LeatherAntenna

Bring up the whole triple A team. Triple A could score 3 runs in 23 innings.

Bring up the whole triple A team. Triple A could score 3 runs in 23 innings.

Real disappointment this season. After last season, I was expecting to look forward to several or more years of Rosario, Buxton and Kep playing together and getting more potent year over year in the outfield. Looks like that doesn’t happen. I see one or more of them gone soon.

He grew up in life and now he is enjoying the spoils of life? (And apparently no obvious discipline) OK, others are always not wired that way but assuming that is something that you give him then it is also acceptable for fans to criticize him. Those sadly, are our spoils.

Isn’t his batting against left handed pitching still much improved this year and makes his 2018 year more perplexing? 

Agreed he should have hit Betts except he didn’t know he would face Betts with no runners on when the inning started. Now if you are saying he should have plunked Betts after Leon, that would have been interesting and also may have started a bench clearing brawl. Maybe that should have happened.

The guy in the Robert Redford movie “The Natural.”

The guy in the Robert Redford movie “The Natural.”

The guy in the Robert Redford movie “The Natural.”

For Dozier questioners, he is ahead of his HR and RBI production numbers at this same point in time compared to either of his last two years. It may mean nothing if he stays flat for a while-I understand a person wondering about him.

Do we need some new sabermetric guys?

Do we need some new sabermetric guys?

Do we need some new sabermetric guys?

. It is possible that we have an emerging star in Kepler, he seems to have a better bat this year. And do we need emerging stars.

. It is possible that we have an emerging star in Kepler, he seems to have a better bat this year. And do we need emerging stars.

. It is possible that we have an emerging star in Kepler, he seems to have a better bat this year. And do we need emerging stars.

ironically, when he has two strikes Mauer does swing at a lot of bad pitches

Doesn’t this make the Twins a 90+ win team this year, especially with the condition of the division this year?

Doesn’t this make the Twins a 90+ win team this year, especially with the condition of the division this year?

. Agreed, he may or may not soon start to decline. Given the nature of that which he has achieved, perhaps as a perennial underdog, I expect him to surprise us with great play for a long time yet wherever he plays and finishes his career. He is a joy to watch.

All the names dropped (other than Dozier)from the top of this article through the comment above mine won't end up combining for Twins career WAR equal to Dozier's.

Well written and fair--and sad.  Look what it takes to draft and develop a player like Dozier.  Look at all his contributions and pay him fairly.  Anyone else they can get to man 2B the next few years will fall short of his production.  Also, to those expecting a quick decline to his production because he is 31, he is likely to again prove the doubters wrong.

I generally like your story except for two phrases. Offensive ‘juggernaut’? No that’s Walt Disney imagination. An impressive single hitting machine, clutch hitter, great reader of pitches, yes. Juggernaut- not so much. ‘Living Legend’? No, again a long reach. He will be remembered for a long time, Minnesota boy and all. But he has done almost nothing in playoff ball and that just makes his story a great Saturday afternoon matinee.

I generally like your story except for two phrases. Offensive ‘juggernaut’? No that’s Walt Disney imagination. An impressive single hitting machine, clutch hitter, great reader of pitches, yes. Juggernaut- not so much. ‘Living Legend’? No, again a long reach. He will be remembered for a long time, Minnesota boy and all. But he has done almost nothing in playoff ball and that just makes his story a great Saturday afternoon matinee.

Joe was a great Twin as a catcher, was very ordinary when concussions forced him to 1B, and last year was good to very good. Average and defense were excellent but run production for a 1B is not close to what is required. 
 
He averaged 62 RBI's the past 3 years to rank 28th in baseball among those with 1B eligibility. As a comparison let's use Danny Valencia, yes THAT Danny Valencia. Stats over the past three years:
 
Mauer: .278 BA, 9 HRs, 62 RBI's, 69 R's.
Valencia: .277 BA 17 HRs, 61 RBI's, 62 R's.
 
Would anyone think about giving Valencia $10 million+ per year? Gotta like and respect Joe Mauer. How could you not? But I hope Joe decides to hang up the cleats and sell cars or just enjoy his twins after this season. If he has a great season, he goes out on top and hopefully makes the HOF. But either way his $23 million will go a long way to getting us a top-notch starting pitcher.
 
Way too much talk about getting Darvish this offseason, only to wind up with Anibal Sanchez. No excuses about not enough money beginning next season.