Squirrel

This weekend, baseball returns to the Twin Cities: in OPERA FORM!
 
"The Fix" is the latest in the Minnesota Opera's long running endeavor to bring new and distinct modern voices to an art form often seen as antiquated. It tells the story of the 1919 Chicago "Black" Sox, who conspired to lose the World Series in exchange for payoffs from a gambling syndicate. It's a dark chapter in the national past time's history, one that claimed the careers of both rookies and veterans, wise souls and dumb kids. It's a great story and boasts a tremendous score, cast, and design.

But! We Peanuts are discouraged. Sure we love baseball. And yes, we love opera. But why let the White Sox (even the historical type) cruise to victory on Minnesota Opera stages? Why not mount a second baseball opera, one that captures the essence of the Twins themselves with just as much drama and even better connections to the local fan base. We Peanuts have found just the tragic story to tell (albeit with a little dramatic license). With that we propose:
 
KNOBLAUCH!
A tragedy in 4 acts
 
Cast List:
Chuck Knoblauch (Tenor): Twins Second Baseman
Kent Hrbek (Bass): Twins First Baseman
Kirby Puckett (Tenor): Twins Center Fielder
Jack Morris (Baritone): Twins Pitcher
Tom Kelly (Baritone): Twins Manager
Nike (Soprano): Goddess of Victory/Advertising Agent
George Steinbrenner (Bass): The owner of the New York Yankees
Derek Jeter (Tenor): Yankees Shortstop
 
Act 1:
It is Game 7 of the 1991 World Series at the Metrodome. Members of the Twins (Knoblauch, Hrbek, Puckett, Morris, Kelly, and chorus), sing of the tension, the drama and the hope of the game as it enters the bottom of the 10th and Dan Gladden doubles to lead off the inning. Chuck Knoblauch returns to the dugout after bunting Gladden along and laments that his best contribution in this pivotal game would be just a bunt. At this moment, Nike enters to offer Knoblauch a vision of the future. As she sings, she paints him a picture of the future where he is a great player, an all-star, a local legend, (and the recipient of a lucrative endorsement with a sports apparel brand that shall remain nameless). However, he can only have this if he is willing to suffer with the team and the fans. As the winning run scores, Knoblauch agrees to the deal.
 
Act 2:
July 1997, Knoblauch enters the clubhouse alone and rages at the emptiness. The team has lost again and his patience is running thin. In the show's central aria he sings of his despair as fleeting images appear before him and the audience. He mourns his ailing father, remembering and mimicking a game of catch long past. His memories take him through the farewell songs and cheers for teammates past (Puckett, Morris, Hrbek). He cannot understand the love and support they receive despite their failings (on the field and off) while he carries on alone. Desperate, he cries out to Nike to release him from his pledge, to let him feel joy on the field again, and to bless him with the chance to play for a winning team. Nike appears to take mercy on him, but warns him of the consequences: his play will decline, his status will fade, and he will lose his legendary status if he leaves now before the vision comes to pass. Unable to take it anymore, Knoblauch pleads to be released from his bonds, and is granted them in the form of a Yankees jersey.
 
Act 3:
September 2000. Knoblauch is surrounded by indifferent fans at Yankee Stadium. They pass by him without a glance, singing praises for Derek Jeter, and occasional laments that there is no one better to play with him in the infield. Stung by this dismissal, Knoblauch addresses George Steinbrenner, requesting reassurance, but Steinbrenner insults him and moves on. Adrift and unsure, Knoblauch calls out again for Nike, but she is seen at a distance singing a love duet about Derek Jeter (with Derek Jeter), both of them ignore Knoblauch's increasing frenzy and fear until he cannot sing any more due to a case of hiccoughs. Silenced, Knoblauch picks up a ball to play catch, but that too betrays him, his throw going wildly afield
 
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVPRsJqJqNQ/TuZI744iVkI/AAAAAAAABkg/ixRcqAq5CWU/s320/kelly+befriends+chuck.jpg
Act 4:
May 2 2001: Returning to the Metrodome field 10 years after we last saw it, Knoblauch hears the echoes of his old rage, but directed at him from the chorus in the bleachers. He stands alone in Left Field singing a quiet song of isolation and annoyance as garbage, batteries, and hot dogs surround him. Tom Kelly briefly appears to offer him condolences, but Knoblauch only wishes fans would get over it as the garbage builds to his knees. Nike appears, on her way to sing to Jeter, and reminds Knoblauch of the promise he broke to her. Knoblauch scoffs, certain that he'd never have had support as the garbage reaches his waist. Nike provides him with a final vision: another title, the jeers turned to cheers, a statute of him by a new stadium as the young players drafted during bad years come of age, with Knoblauch as their mentor. Nike leaves him as the garbage continues to pile up and Knoblauch defiantly declares his strength until he is tragically buried in dollar dogs.
 
CURTAIN

WRITER NOTE: This is an excerpt from a story that appears in full on Zone Coverage here.
 
Sometimes you’re just in the right place at the right time.
 
On Saturday afternoon, that place was Bat & Barrel — the restaurant that used to be known as the Metropolitan Club — down the right-field line at Target Field.
 
