iTwins

I get your point Mike - but for the sake of argument, here's a counterpoint. What exactly does another manager do with this current roster to earn more wins? Are these losing seasons a symptom of Gardy being unable to competently manage a big league team? Terry Ryan has done a great job building depth within the minor league system to the point where all of the Twins minor league affiliates just made the playoffs or nearly made the playoffs. He's returned depth to a system that was nearly drained of talent - in the long run, the team will be better for it. Now, it may not have been the method we'd LIKE to see the Twins rebuild, but it's hard to argue he's done a bad job rebuilding. He's just handled it in a different way. I have a hard time trying to penalize him just because he's more patient than I am.

It was the term provided by the original question, so it's the one I used. It's not a massive jump, but it does illustrate the team's overreliance on the bullpen this year. Fien isn't bad, Perkins isn't bad - they've both just been worked a lot more than they should have to this point in the season. Fien's likely battling a "down" phase (happens to everyone) same with Perkins, apparently (hopefully).

I think he begins 2015 as the Twins starting CF before moving to a 4th OF role after Buxton is promoted late in the season. He's shown improvements this season and I think (read: hope) he's finally starting to figure it out. I think he'll be the best option in CF for the Twins to start the season (plus Hicks in CF means Danny can go back to SS). There's talent there. We've seen flashes of it on and off through two seasons. Hopefully, the Twins have the patience to see the rewards of working with him through these rough patches.

I've said this a few times around here, but I'll repeat my stance again just for fun. Rick Anderson HAS to go. When a team finishes at or near the bottom in team ERA for four straight years, changes have to be made. It's not his fault the 2011 and 2012 staffs were attrocious - there's only so much a coach can do with Cole De Vries and PJ Walters. Their potential is limited from the word "go". That being said, when Vance Worley leaves gets a "mechanical tweak" and is suddenly the pitcher the Twins THOUGHT they were getting, it's hard to stomach. This season, he was given an average rotation and still, the results were not there. Is it all Anderson's fault? No. But someone has to fall on the sword after repeated failures and with the glaring issues on this team being pitching related - it has to be him. I'm not convinced that Gardy's the problem either and I'm less inclined to throw him out the door when he's been forced to field a roster where one of the requirements seems to be "a shortstop needs to play in the OF". However, I can see the value in making an organizational change if only to change the message being delivered everyday. A shake up can provide value in terms of shock value too - it's not all business as usual, losing has consequences (etc, etc). In the end, I'm OK with Gardy staying IF (only if) Rick Anderson is let go. If the two are a package deal - then both need to go. Something has to change in the dugout. Terry Ryan can stay for a few more years (realistically, I think that's all he'll stay before retiring again) to complete the rebuild. Despite some questionable decisions (questionable according to us fans) he's made the Twins better across all levels. His work over the past few years should (key word: should) yield benefits for years to come.

Right, this isn't a case like Scott Diamond where the Twins clearly caught lightning in a bottle and got a good season from an underwise underwhelming pitcher. Hughes was a top prospect and has been a solid performer. For some reason, the New York stage got to him (the ballpark probably didn't help either) and he underperformed. I think we're seeing the 'real' Phil Hughes this season. Going into 2015, he's the ONLY piece of the rotation I feel 100% confident about. (Gibson is close, but I'm all in on Hughes being who he's showing us this year).

Overuse - Casey Fien, for example, has pitched in 59.0 innings this season. He pitched 62.0 in 2013. Unless he gets injured or the Twins start winning games 10-0, he's going to easily work past that mark. Perkins has pitched 59.1 when he pitched 62.2 in 2013. Bad - Jared Burton is on pace to pitch around 66 innings again. That's not good because...well...Burton isn't good. Brian Duensing is also on a similar pace as last season, but his numbers this year are not as sharp as they were in 2013. Matt Guerrier threw 28.0 innings for the Twins this year (28!) as well. In short, both.

Max and the Miracle (free band name to anyone interested) finished off their season by winning the FSL Championship last night. Max didn't have the greatest championship series, finishing 2-16 without driving in a run. The prior series against Bradenton was much better, as Max finished 4 for 7 in two games. After a slow start to the season, Max really caught fire in the last two months. For the season, he finished with a slash line of .264/.333/.393 with 5 home runs, 59 RBI and 62 strike outs. His power numbers did drop off a bit, but with the injuries Max battled on and off all season, the overall numbers aren't too alarming. Even better - Max decreased his K% in 2014 while his BB% remained relatively unchanged. It will be interesting to see what the Twins decide to do with Max entering the next season. He will play in the Arizona Fall League - which should help him make up for lost at bats from earlier this year. A strong performance in the AFL could dictate a promotion to AA. However, the Twins could certainly be justified in wanting to see Max play strong for a majority of a season, thereby leaving him in Fort Myers. Either way, Max finished the year strong and should still be considering amongst the upper echelon of Twins prospects.

