dbminn

Taylor Rogers as RP was 95.5 mph as a reliever in his best season.

I just did a quick check... from available info, it looks like Francisco Liriano in 2010. His average FB was 94.4 mph.

Nice article, Cody. Milwaukee has also had a significant edge in baserunning. By Fangraphs, MKE baserunners have gained about 8 wins on the Twins in just the last three years. Overall, they have produced players who are more athletic. I agree that the Twins FO seem to now be following that path. Jenkins, Culpepper, DeBarge, Houston and Keaschall were all taken in early rounds. Winokur and Young were big swings at athleticism. Same holds true on the pitching side, with Hill, Soto and Quick acquired through the draft, and Bradley and Abel by trade. I like the change in direction.

I heard Falvey talk about the 3-inning strategy. He said that the other adjustment is to reduce the number of days off between appearances. I did a cursory check on John Klein and Pierson Ohl at Wichita, where they both pitched 3 innings every 4-5 days in the past month. They might even be getting more time on the mound than the usual once a week schedule.

Sports Info Solutions has two new articles about the Twins minor league defense: A short article with an extended podcast interview with Noah Miller, the minor league leader in SS defense. An extended interview with Tucker Frawley, Minnesota Twins Infield and Catching Coordinator. Some nice comments about Edouard Julien.

Brooks LeeWalter JenkinsEmmanuel RodriguezMatt WallnerMarco RayaDavid FestaAustin MartinYasser MercedesTanner SchobelConnor PrielippCharlee SotoNoah MillerKala'i RosarioJose SalasJordan BalazovicBrent HeadrickMatt CanterinoBlayne EnlowLuke KeaschallJose Rodriguez Too bad Helman couldn't stay healthy. He was really making progress and he's the type of player the Twins need to add to their roster - speed, good glove and tough at bats. He's not listed but I'd have him at 19th. I really like what I've seen from Schobel, especially his swing. Quick twitch with the potential for a little more power. I hope he can move up soon and play some SS at AA. I've seen SWR live a few times and I'm not optimistic. He looks stiffer every time I see him pitch. He's still young, so I hope he proves me wrong. Maybe I'm too optimistic about Rosario. He's improved both his K% and BB% while maintaining his power. He's slowed down in July, so I'm interested to see how quickly he adjusts. Keirsey has proven he can handle AA. I'd like to see him at AAA soon. He's proven he can play CF and he's been on fire at the plate for the past two months. At 26 years old, it's time to find out if he has an MLB future. I'd have him at 20th if he was listed.

You win the Most Concise and Biting Comment Award! Hard to argue too...

Nothing makes a manager look better than a great bullpen. Regardless of how one feels about Rocco, he didn't have the arms this season. A moribund bullpen. ?

Pretty bad is better than "near death" and "in despair". The change needed to be made. Falvey and Levine should get credit for convincing the Pohlad's to provide needed investments in the farm system and analytics. But they had six top-100 prospects on the roster, all under 25. They had a great draft class entering their first year. It's not like the rebuilds of the Astros of the past or the Tigers of the present. Like I continue to say, Falvey and Levine have done okay - great in some spots, questionable in others. I agree that 2022 is a pivotal year for their regime. I just get tired of the hyperbole.

Buxton, Rosario, Sano, Polanco and Kepler were all under 25 and on the Twins in 2016. Berrios, Pressley, Duffey and May were all on the big league team. They had won 83 games in 2015. Ryan et al had drafted Kirilloff, Baddoo, Rortvedt, Balazovic and Miranda in 2016. Yes, the draft sucked for three years. The only player to develop, Garver, is thanks to the current front office. But I just named 14 players that have had a positive impact from the Ryan years. That is not a roster moribund and in despair.

I generally agree with your comment, I have not called for Falvey or Levine's head. I disagree that the system was moribund, which was Nick's summation: "This reassembled baseball ops department has been working ahead of schedule basically since they took over a moribund franchise in despair." That's a bit much. The org was behind in the times but the system's roster was not "near death". And... they inherited a 23 year old Berrios who had pitched well at both AA and AAA but only had 14 MLB starts to his name.

The Twins weren't exactly "moribund" when Falvey and Levine arrived.

There are a lot of players the Twins could trade. Depends on the team's goals. These trade articles should always come with the author's proposed next competitive window. If the Twins are looking at 2022-3, they can trade from positional surplus, but IMO only for a quality SP with several years of control. That could include a catcher (Garver/Jeffers), a 2B/UT player (Arraez) or a corner 1B/OF (Kepler/Larnach/Sano/Rooker). They could also add a SP prospect for the right return (heaven forbid they turn out to be the next David Ortiz!). Like mikelink said, it's not trading for the sake of trading veterans. They need to be good trades that fit into a plan.

These are all good choices, although I don't think the Twins will sign any of them in the offseason. They may be better off trading prospects or select major leaguers for a young SP who has several remaining years of control.

Polanco is the only leader sure to stick around. #2 is Garver, a now experienced catcher who is able to lead a young pitching staff. He is tradeable with Jeffers ready and a need for SP. #3 is Buxton. He works as hard as anyone and he's fought through struggles. I hope the Twins pony up and pay him.