Twins players and fans gathered at the stadium for the yearly gathering known as TwinsFest, which caps the club’s winter caravan and begins the road to Spring Training each year. Most of the 40-man roster and a smattering of prospects show up each year to what has to be among the top five or so best fan fests in the game today.
 
The whole thing is basically a large autograph party, with fun events mixed in where players and fans — especially kids — can mingle on the concourse and surrounding areas of Target Field. Beyond that, it also gives fans a look into the Legend’s and Champion’s Clubs — two exclusive areas that have more restricted access at the stadium.
 
The Legend’s Club housed food areas, a few games and booths and the WCCO radio setup, while the Champion’s Club housed a large majority of the vendors selling game-used apparel, baseball cards and etc.
 
Bat & Barrel was set up half as a restaurant, but also a stage for players to take questions from fans or play games with a crowd watching. In this case, it was a quartet of Twins playing Headbandz, a charades game with players teaming up in pairs — Matt Magill with Trevor May and Blake Parker with Kohl Stewart — with a player holding an iPad to their forehead while the other gave clues to the mystery word on the screen.
 
After Magill and May beat Parker and Stewart, stadium announcer Jim Cunningham said they had a few more minutes left to take some questions from the fans. One kid asked May how he got so good at Fortnite — “Get injured kids, and you’ll have a lot of time for video games.” — and another asked what position each of the players played.
 
Another humorously asked if he could get autographs from each of the pitchers, but it was the final question that brought the room to a poignant silence.
 
A young girl got the microphone, and meekly asked Stewart how he handles playing in the big leagues with Type-1 diabetes. Stewart climbed off the stage, knelt down next to the girl and talked to her for a few minutes and took a number of pictures while also signing her jersey.

Despite my one-more-year campaign Joe Mauer decided to retire after the 2018 season. After the surprise appearance as a catcher in the final 2018 season game, he packed up all his gear after it had been authenticated and handed the bag to the Twins curator, Clyde Doepner, so it could be shared with fans. Clyde hadn't decided quite what to do with the bag until he found out there would be a special white-glove tour with Joe auctioned off for Twinsfest. He decided to have Joe unpack the bag and take the group through what each item was and talk about his career. We didn't know this when we bid on the tour and I suspect had folks known, it would have gone higher.
 
This flickr album has all the photos with detailed descriptions. I wasn't supposed to video anything but recorded a few before I was scolded. The lady next to me took a bunch more so if you know her, you can hear more. I recommend looking at the album on a laptop or a tablet since the descriptions are more easily viewed on a full size browser. They explain many of the markings in or on his equipment and give the details he shared about each piece. The bat and batting gloves are from his 2000th hit. I was at Target Field that night so it was special to get to hold them. He talked through how he chose his bats and explained how he listened to the sound a bat makes when tapped on the barrel. The higher the pitch the better. The 2000th hit bat had a pretty high pitch.
 
After holding the bat and lowering it to tap his shoes, as we've seen him do thousands of times, he explained the pre-at bat ritual of raking the dirt with his cleats then tapping his shoes. It was so he was able to see precisely where his feet went during a plate appearance. It gave him an immediate visual clue if something was off. He also raked the dirt in front of home place as a catcher to prevent a bad hop on a ball in the dirt. Same for the semi-circles while waiting on batters at first base. His process was all about doing every little thing he could to prevent as many 1-in-a-1000 events that might negatively impact his ability to make the play or get a hit.
 
Joe has given some less than engaging post game interviews over the years, but he talked with ease Friday night and seems to be genuinely at peace with deciding to retire. I'm still in denial he won't take the field on opening day, but really enjoyed the hour hearing him talk about baseball. I'm so going to miss watching him play.

A team barely alive
 
Some are saying the Twins should abandon the effort to seriously compete in 2019 and aim to reload for 2020 and 2021, when prospects like Alex Kiriloff and Royce Lewis will be ready to contribute. That's a mistake to me--with a payroll commitment of only about $60 Million, they almost can't afford not to spend some serious cash. I'll lay out what we can learn from 2018 and what the Twins can do not only to compete but to put themselves in position to win the American League Central in 2019, ending this post with my offseason blueprint. First, let's look at the year now past--not quite a debacle, but quite disappointing:
2016 2017 2018 changeActual Wins 59 85 78 -7
They fell off by seven games, which isn't much considering a 26-game improvement came about the year before. Still, everyone was hoping for better. Their Pythagorean wins (the number of wins expected given their runs scored and allowed) were at 79, so there's not much bad luck involved in that number.
 
Where did the Twins' actual decline come from? Let's compare this year's decline to last year's improvement:
2016 2017 2018 changeLuck -7 +2 +1 -1Hitters WAR 17.0 28.7 15.2 -13.5Pitchers WAR 1.8 7.0 12.3 +5.3
So here's the bright side: Twins pitching in two years went from the worst around to now above average. This is an incredible achievement by Falvey and Levine, the coaches, and the players. The Twins have released pitching coach Garvin Alston after one year to enable new manager Rocco Baldelli to hire the person he wants, but judging from the results, one would have to give a hearty thanks to Alston for moving the needle significantly in the right direction for whatever degree of influence he had. Their challenge now is to keep up this level of quality and boost it on the margins.
 