Agreed on both counts. If a player is destorying lower level pitching, it's easy to fall into "if it ain't broke" line of thinking. Either that means coaches don't notice the issue(s) because the results are still good or (more likely) the players don't really see a need to change UNTIL they find their old tricks don't work. The age of Vargas and Arcia (and their rapid climb to the bigs in their final minor league years) could have a lot to do with it as well. Either they haven't had a lot of time to spend with the lower level coaches or they have just been thrust onto a big stage and reverted towards their old habits. Either way, I'm not at all concerned about Arcia. He's young and he has talent. With time and practice, he'll improve.

Not terribly surprising as Tony La Russa likely wanted his own guy at GM - have to believe Gibson isn't far behind. The surprising part is how long it took to make the move - the writing appeared to be on the wall for a while. Towers caught some bad breaks - but he put himself in some tough spots as well. Curious free agent signings and some poorly executed trades just drained the team. It could be a rough few years in AZ as they rebuild.

How I think the Twins will approach the rotation: Phil Hughes Ricky Nolasco Kyle Gibson Trevor May Mike Pelfrey Logan Darnell (Long relief) Kris Johnson / Sean Gilmartin / Tommy Milone (AAA) How I'd LIKE the Twins to approach the rotation: Lester Hughes Nolasco Gibson May Pelfrey (Long relief) I'm hoping the team realizes that the core they have is a solid middle group. They have a #2 (Hughes) a #3 (Gibson) and a #4 (Nolasco). May has the potential to be a #3 to #4 guy, but right now is likely a #5 guy. The team NEEDS an ace, and they shouldn't bank on Alex Meyer being the ace. Hopefully Meyer develops into a strong #2 or even an Ace - but until that becomes a certainty - the Twins should act like they don't have a true #1 starter. Enter Lester. Yes, it will cost a LOT of money to get him...but the move needs to be made.

That's what I was going to add - this group has been a championship team or very close to a championship team each year that they've been together. New Britian should be tons of fun to watch next year. They're used to success and winning, it's great to see. (It's too bad they're not closer to the big leagues yet!)

I actually get where Dave St. Peter is coming from and fully understand and agree with their need to track how their perception has changed amongst fans over the last four years (all from the link JB posted). However, to sit there and say "It's not tone deaf" is...well...tone deaf. While I'm sure this is one variant of a question that could be asked in many different ways, you HAVE to understand that a question phrased that way at this time is completely dense. Marketing research works in multiple ways, and while a truly negative response (let's use Olbermann's "yugo" example) isn't going to get you accurate data, a survey full of good options won't help much either. In the end it just feels like the team doesn't really understand what their fans are feeling, despite the fact the FO is assuring us otherwise. Do I think the Twins need to respond to Olbermann? Nah, that's what he wants. What I want them to do is LEARN from this and not repeat their mistakes.

My .02: Off the 40 Man Jared Burton Aaron Thompson Kris Johnson Yohan Pino Doug Bernier Chris Collabello Pedro Florimon Added to the 40 Man: Miguel Sano Eddie Rosario Alex Meyer Sean Gilmartin (There are others that have to be added, if I remember correctly, but I'm drawing a blank as to who they are at the moment). I treat 1B, 2B, SS (Santana), 3B (Plouffe, then Sano), RF (Arcia) and C (Suzuki, Pinto) as "set" and seek upgrades in LF (Tomas is target #1 for me) and a short term solution in CF (Rasmus / Hicks timeshare). Pitching? Well, that's a whole other realm. Gibson, Hughes, Nolasco and May are set but the fith spot needs help (and May's spot isn't set in stone either). I look at Lester or Scherzer - but I doubt much will develop there for the Twins. The bullpen can be filled internally, but I'd be shopping the market for another starter this offseason.

Right on cue: Per Mike Berardino "Tommy Milone is dealing with mild shoulder fatigue." It's possible he could skip a start as the season winds down.

I reject your reality and substitue my own. As previously mentioned, I think Pinto (catching), Arcia (RF), Sano (3B) and Vargas (DH) can all exist on the same roster. If Pinto's defense never develops and he cannot catch - he's the one I trade. But I won't like doing it.

That is an interesting point. When FS1 or FOX televises Twins games I usually cringe at having unfamiliar broadcasters call a game - but that may be more a reflection on having NFL or college guys call a baseball game rather than having someone that I'm not "used to". (I still cringe thinking about a 2013 Twins / White Sox game on FOX where the announcer - a college football guy - called a play by saying "Mauer's throw to first is incomplete!") Having a rotating cast of announcers, like CBS and FOX do for the NFL could create a more honest and insightful booth. It's jarring to hear Bert rip into the Twins, but even his "attacks" are tame for some of the transgressions. An unbiased broadcaster could provide critical reviews or genuine praise and that COULD certainly help the "at home" quality of the game. On the other hand, a rotating crew could recycle the same storylines again and again (like what happens in the NFL) and be generally unfamiliar with the product overall or the team on the field. You'd have to develop a crew that JUST calls baseball (or, calls mostly baseball). If that's possible, it would certainly be interesting to implement.

