jimbo92107

Excellent article. I'm a fan of El Cherubo, but realistically, it's sweet Luis Arraez that is going to be an enduring star. Arraez has an approach to hitting that is light years more sophisticated than Astudillo's, which consists pretty much of just going up there hacking. Meanwhile you can see Arraez checking out the positioning of the infielders, obviously with the intent of hitting the ball in gaps between them. I will go way out on a virtual limb to say that of the two approaches, the higher career average will result from Arraez's approach. I will also predict that Arraez will be far more consistent at the plate, where Turts will have some extreme up's and down's as he simply barrels the ball up where it's pitched, often right into shifts when a pitcher hits his spots. In the field the differences today are less stark, but I suspect Arraez's more typical athletic proportions will grant him a more enduring career. Plus, Arraez's determination to improve himself reminds me a lot of Jorge Polanco's attitude. Once the Twins decide to stick Arraez at 2B, he will work like a dog to get perfect form. He and Polanco will become a great combo on double plays.

Lordy, just don't let Jordan Balazovic get away! Stud horse in the making!

The early success of this team started with great hitting. They'd get ahead by two, three, five runs, then the pitchers would all get into attack mode, buzzing the zone with strikes. Fact is, that's always the right mode for a pitcher, but the hitting has kinda fizzled out lately. Part is just bad luck, like all those line drives hit right at people. If Twins hitters can continue to trust the process and just barrel up as many balls as possible, they can bash their way back into high gear. Don't regress into stupid pull hitters. Pound the ball wherever it's pitched. Be willing to take a walk. Be willing to take a called third strike. It's part of the process of getting your pitch.

It's a trap! They're luring us in to get at our uncanny insight into baseball! Don't tell them I'm a ninja! Sensei will not forgive!!

Bring up both Thorpe and Smeltzer for the second half push. Put both of them in the bullpen, with the option of using either for long-inning relief or as a spot starter. Smeltzer definitely looks like he can handle the pressure - he just goes out there and competes. Thorpe's first start looked just fine, and I have no trouble thinking he can get outs from the pen, too. Two good lefties, just waiting for a chance. After that, you've still got Poppen, Stewart, and Romero. Live arms, every one. Oh, and don't let's forget Cody Stashak. Effective relief pitcher, seeks team with need for same. Don't sell the farm. Use the farm!

On defense, everybody helps get outs. On offense, everybody helps get runs. Traditional roles don't seem to matter much on the 2019 Twins. Every batter tries to make the pitcher throw strikes, then barrel up the ball and drive it somewhere. Every fielder shifts all over the place. Every pitcher finds a way to get outs. It's the team concept, carried to the nth degree. Hey wait a minute. Is that socialism?

After watching the highlights of this game, an odd thought popped into my head: The Twins are going to win the World Series. Hey now, stop right there, fellah! You can't smoke that in here, take it outside in the parking lot! I'll admit I've developed a taste for a bit of wacky weed now and then, but I'm sober right this moment. That thought isn't the product of cannabinoid compounds. It's a gut feeling from watching this team become kind of a bully. That was the feeling I got from watching the Twins come back and hold the lead. They applied enough pressure from enough directions to make a win happen. Against Cleveland, a team that has been a bit of a bully in this division for the last few years. The Twins are going to win the World Series. Oops, I did it again. Did I say that out loud? Let's just pretend I'm the crazy uncle. I'm okay with that. I am in fact an uncle, and yeah, I'm pretty out there.

I seem to recall that some pitcher threw a ball at Tony Oliva's head once. Tony dusted himself off, and on the next pitch his bat totally accidentally sailed right at the pitcher's knees. Daddy told me the pitcher climbed an invisible ladder to get out of the way. Whoopsie Daisy! These are all just terribly unfortunate accidents!

One of the main reasons I am optimistic about the future of this team is that its young core players appear to be determined to keep improving every aspect of their game. In fact, I can't point at anybody and say, "That guy's just coasting on his ability." Jorge Polanco may be the most striking example of a Twins player improving himself, but an article of this sort could be written on almost any of the Twins players. All of them appear eager to get better, and many of them are succeeding.

Too Bad, Missed Your Chance. All the cool kids are saying it!

TB:MYC

I'd split the award for Rookie between pitchers and position players. That way, Harper gets one, too. No doubt about Arraez, baby. This kid has star written all over him. The batting stance looks like a blend of Rose and Gwynn. Flips his wrists like Carew. Reacts to every pitch like he's his own umpire, passing judgment on each one. And OhMiGod, when he decided to really crank one... He pounded it onto the pavilion in right field. That's Jim Thome territory! Yo, Twins FO - keep this kid happy.

You are right, of course. Local brews shall take precedence. Notice that the Big Boys are trying to imitate the look of local brews. They fooled me, the blighters!

I shall scour my closets and drawers for further objects of metaphorical usage. Why just yesterday I found a thimble. I suppose it could drive home a point or two... Hat tip to the writers of The Tick, of course. The rolled up newspaper of justice makes a satisfying whack on the rear end of misbehavior. The toughest ones are still the Yogi-isms.