To say that hitting was a disappointment is an understatement. While the lineup didn't totally fall apart, they certainly fell two big steps backwards. Getting just a little better from here isn't going to cut it in the minds of Twins fans or for the front office. More importantly, knowing the specific players who should take the blame leaves me both concerned and hopeful--quite literally, the Twins supposed five best hitters (Sano, Buxton, Morrison, Mauer, and Dozier) all dramatically underperformed. In no universe did fans, writers, pundits, projection systems, Paul Molitor, Thad Lavine, or Derek Falvey think there was any reasonable chance that the five of them would combine to post a cumulative WAR under 1. When you would have been just as well simply benching your five best hitters for all 162 games, there's literally no possible way to overcome that. And yet, the Twins still ended three wins under .500 for the year, a mark far more respectable than what could have happened.
 
So the bad news is that Twins's best players now all have big question marks surrounding them. The good news though: 2018 was certainly a black swan event, the likes of which the Twins offense has never seen nor imagined. No one could have predicted it, and the probability of it happening again is exceedingly small. These players are all better than this, and we should expect this year to be expunged from their memories after they achieve more success going forward.
 
I'll break down the hitters by WAR (technically fWAR, or FanGraph's WAR), focusing on the players that mattered most. I'll list last year's players who have been replaced for comparison's sake, as well.
WAR 2017 2018 change15 Hitters 24.9 14.6 -10.5LF Rosario 1.7 3.4 +1.7RF Kepler 2.4 2.6 +0.23B Escobar 1.3 2.4 +1.1SS Polanco 2.1 1.3 -0.82B Dozier 4.4 1.0 -3.41B Mauer 3.4 1.0 -2.4CF Buxton 5.1 -0.4 -5.5C Castro 2.5 -0.2 -2.7DH Vargas=>Morrison 0.3 -0.7 -1.0 3B Sano 2.5 0.0 -2.54O Granite=>Cave 0.3 1.3 +1.0BC Gimenez=>Garver 0.7 1.3 +0.55O Grossman 0.8 0.7 -0.1MI Adrianza 0.9 0.5 -0.4MI Santana=>Forsythe 0.1 0.4 -0.3
Moves that worked
 
Sticking with Rosario in 2017: Rosario had a successful year in 2017, but many were worried that it was more of a fluke--that Rosario would return to a below-league-average hitter, as he was in 2015-2016. Instead, Rosario kept hitting at a high level and simultaneously improved his baserunning and fielding into also above-average territory. If he can maintain these tools, expect an all-star team appearance for Rosario, perhaps even in 2019. Under team control through 2021, the case can also be made that Rosario's trade value will never be higher--what kind of pitching riches could the Twins acquire if they offer Rosario and move Jake Cave into left? Still, the most likely scenario is that the Twins keep playing Rosario every night for a few years, and perhaps they should keep offering him long-term contract extensions till he signs one.
 
Trading Luis Gil for Jake Cave: The Yankees were never going to play Cave in the outfield, so trading him for a low-level hard-throwing prospect was perhaps a good move for them, but it was a great move for the Twins, as Cave contributed more to the team winning than Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, and Joe Mauer combined in 2018. It seems that Cave can legitimately hit and field, and so the Twins plan on keeping him around. He is perfect as the fourth outfielder for years to come. Before the trade, Zach Granite was struggling and Ryan LaMarre jumped over him to begin the year in the big leagues, but Cave's success led the Twins to trade away LaMarre without fear.
 
Relying on Mitch Garver more than Bobby Wilson or Chris Gimenez: Last year, the Twins were reluctant to trust Garver behind the plate, trying him out as a pinch hitter, DH, and outfielder. That's a problem, because Garver isn't a good enough hitter to be highly valuable at any of those positions--but at catcher, he's a great hitter. This year, Garver caught in over 650 innings, and while his catching metrics are overall slight negative, his strong hitting makes up for it. Good-hitting catchers are hard to find, and the Twins should live with little shortcomings in Garver if he can be a above-average hitter--that is, above-average for a hitter, way above average for a catcher.
 
Moves that bombed
Playing through lower-body pain: How many times do the Twins have to get bitten by this to change their emphasis? Logan Morrison (hip), Brian Dozier (knee), Miguel Sano (leg, hamstring) and of course Byron Buxton (toe) all tried to play either through an injury or come back too soon from recovery. The evidence is abundant that hitting suffers immensely when any part of the legs can't be trusted. Playing hurt often means playing to hurt your team, and it should no longer be tolerated, let alone encouraged.
 
Managing Byron Buxton's injuries and swing: Buxton is too good for this to be the result. By the butterfly effect, migraine headaches led to a broken toe, the already-mentioned foolish attempt to return too early, and lots of confusion over his swing mechanics. The new trainers, new manager, and yet-to-be-named new hitting coach will have Buxton's success as perhaps their top individual priority.
 
Failing to trade Dozier before the beginning of the year: The rumor was that, for Dozier to escape to the the Dodgers before the season, the Twins were demanding Jose De Leon and Cody Bellinger in return. The Dodgers, even without the benefit of hindsight, were never going to do that trade. The Twins should have accepted DeLeon and another lesser player as the best deal they could have gotten. It looks especially bad now, as the Twins' "best hitter" was not at all their best hitter anymore--Dozier inexplicably (was it a lingering knee injury?) went from being 25% above average to 10% below average in one year. Needless to say, Dozier was hoping for a hundred-million-dollar or more contract in his first free-agent try, but might now have to settle for a one-year deal and try again next year.
 