Thanks for the update! (Nice job snagging a Kepler foul ball too!)

I normally like to preach patience and giving guys a chance to prove that their struggles are the norm, rather than an anomaly...but I can't do it with Milone. I haven't seen anything that gives me hope or makes me think he has the makeup of a 5th starter. May? He's shown flashes of being good. He was mowing down O's batters in his last start. His control has improved. He gives me hope. Nolasco? His career shows that while he won't be an ace, he shouldn't be a total trainwreck like he has been this year. Milone? I've got nothing. Road / home splits show that the Oakland expanse they call a ballpark was helping those numbers - not much in the way of movement, no really speed. If he isn't hitting his spots or if he's pitching to a tight zone (like last night) he's just terrible.

She doesn't care much about other sports. She'll watch football or college basketball, but she hasn't made an effort to learn the rules or penalties like she has in baseball. That's a good point - across all sports, the rules (and inconsistent application) are likely a deterent to new fans, I've just noticed this with baseball because my wife has made the effort to learn the game.

I was set to post my take on the issue and argue some of the finer points mead within the thread - but I stopped when an idea hit me. It's hard (or darn near impossible) for baseball fans to objectively define what's wrong with their sport simply because they, (by the very definition of being a fan) enjoy the game already. Are their elements that I'd like to tweak? You bet, but maybe the issues the game has are from things that we, as fans of the game, take for granted. So, I looked at things from my wife's perspective. She's relatively new to baseball (a fan for 3 years) and while she watches most games with me - she's not really "watching" a majority of the action. Here's what I got from her: 1. Interleague play: the rules change based on the park, the match-ups are weird and typically not a draw (Miami vs. Minnesota! ... uh... Twins vs. D-Backs? ... hmm). It dillutes natural AL / NL rivalries (MIN / MIL) to the point where it all feels like a waste of time. 2. Slow pitchers: My wife's attention wanes when Pelfrey or Tommy Milone are on the mound. There is simply too much time taken between pitches. I don't know if a play clock is the answer - umpires should really just enforce the rules already in place. 3. Inconsistent rules / strike zones: In trying to teach my wife the workings of baseball, this was the area that gave me the most trouble and frustrated her as a casual fan the most. Some umpires are blatantly incosistent or just flat out bad and yet they are not held accountable for their poor jobs. I don't know if the fix is "robot" umps calling balls and strikes or if MLB needs to add a reward / penalty system for umpries calling the zone behind the plate, but clearly for new or casual fans - this is a frustration. Things I would have added regarding competitive balance and international free agent / draft rules don't even hit my wife's radar. In the end, it was pretty simple. Inconsistent rules / rulings and the pace of the game were her big issues.

I'm with you on the upgrades and where the Twins should focus and try to improve. I'm not on board with platooning Arcia. Start the kid. Everyday. Let him play and grow. He's too young to give up on yet. I'd like to see CF addressed either via Aaron Hicks finally figuring it out or picking up a 1 year fill in who can hold the job until Buxton arrives. (Heck, even if Hicks figures it out, they shoudl probably pick up a stop gap guy to serve as the 4th OF). LF, I'm still holding out hope for Yasmany Tomas. The rotation must be addressed. It's clearly the weak link to this team and without changes there, the whole ship keeps taking on water. That being said, I think your premise is spot on - there's no reason to think that with a few tweaks this team can be on the verge of doing something in the near future.

I get that it's yet another injury, but I think we're making a mountain out of a mole hill on this one. Sano / Buxton / Meyer were bigger blows because all of them had a very good shot at making their big league debuts this season. The future faces of the franchise all having rough injury years can certainly get old (I'm with everybody on that front) and I agree, in aggregate, it could seem overwhelming / frustrating. This injury didn't cost Gordon a season like Buxton's did and it shouldn't set him back on his development, be a reocccuring problem or otherwise delay his path to the big leagues (which is still several years away). I'm just saying those throwing up their arms and declaring "Oh another injury disaster!" might be overreacting a bit. That's all.

Wow, yeah another injury is a bad thing but I surprised by the doom and gloom tone here. It's a finger injury. It's not major and it came at the end of the season, rather than the beginning. Bummer for Nick but that's all this really is - a bit of bum luck.

Yup. I had that happen to me this morning on my iPad. Page loads, then - boom - forced redirect to the app store page for the advertisement. I DESPISE those ads. There's a special place in you know where for whoever decided these were a brilliant idea.

To be fair, had Liam consistenly had a strikezone like last night's while he was with the Twins, he would still be with the team. He's a good control pitcher, and when he gets a zone THAT wide, well...we all saw what happens. His struggles with the Twins came from walks (I.E. NOT getting those out of the zone pitches) compiling with hits to make a big inning.