600 plate appearances in 2021 Gallo didn't even break 100 hits. The shift doesnt field strikeouts.

I think with the injury history that the Twins have had the last few years that they should stay away from making a big splash and start trying to pick up competent players for depth. Pick up a good 4th Ofer instead of running Cave out there. Pick up a good middle infielder that can rotate around the diamond and find 2 or 3 competitive relief pitching arms. If they just go after depth they won't spend a bunch and when guys get hurt they won't be struggling to find someone to run out there every day for a few weeks while someone is recovering. My observation at this point is dont make a big splash just to make a big splash. I mean if Rodon was still available I would have gone after him, but since he isn't then get some depth and go with what we have projected as with our young guys.

I mean it would have been cool to have Correa back, but I'm kind of glad that the Twins don't have him for the next 13 years. Im really hoping that Royce Lewis comes through once he is healthy. Get a placeholder, until Lewis is ready. He seemed to do well last year until he got hurt. Now spend some money on a pitcher or two.

Twins need to find out how much the Astros and Dodgers pay their guys who are in charge of player development and then offer those guys triple what they are getting paid. Then the twins won't have to trade of buy a pitcher from the free agency route. Rather they'd develop some pitchers.

I would target whoever Houston has in player development.