On to the starting pitchers:
2017 2018 change6 Starters 7.2 9.7 +2.5Berrios 1.7 3.3 +1.6Gibson 0.2 2.8 +2.6Colon=>Odorizzi 0.1 2.6 +2.5Mejia=>Lynn 0.8 0.8 0.0Santiago=>Romero -0.2 0.7 +0.9Santana 4.6 -0.5 -5.1
Moves that worked
 
Sticking with Berrios and Gibson: It took Berrios a few additional years after his debut to find his footing, but the patience with him is paying off. When you have a pitching prospect like Berrios, it may take some years of struggle before becoming a reliable contributor--Berrios was such all year, without giving the coaches reason to worry or doubt. La Maquina is under team control through 2022, so the Twins will pencil him in as often as possible for the next four years.
 
Gibson's struggle was ongoing for years, but this was the year he put all that behind him and had confidence on the mound for the entire year. I was among those who were ready for the Twins to cut ties with him two years ago, but he has proved me wrong by being the rare pitcher whose age-30 season is better than any year prior. We shouldn't expect Gibson to exceed his 2018 success, but he has certainly earned a rotation spot next year.
 
Trading for Jake Odorizzi: The Twins spent the offseason trying to get Chris Archer. When they couldn't meet the Rays' asking price, they went down a notch and acquired Odorizzi from them in exchange for Jermaine Palacios, who went on to have a poor season in A and AA and seems a long way from ever contributing in the majors. Odorizzi wasn't the near-ace the Twins were hoping for, but at a notch below, he was a much better contributor than Bartolo Colon last year. The Twins should not hesitate to make such a routine move to plug a hole again, as adding two or three wins in exchange for a marginal prospect is a bargain no matter which way you look at it. By the way, Archer struggled on the year and was traded mid-season for a lesser return to the Pirates, so perhaps it all worked out well for the Twins.
 
Moves that bombed
 
Signing Lance Lynn and thus blocking Adalberto Mejia:
I hesitate to call this a big mistake--Lance Lynn's contract was limited and the Twins recognized early enough that he wasn't the pitcher they thought they were getting, skipping occasional starts and pulling him early. Still, the Twins would have been better off trusting Meijia, Romero, or Gonsalves to take Lynn's 20 starts. The results would likely have been no worse, and furthermore perhaps one of those three would be a clear asset for the major league team in 2018. Instead, the Twins and Twins fans alike still are unsure of these three not-so-young-anymore pitchers and their role going forward. We can't second-guess the Lynn signing too much, as it was cheap and easy, and this was likely just a down year for Lynn, who should be effective for the Yankees or some other team for years to come.
 
And the bullpen:
2017 2018 change11 Relievers 2.4 2.4 0.0Rogers 0.4 1.9 +0.8Pressly -0.2 0.8 +1.0 Gee=>Duke 0.6 0.8 +0.2Kintzler=>Rodney 1.1 0.5 -0.6Breslow=>Moya -0.1 0.1 +0.2Hildenberger 0.8 0.0 -0.8Belisle 0.0 -0.2 -0.2Duffey -0.4 -0.2 +0.2 Boshers=>Reed -0.1 -0.2 -0.1 Tonkin=>Magill -0.2 -0.3 -0.1Busenitz 0.1 -0.8 -0.9
Moves that worked
 
Making Taylor Rogers more than a LOOGY: Being left-handed is certainly a blessing for most pitchers, but sometimes they get trapped into a specialty role. Instead, Molitor used Rogers often against lefties and righties alike, and he shined in the process, boasting more than a strikeout per inning and nearly five for every walk, and giving up the bare minimum of home runs you could ever expect. I doubt Rogers will ever be this good again, but you can hope he'll come close. He's definitely the kind of pitcher the Twins are happy to have for at least four more years in his prime.
 
Signing Zach Duke and Fernando Rodney: Duke didn't make himself into a top-notch reliever, but his 52 innings pitched were solidly above-average for a team that struggled to find strength in their bullpen. Rodney contributed just as well, too. Again, signing players like these (and then trading them away if the season becomes lost) should be routine moves that happen every year alongside any bigger moves. These players are often available each year, and the Twins' scouts will prove themselves if this kind of signing usually works out as it did with Duke and Rodney.
 
Building up Pressly and trading him for value: Ryan Pressly got some press after the Twins traded him for Jorge Alcala and Gilberto Celestino, saying that the Astros recognized that he needed to change his mix of pitches simply to throw his superior breaking ball more often. It should not be overlooked that the Twins helped Pressly develop very well, and any tweaks the Astros have done are because they stand on the proverbial shoulders of giants.
 
Not signing a top-quality reliever: The Twins could have convinced themselves that Wade Davis or Greg Holland were worth big contracts. If they had done so, we'd probably now be lamenting how much we are on the hook. This isn't to say that the Twins shouldn't sign a more expensive reliever now, but only that in 2018 the options were poor and they were wise to avoid making a high-risk, low-reward mistake.
 
