prouster

Physically, yes, he looks a lot like Byron Buxton. But he looks nothing like the wigged out kid from the last couple springs. Mainly, he can tell a ball from a strike, and he has been hitting the ball with some authority.

If anyone could take third in that situation, it’s Buxton. But if anyone’s able to score on a blooper, it’s also Buxton. I agree not to steal, because the throw from home to third is only 90 feet, and Buxton is going to score on anything that lands in the outfield grass whether he starts on second or third. I don’t think the benefit of stealing outweighs the risk in that spot. The problem was that Kepler didn’t find a way to get him over.

So you DO live in an alternate reality?

I understand that this is a retrospective on the Twins' process of deciding who to take with that particular draft pick, but I don't understand how the piece is framed. Hasn't the question of Mauer or Prior been settled for about 15 years?

Wikipedia. Nice.

No one said anything you're arguing against.

I definitely agree that bunting is a lot easier than squaring one up. My point is just that bunting probably wouldn't work as often as we like to think it would.

Just because they do it professionally doesn't mean it's not hard. I'd imagine it's pretty difficult, even for the pros, to bunt a ball traveling 95 with movement. Not that they shouldn't try, or that we shouldn't expect them to be able. Saying it isn't hard minimizes the level of play it requires to be a big leaguer.

I was scratching my head at the decision to bring in Hildenberger (then he started pitching, and, well . . .). He was shaky all spring, and that has carried into the season. In a high leverage situation, the day after an off day, there's no reason not to bring in your best reliever. Where was Addison Reed?

FYI, the Kernels link goes to a box score from last September.

You are wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Ask basically any woman who has been in public. Universally, women experience degrading behavior based explicitly on their gender and bodies. Not all of that constitutes sexual assault, but all of it is gross. That Me Too exists isn't evidence of a culture resistant to sexual assault. It is a movement that is trying to change a culture that for centuries has dominated women--i.e. the tolerance of assault and other forms of degradation. You want specific industries? Hollywood. Academia. Publishing. Television. Finance. Electronic component distribution. Major League Baseball. Yes, sexual assault is illegal and nominally "not tolerated." But the fact of the matter is that it *is* tolerated. Most assaults aren't reported, because victims are afraid of being ridiculed, harassed, attacked, etc. They're afraid of these things because people always and inevitably rush to label them a money grubber, or hysterical, or a misguided soul who has coerced into believing she has been raped, or someone who just plain has a bad memory. Just look at this exact thread. Look at the world we live in. We have a commander in chief who said some astonishing things on tape. We have numerous people in congress who have been caught abusing their subordinates. We have many, many athletes who have been found guilty by their leagues, who are still making millions of dollars as fans forget the awful things they've done. Times are changing, yes, but we are a culture that stubbornly, and I say infuriatingly, refuses to self-reflect and admit that we've turned a blind eye to this problem for far too long.

Sexual assault is not a "cultural thing." In fact, the act itself and its widespread toleration is very "American." Plenty of "Americans" do both. Harvey Weinstein. Our very own Garrison Keillor. A very prominent politician who is in the news every day. Lots of "Americans." Have you heard of Me Too, by any chance?

Having a player of Sano's caliber in the lineup certainly helps the team. But this still feels pretty gross.

But with more pitchers on the roster, each additional spot loses importance. There are a finite number of innings to be pitched, and more guys to pitch them means fewer outs per arm.

I'm trying to understand your reasoning--are you saying that Busenitz has value because he has options, but they shouldn't use those options? I disagree that they don't have flexibility. They're carrying 13 pitchers with lots of others who can be moved around.

You pointed to Busenitz's reassignment as reason to question the FO's commitment to winning. So . . .

It will be a weird season if the team's fate hinges on Alan Busenitz. The histrionics over marginal players is right on cue this year: http://twinsdaily.com/topic/25367-article-surprises-mark-twins-opening-day-roster/page-13?hl=%2Bbyung-ho+%2Bpark&do=findComment&comment=595757

Your post is a non-sequitur. Since you asked, I'm sure he would have rather pitched. His career is doing just fine nonetheless.

Like how Ervin Santana threw it away? Whatever happened to that guy, anyway?

I mostly agree. Imagine being offered a lot of money to perform your dream job in another country, only the industry has a zero tolerance policy banning the consumption of caffeine. It would be easy to understand such a ban intellectually, but a person who's culturally used to drinking coffee may not see what the big deal is if they have a cup every morning. I don't think MLB's drug policy is meant to target Dominicans, but if they face the majority of suspensions (a claim that needs to be cited), then the policy is racist inasmuch as it punishes one ethnic group more than others. So, it would be more accurate to say that any racism is systemic—probably the result of personal blind spots in MLBPA and the league office, rather than intentional malice because Rob Manfred dislikes Dominicans. And for those posters correlating this to their own experiences: No one is trying to discredit your work ethic. No one is taking anything from you. Polanco's suspension isn't actually about you.

Maybe this is true of Levine, but Falvey is already president of baseball ops. Not saying it's impossible for another team to lure him away, but any move would be lateral. There aren't many of these jobs to begin with.

I don't see why anyone besides Lance Lynn and his agent should fret much over the Twins offer.

Maybe they way to think of it is that it's like initiating trade talks by asking for the other team's whole farm system. Not a realistic offer, but a starting point.

Right. I think Morrison is better than those options even though he's left handed.

Maybe this is beside the point, but Buxton was absolutely rushed in 2015. He came up with 60 AA games under his belt. If he didn't have a good head, it would have ruined him. I don't agree with dismissing the idea of rushing prospects as a convenient narrative. Front offices should evaluate players on a case by case basis. If a guy isn't ready, no one benefits from hastily promoting him. That's putting the player in a position to fail.