jimbo92107

Improvements in Byron Buxton's game are going to be gradual and incremental. As an athlete he is supremely gifted physically, but he does not have the baseball.exe program running in his head. He will continue to refine subtle aspects of the game, from just the right weight shift and plan at the plate, to timing a pitcher's move to home before he steals. Fortunately, he appears to be a very hard worker, but it will be a process that will take several years. At the end of that process, Buxton will be a very dominant ballplayer.

...but he does need to take his walks.

Haven't seen Miguel really rip a baseball in a game lately.

"Rosario had a three-homer game this June, but tonight was the first two-homer game of his career." Dang it, he's getting worse! ;-)

This is why I love watching Eddie Rosario. Who else on this team has the stuff to pull off that gambit, starting with a rocket line drive over the RF's head? Only Rosario. Mauer might drive a double, but he wouldn't induce a balk. Neither would Kepler. Polanco can't hit the ball that hard. The only guy that's got the physical talent, the baseball savvy, plus the cajones gigantes to pull off that stunt is Eddie Rosario.

"Belisle answered the call and got the job done." The North remembers. Don't we?

I did see a camera shot of Colon chatting up Mejia late in the game. It was like he was showing him it's possible to go deep in games without killer stuff.

I think Polanco has lost a little sting in his swing. He should keep the bat head back longer, more like Rosario does. Right now Polanco's bat head is coming around too early, which means he doesn't get much outward snap, which means the barrel isn't traveling as fast as it could or staying square through the hitting zone as long as it could. A round, slap swing is never going to be as powerful or effective as an outward snap-and-carry swing, like Rosario, Morneau or Kepler.

I liked how Castro was sitting on the curve...He knew he couldn't hit Bush's fastball.

Some of Chief's stories may be apocryphal, but it's not the end of the world.

Bring up Garver! Better swingz!

Gee whizzes through his first inning. Grounds crew not impressed.

Wanted: Honest, hard-working young man. Casual dress, must be willing to be shot from a cannon.

While it's true that Mejia has stuff sometimes called "filthy," he cannot simply keep throwing the same pitch three times. Good pitchers mix it up A LOT more than that. Otherwise, they get pounced and pounded. Of course, it helps when your fielders don't drop the ball, too...

Yeah, but Smalley mostly has been critical of pitch selection, like throwing that third curve in a row after 0 - 2. Smalley commented that the count called for something different, like a fastball up and in. Maybe then go for the curve, but not three in a row.

Long inning. Rangers pitcher will be a little cold. Jump him, Giuseppi! Go for the face!

The wheels have officially fallen off the A train.

A-Bert looks good tonight, after a little rough first inning. He really does have some filthy tilt.

Smalley is right about Sano - the guy is only going to get better. He already has a great eye, knows how to work counts (when he wants to), and his swing guarantees 30 + homers per year, even without much plate discipline. The Twins are fortunate to have a few players like that. Sano, Kepler, Buxton, Rosario, Polanco, and now Zach Granite and hopefully a few more guys coming up. On the mound, Berrios and Mejia are cutting their teeth, along with Hildenburger, Busenitz, etc. All the young guys seem to be gradually getting better. Already I can say 2017 has been far from a wasted season. The core of a serious contender is emerging before our eyes.

Fifty years later, that same little baby came to own a massive ranch, and all the cattle feared him as an angry god.

At this point I do not understand why Bartolo Colon is taking starts away from potential starting pitchers for this team. It makes no sense, even if rookies from AAA and AA are not as effective as the cagey old veteran. You still need to get some rookie feet wet by pouring coffee on them. Who cares if Colon can fool hitters for three innings with an amazing drifting two-seamer, then get pounded after that? I want to see if Slegers can get a few big league hitters out. I want to see Gonsalves, Romero, Garver, etc. Bring on the kiddie parade!

Pressure is the key to winning baseball. You look for ways to apply pressure, then look for ways to apply more pressure. Sometimes individual players see a way to apply pressure, a guy like Rosario stretches a single into a double when he sees the OF lagging just a bit. Sometimes management sees a way to increase pressure by bringing in better players. Right now the Twins are in the last half of a losing season, yet their AAA and AA clubs have guys that might be able to apply more pressure, now and in the future. That is why it's so important to bring up multiple prospects and over-achievers from the minors. We need to see which of those guys is ready to apply more pressure with their bat, their legs, their arms, etc. Of course, pressure doesn't guarantee anything. Garver may whiff on his first twenty at-bats. Gonsalves may scatter baseballs like a bad shotgun. But several guys in the high minors look like they will supply more pressure per pitch, per at-bat, etc. If their form and process are good, eventually that should start affecting the results in games. Consider Berrios's latest: If one more good bat is in the lineup, maybe that guy connects. Swap the current DH for Palka, Vargas or Park. Swap the C for Garver. Eight better quality at-bats, with more power. Maybe it makes no difference this time, but over time, the extra pressure will tell. BTW, SaggingBat would make a fantastic nick for a Twins Daily commentor. I'd grab it, but I'm Jimbo.

Why would it be a surprise when the worst team in baseball over the past several seasons doesn't have blue chip veterans to trade? Brian Dozier is about the only one, other than Escobar. On a contending team, he could be an important contributor at the plate and as a team leader. In the off-season, Dozier could attract some offers, but not a front-line starter. Maybe they can get a serious catching prospect in AA.

The FO boys took a good look at this team, then they took a good look at this year's strongest teams, and after a good look, it didn't look good. They were just trying to be realistic. There wasn't enough talent available out there to sell the farm for a one-year shot, which isn't the Twins way anyhow. So instead, they're trying to sell off the players that won't be here in a few years, so they can bolster the farm system. We can expect more such moves between now and September, and during the winter. There is no way the Twins should hang on to Dozier through the winter. With a raft of middle infielders rising through the minors, he should be dealt for more prospects. Meanwhile, the remainder of this season should see several guys get their first cuppa coffee in the bigs. From that we must derive whatever humble entertainment value we can. Let us welcome the new kids. Let's see as many of them as possible, and watch them run hard, throw hard, swing hard, and make rookie mistakes.

Hildenberger and Busenitz. The latter has stuff that looks like a closer. Low fastballs and sliders to the corners.