Moves that bombed
 
Leaning on Trevor Hildenberger: One of the biggest disappointments of the year was the failure of Hildenberger to step up as the Twins' next elite reliever. Did Molitor call on him too often--having him pitch in nearly half of the Twins' games? Did he wear down early and never recover? Was he thrust into a high-leverage role too soon in his career? Or is he just an average pitcher, and the Twins should not have given so much credence to his late 2017 performance? Hildenberger might be an area of focus for the new pitching staff. They have a lot of plates to spin in order to improve this bullpen, and Hildenberger might be the biggest and wobbliest.
 
Bringing back Belisle: This one's a puzzler to me: Matt Belisle was not a good pitcher in 2017 and got worse in 2018; why did the Twins sign him mid-season? The only thing I can think of is that the Twins wanted his leadership and cameraderie in the bullpen--to have him more as a player-coach and a mop-up pitcher rather than a true bullpen building block. Still, they must have realized that in August, as the end of July featured two bad Belisle outings that led to one-run losses. Maybe his playing days aren't done, but I surely hope they are done in Minnesota, although I'm open to the idea of hiring him as a minor-league pitching coach.
 
Duffing around the course: Tyler Duffey is just hanging around, not bad enough to be cut but not good enough to help the team win. I suppose he's better than relievers behind him on the depth chart, but I'm hoping the Twins bullpen improves to the point where it will be more obvious that the Twins can move on from Duffey.
 
Mind your own Busenitz: Alan Busenitz has been disappointing to be sure, and part of the problem was in keeping him away from the majors for two months, but he failed to make the most of his 23 appearances in the majors, showing that perhaps he did deserve to be in AAA after all. He'll be in the doghouse again to start 2019, and I have no problem making him earn his way back to the majors again as he's done three times already.
 
Subtraction by Addison: Reed was thought to be one of the top relievers on the free-agent market, and the Twins were able to snag him for only a two-year deal. He turned in very inconsistent performances in the second half, but I don't think this is too big a disappointment, and I'm glad he'll be in Minneapolis next year to bounce back and earn his next big contract.
 
We have the capability...
 
Well, the label "big spenders" is something of an exaggeration, but the Twins have the opportunity to spend more than ever before in longer-term contracts and set themselves up for success in 2019 and in their future. The Twins major-league payroll sits at around $60 million, leaving them $60-80 million to add for 2019 alone to reach even league average, and there's nothing stopping them from spending even more. The same wide-open salary continues in the future. It will be up to Falvey and Levine to spend it wisely, but they can't revert to Terry Ryan-style frugality.
 
Rocco Baldelli will lead that team
 
Their first task is to build out Rocco Baldelli's coaching staff. He should choose a pitching coach that he can trust, but also someone who can usher Twins pitchers into modernity. It seems currently that pitching strategy is changing faster than ever before, and the new pitching coach will need to manage openers, starters, quick hooks, and firemen--and nuture pitchers to throw more breaking balls, keep their velocities up as they age, avoid tipping pitches, prevent injuries, and manage fatigue better than any Twins pitching coach in years past. I have no idea who Baldelli, Falvey, and Levine should choose, but the choice is perhaps more important than ever before.
 
Better than they were before
 
The Twins' hitters have a few holes, and the opportunities for improvement are more obvious than last year. Here's how they should approach this team renovation.
 
Trust the supposed three best hitters: It would be far too hasty and foolish to give up on Sano or Buxton. Eddie Rosario has surpassed them and inspires more confidence for sure, but Sano and Buxton's trade value will never be lower than right now. Don't forget that they are 25 and 24 years old, 3-4 years before their statistically-likely prime. They still have growing and developing to do, and they were too good in the minors and in long stretches in the majors before for 2018's performances to be representative. Grant them a fresh start in the new year and I'm betting that Twins fans will be rewarded.
 
Trust Sano at third base: Good fielding has returned as a emphasis for the Twins, with Kepler, Buxton, and now Rosario helping out in the field, but to those names you can lighly pencil in Miguel Sano, who is just fine at third base, and far more valuable there than at DH. The Twins should keep Sano at third till it is utterly obvious that he shouldn't be playing there, and we seem to be a long way from that. Presuming that the Twins infield will be shifting much more than in 2018, the coaches will have to work out how best to play him--he can't be roaming in short right field like we saw Travis Shaw or Justin Turner do in the playoffs--but there is flexibility here and the coaches can make it work.
 
Sign a good-hitting second baseman: No, don't re-sign Logan Forsythe. The Twins need a very good hitter at second base more than they need a good-fielding shortstop. I'm not sure that Manny Machado is even a good fit nor nearly worth the money. I'd go with Jed Lowrie or Asdrubal Cabrera as free agent signings, but also look for someone arguably better on the trade market, like a one year rental of Scooter Gennett. The Twins have several in-house options for 2020 and beyond, so a one- or two-year commitment here makes a lot of sense.
 
Trade for a real slugging first baseman: There are a few disappointing options at first base on the free agent market, but there's a obvious name that might be gettable in a trade: One year of Paul Goldschmidt. I'd beware a bidding war, but trades for no-doubt mashers are not often regretted. If that doesn't work, a trade for Justin Smoak or Carlos Santana could be arranged, but the Twins should also look at taking on longer contracts if a good deal can be had for Wil Myers or Brandon Belt. But plan A should be Goldschmidt.
 