56 wins, 33 losses going into the All Star break. Who predicted that? Not me, that's for sure. We had all become so accustomed to a losing team that even when we saw this stacked lineup in April, we assumed that all kinds of things would go wrong: Schoop would not hit, play mediocre 2B. Pineda would be terrible, probably blow out his elbow again. Gonzo would look mediocre, nowhere near as good as Escobar. Cruz would be a total has-been, spend most of his time on the IL. Adrianza would field okay, but not hit his weight. Buxton would struggle, stub a toe, miss half the season, then whiff at every outside curve. Castro would struggle with the repaired knee, miss half the season on the IL, not hit a lick. Garver would let every other pitch get by him, but hit pretty good. Polanco would regress. Sano would arrive in training camp 60 pounds overweight, then get hurt (almost true). Cron would be a flash in the pan and an average first baseman. Willians Astudillo would look like us, and play like us. Chubby people can't play...right?? Kepler would whiff and whiff, and look at best average in RF. Rosario would be the only star, a single s'more on a dumpster fire. Berrios would look average. Gibson would pitch a couple good games, then implode. Jake Cave would wind up playing CF most of the year, look pleasantly average. Odorizzi would have another mediocre year. ERA about 4.5 Luis Arraez? Yeah, right. And I will stumble over a ten-pound emerald. Martin Perez? Soft-tossing lefty with nothing special except control issues. Devin Smeltzer? Never heard of him. Another slow-tossing lefty? Mercy! Ryan Harper? Boom, boom, boom to his feeble curves and sub-90 heat. That was my prediction. Tyler Duffey would get DFA'd. Head case with no effective pitches. Blake Parker? More tics than Nathan, half the talent. Walk walk, boom boom boom. Trevor May would have more walks and home runs than strike outs. Magill and Morin? Did the FO give up on the season before the season? People said that. Not sure I should mention Mejia, who has lived up to all our pessimism so far. Taylor Rogers looked good last year, thus he would look bad this year. Zach Littell would never make it, can't throw over 90. Hildenberger would be the only reliable arm in the pen, but it wouldn't matter. Kohl Stewart would look like a complete flop. Lewis Thorpe would throw hard, but look like a nervous rookie. Baldelli would be a nice guy tending a daycare full of spoiled and angry children. Instead, we were slapped in the face with the wet mop of success, knocked off our feet, landing on the throne of first place in the American League. Somebody shoved a crown on our heads, and we were like, "Wait, what??" This is not to say the Twins have not suffered any problems this season. However, at some point, nearly every man on that list has played like an All Star. To the core of my being, shocked I was. Talked like Yoda I did. Now, as together we stand at the grim precipice of success, looking out over the terrifying prospect of a winning season, we must gather all our pessimism and hurl negation upon this vile aberration! No way, bruh! This ain't happenin'! We're the Minnesota Twinkies, man! We gotta real pretty ballpark, but that's where I draw the line! I like the Philly cheese steak, and the Goose Island is great, but I will not stand here and suffer through the false hope of a good looking baseball team! Who's with me? We're all moving to Detroit, to cheer for Gardy and the Tigers! Yaaaaaaaa....

I'd just like to see a "proof of life" photo of Trevor Hildenberger. Is he still alive? Are his captors treating him well? Is there a GoFundMe campaign to pay his ransom?

Sure, it's just low-A ball, yet what Andrew Cabezas did was still remarkable, and now it is stashed in his head as something he can do - pitch a complete game shutout. Not many pitchers have that memory, especially after they start pitching to guys that get paid to hit. I'll be interested to see how Cabezas fares in his next start, after guys know a little more about what he throws. If he still keeps a lid on hitters...

Terrible luck for Wade, I hope he heals up quickly. I was a little surprised to see how the Rangers jumped all over Duffey. He does need to improve his fastball command, so hitters can't sit on one pitch. Also, it seemed like his curve ball has become average, which ain't good enough to get the whiffs it used to get. I remember guys missing Duffey's curves by a foot. Now, they're fouling them off. Bring back the big bender, Duffey!

Dividing up Transactions by team is a good idea. Looks like some people were surprised by Kohl Stewart's recall. Not so much here. To me, Stewart looks a little better each time I see him. Much like our solar system 4 billion years ago, gradually Stewart is accreting experience and wisdom. Eventually, he may catch fire and become a new star. Let's hope he gets it done a little quicker...

Ba-la-ZOE-vich. I can remember that. We should all remember that, 'cause he's gonna be in a Twins uniform for a long time. Hope he's learning a change up.

Just looked at Nelson Cruz hitting two homers yesterday. You know whose swing looks kinda like that? Mitch Garver's. I know people are always comparing Cruz to Sano, but Sano's swing is a lot bigger and more swoopy. Cruz is more short to the ball, which is Garv Sauce's whole emphasis. Wouldn't surprise me a bit to see Garver add more power as he watches Cruz do his stuff in batting practice. In fact, it looks kinda like the whole batting order is getting tips from Cruz. It would explain a lot.

Glad to see the team get back to its homer bashing ways. Sano finally is finding the top of the ball instead of swinging under it. Next, let's see Buxton hit some line drives.

Graterol, Larnach, Thorpe and Gordon. Two good pitchers and two good position players. And this chair. And this lamp. But I'm keeping the table.

Sounds like the White Sox have team speed and one good starting pitcher. I'm okay with that. Carry on, Super Twinkies!

Time to start the batting order with Arraez and Polanco. Set the table for Cron, Cruz and Rosie.