Sign a designated hitter: Picking up Logan Morrison didn't work out, but it was the right idea. Matt Adams or Lucas Duda could be a relatively inexpensive boost to a lineup that has been missing a go-to DH for years, though I still expect that Willians Astudillo and Tyler Austin will get starts at DH as well as corner infield positions throughout the year.
 
Plan on using Jake Cave often to keep Kepler, Buxton, and Rosario fresh. If any starting outfielder gets a nagging injury, put him on the disabled list without hesitation and keep him there till all are confident he is recovered.
 
Say goodbye to the hall-of-famer, has-beens, and almost-weres: Joe Mauer seems all but retired, and the Twins shouldn't entice him back unless it is for a true bargain on a one-year deal. Grossman, Gimenez, and Belisle should also retire and the Twins shouldn't feel forced to bring them back. Sadly, Danny Duffey doesn't seem to have a way back. I have no problem keeping him in Rochester in case he truly earns it back, but I wouldn't plan on it happening.
 
Better, stronger, faster
 
Improvements to the pitching staff need to emphasize faster fastballs, sharper curve balls, and above all, clear-cut quality. Lance Lynn or others like him should not be an option for this team unless they come even cheaper than last year. Also, the bullpen can't continue to limp along--the Twins are way behind in getting an advantage out of their relievers and it is time to end that.
 
Sign an almost-ace: I can't quite use the term "ace", as a pitcher in the top echelon is nearly impossible to get, but the the Twins need a clear-cut top-notch pitcher, and there's several to choose from. My pick is Nathan Eovaldi. With a 100 mph fastball and a tendency to avoid walks, he will give Twins fans both excitement and winning immediately. Trevor Cahill is another good option, or Patrick Corbin if you want to aim a little higher
 
Stick with what works: Trevor May might become great, we know Rogers and Moya are capable, and I mentioned staying faithful to Addison Reed. This gives the Twins four pitchers they can rely on--maybe not to be the top of the bullpen, but to at least stick around for the year.
 
Bring in expensive talent: I figure the Twins need two new top relievers in 2019, as well as one depth acquisition. Trading for any of these may be an option, but I think the bullpen is the best area to spend the deep pockets the Twins have starting this year. I'd target Jeurys Familia and Kelvin Herrera, and pick up a lefty like Jerry Blevins for good measure.
 
Manage the rest carefully: Hildenberger, Magill, and Busenitz haven't inspired confidence yet, so keeping them in Rochester till needed isn't a bad idea. Make sure they are trusted as true contributors in the majors before trusting them with a roster spot. Of course, we all hope that Hildenberger is very close to earning that trust, but there was much to cause doubt in him in 2018.
 
So here's my 2018 season-long roster, comprised of the 30 most important players, along with somewhat optimistic hoped-for WAR numbers for each. These numbers add up to a bit over 100 wins for the 2019 Twins. Most of these players will not hit these "hope" numbers, but some will, and others will come close, and a few will exceed them enough to make the Twins a contender in 2019. Join me in my optimism; a AL Central title and thus a World Series is within reach.
WAR 2017 2018 2019 hope CF Buxton 5.1 -0.4 5.01B Goldschmidt 5.2 5.1 4.53B Sano 2.5 0.0 3.7 LF Rosario 1.7 3.4 3.5 2B Lowrie 3.6 4.9 3.1RF Kepler 2.4 2.6 2.6SS Polanco 2.1 1.3 2.0C Castro 2.5 -0.2 1.5DH Adams 1.2 0.8 1.2 4O Cave 0.3 1.3 1.5CI Astudillo 0.7 1.4BC Garver 0.7 1.3 1.3MI Adrianza 0.9 0.5 1.0CI Austin 0.1 0.4 0.7SP Berrios 1.7 3.3 3.5SP Eovaldi 2.2 3.0 SP Gibson 0.2 2.8 2.6SP Odorizzi 0.1 2.6 2.1SP Pineda 1.1 1.7SP Romero 0.7 0.5RP Rogers 0.4 1.9 1.5RP Familia 0.3 1.8 1.0RP May 0.5 0.8RP Herrera 0.1 0.4 0.5RP Hildenberger 0.8 0.0 0.5RP Reed 0.9 -0.2 0.5RP Moya -0.1 0.1 0.3RP Busenitz 0.1 -0.8 0.3RP Magill -0.3 0.2 TEAM WAR 36.8 28.8 52.0Wins 85 78 100

Humility- (h)yo͞oˈmilədē: The quality or state of being humble.
 
Royce Lewis lives by that word. Humble.
 
That is why his Mom, Cindy Lewis is crafting “Humility Chains”. They are bead necklaces that are 24 inches long and they cost $20, $30, and $40. They come in black, chrome, and silver and you can apply a black cross on
the black chain.
I contacted Cindy Lewis via. Instagram and I asked her how the idea came to mind, she followed up with saying “I made one for my son, Royce! Wearing it he has such an overwhelming interest, I decided to offer them for purchase online. In speaking with Royce about it he told me he wears his as a reminder to be humble.” She continued saying “Over conversation he mentioned that I should donate a percentage of the profits to the charity NEGU (Never Ever Give Up). It truly was not a planned thing it just evolved to be what it is” She added “I hope I will be able to continue making these necklaces for all to enjoy at a reasonable price, as they have a meaning and a purpose!”
 
A handful of Twins Minor Leaguers wear them. Royce Lewis, Tyler Watson, Akil Baddoo, Brusdar Graterol, and Benjamin Rodriguez, just to name a few.
 
If you would like to purchase a necklace or check out the store go to
https://www.etsy.com/shop/HumilityChains

At the beginning of the 2018 Minor League season a vast amount of people didn’t know who Jimmy Kerrigan was. However, after hitting .324/.394/.541 the Twins moved him from high-A Miracle to triple-A Rochester, he has been since moved back down to the Miracle. I had the chance to talk to Jimmy via. Twitter.
 
Me: How do you feel about being bumped up from Fort Myers to Rochester?
 
Jimmy: I'm actually back in Fort Myers now. I got sent back on Thursday. Rochester was awesome though, it was a great experience and I thought I did pretty well and hope to get that opportunity again.
 
Me: So what were some things that you worked on to get better going into this season?
 
Jimmy: I worked on my approach a lot, swinging at better pitches, being aggressive. Also, worked with my hitting coach in Ft Myers, Steve Singleton, and developed a leg lift which I believe has helped me so far this year.
 
Me: What diets do you follow to keep healthy?
 
Jimmy: Our pregame and post game meals are always healthy. Usually grilled chicken, steak, or some kind of meat, rice or potatoes and vegetables. So our staff makes it easy for us to stay in good shape.
 
Me: Is there a MLB player that you try to play like?
 
Jimmy: I try to play with a lot of intensity. I got that from watching Chase Utley play growing up when he was with the Phillies. He gives it 100% every single day and I have admired that since I was a kid.
 
Me: So when you aren't playing baseball what other things interest you?
 
Jimmy: Other than baseball i’m interested in fishing, golfing sometimes, going to the beach, seeing a movie, things like that.
 
Me: Who or why was the reason you started playing baseball?
 
Jimmy: I started playing when I was 6 when my sister was playing tee ball. My parents said I ran out on the field and asked if I could play on the team and ever since then I just loved it. Its always been my #1 sport.
 
Me: What other sports did you play as a kid?
 
Jimmy: Other than baseball I played football, and basketball mostly. I played soccer for a couple of years when I was really young but that's it.
 
Me: Ok, what is one of your favorite memories playing baseball?
 
Jimmy: I have a few haha. In High School we won three catholic league and city championships, and when I was at VCU we won the Atlantic 10 championship, won a regional and went to super regional against Miami.
 
Me: So when did you realize that you could play baseball professionally?
 
Jimmy: I always had the confidence that I could play at the highest level. I believe that my work ethic and respect for the game will get me to the top. I think I became the player that I am today throughout my junior and senior year of college and even last year when I played Indy ball for the River City Rascals of the Frontier League
 
Me: If you could own any car in the world. What would it be?
 
Jimmy: That's a tough one, i’m into older cars so I guess I would say i'd like to have a 69 Chevelle.
 
I would like to thank Jimmy for this interview and I wish him the best of luck getting to the Majors!

Take a look at an article I wrote on the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network! I think a all of what I wrote could also be applied to the Polanco situation as well, except for the Hall of Fame stuff I suppose...
 
https://cbscout.net/2018/05/23/robinson-cano-excuses-dominican-republic/

Jason Castro Meniscus Surgery Q&A
Heezy1323
Twins starting catcher Jason Castro went on the DL May 5th with pain in his right knee. Initially, it was reported that Castro underwent a cortisone injection and was hopeful to return to the lineup soon. Unfortunately, after traveling to Vail, CO to see noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert LaPrade, Castro is now scheduled to undergo surgery May 15th to address a meniscus tear. (Update: Now being reported that he underwent more extensive surgery including a meniscus repair and is now out for the season). This will be the third surgery for Castro’s troublesome right knee, according to the Pioneer Press. He sustained an ACL tear along with a meniscus tear in spring training 2011 and underwent surgery, which caused him to miss the entire season. He also underwent arthroscopic surgery on the same knee in September 2013.
 
Let’s discuss some knee anatomy and some meniscus ‘fun facts’ (Note: these facts may only be considered fun to me…)
 
Question 1: What is the meniscus? What is its function?
 


 
 
The meniscus is a C-shaped cartilage cushion that is positioned between the bones of the knee (the femur and tibia). It has several functions including acting as a shock absorber, a protector of the surface cartilage and a stabilizer of the knee. There are two menisci in each knee- a medial and lateral meniscus. The medial is positioned at the inside of the knee, the lateral to the outside. Both the medial and lateral meniscus increase the surface area of bone contact within the knee when walking/running, thereby spreading out the contact forces over a larger area. This function protects the surface gliding cartilage (called articular cartilage) from being damaged.
 
Question 2: How is a meniscus torn/damaged?
A meniscus can be torn in several ways, but most commonly it is damaged when the knee undergoes an abrupt change of direction and the stress is more than the meniscus can withstand. In the case of Castro, it sounds as though he had some damage to his meniscus in 2011 when he also tore his ACL. A meniscus tear accompanies an ACL tear about 50% of the time. Either the medial or lateral meniscus can be torn, and in some cases both sustain injury.
 
Question 3: How are meniscus tears assessed?
Most commonly an MRI is ordered to look at the meniscus more closely. The meniscus can’t be seen on xrays. There is a device that is similar to a large needle that has a camera inside it that can be inserted into the knee during an office visit to view the meniscus directly, but I don’t have much experience with this device.
 
Question 4: What types of tears can occur?
There are a number of different types of meniscus tears, and there are many tears which don’t fit neatly into a single category as well.
 


 
Question 5: What are the treatment options for meniscus tears?
There are a number of different options for treatment of meniscus tears. Not every meniscus tear will require surgery- in fact, many people may have a meniscus tear in their knee and not even be aware of it. Anti-inflammatory medication, injections (including cortisone, gel/lubricant, and PRP injections), and physical therapy are among the non-surgical options. When these are not successful (or surgery is deemed necessary early on), knee arthroscopy is performed.
During knee arthroscopy, the knee is inflated with fluid and a camera is inserted inside the joint. The structures of the knee can be readily assessed, and tools are used to examine and probe the meniscus, surface cartilage and ligaments. The specifics of the meniscus tear are then evaluated. A decision is then made whether to repair the meniscus or remove the torn portion of meniscus (called a partial meniscectomy). This decision can be complex and is based on a number of factors including the size, location and orientation of the tear, patient-specific factors such as age, weight, health, prior surgery to the knee and others.
 


 
Ideally, we would repair all meniscus tears, as removing meniscus can lead to the development of arthritis later on. However, some tears are simply unable to be repaired and must be partially removed. Tears closer to the outer edge of the meniscus have better blood supply are more likely to heal, and thus are better suited to repair.
 
Question 6: What is the recovery time?
This can vary significantly, but for partial removal, most athletes can return to sports between 6-10 weeks after surgery. For repair, the recovery is longer because of the additional time required for the repaired tissue to heal. Typically, a return to sports for a meniscus repair is around 3-5 months.
 
Question 7: Are there any special circumstances with Castro’s knee?
I would say yes. The fact that he has had two prior surgeries on the knee (including an ACL reconstruction) often makes the MRI more challenging to interpret and can complicate decision-making. It is unclear to me if the current meniscus damage is in the same area where he previously had surgery, which can create an already abnormal appearance on MRI. Thus, it is difficult to know whether what appears abnormal on a current MRI is ‘new’ or ‘old’. However, it sounds like he has continued to have intermittent problems over a lengthy amount of time now, and it seems reasonable to go ahead with arthroscopy. One concern is that a tear can enlarge in size over time if left alone (though this is difficult to predict).
Dr. LaPrade is a world’s authority on knee problems and I’m sure he will do his best to get Castro back to action quickly and safely.

News came down yesterday that highly-touted Twins SS prospect Wander Javier will undergo season-ending surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder to repair a torn labrum. According to LEN, this was an injury that was suffered initially late last season, but initially the decision was made to attempt to treat Javier with rehabilitation. Unfortunately, he has continued to have pain in the shoulder, and he has taken the dreaded trip to Pensacola, FL to see Dr. James Andrews. It sounds like Dr. Andrews will perform surgery soon, and that Javier is expected to be out six to nine months.
 
Shoulder injuries are common in baseball players, certainly. But they are much more common in the throwing shoulder, particularly in pitchers. Let’s discuss how this injury may be similar and different.
 
Question 1: What is a labrum, anyway?
The shoulder is considered a ball-and-socket joint. The round ball (humeral head) sits in the socket (glenoid) similar to how a golf ball sits on a golf tee. Around the perimeter of the golf tee is a strong cartilage tissue called a labrum. The labrum surrounds the socket similar to the red gasket on a mason jar lid. Its function is to help act as a ‘bumper’ to hold the golf ball on the golf tee. It is also an attachment point for ligaments around the shoulder that also contribute to shoulder stability.
 
 
Question 2: How does a labrum get injured?
 
There are several ways that someone could injure the labrum of the shoulder. In baseball players (and pitchers in particular), it is common for a labrum tear to occur at the top of the socket near the attachment of the biceps tendon. This is called a SLAP tear (Superior Labrum Anterior to Posterior) and is typically the cumulative result of repetitive use. However, it can also occur as a result of a dive/fall if the mechanism is just right.
 
Another way the labrum can be injured is as a result of a shoulder dislocation. In the majority of cases, the ball dislocates out the front (anterior) of the socket, and the attachment of the labrum to the rim of the socket is damaged.
 
A final way that I have seen labrum injuries in baseball players is in the front shoulder of hitters. Occasionally, as a result of an aggressive swing (or combination of swings) a player can damage the labrum in the back part (posterior) of the shoulder. This is also an injury that I sometimes see in golfers.
 
In Javier’s case, the injury is to his left shoulder. As he is a right-handed hitter, this would be his front shoulder. I was not able to find any reports of him dislocating his shoulder last season (which would suggest an anterior labral tear). It is possible, then, that his labral tear is more in the back of the socket (though this is purely speculation on my part).
 
Question 3: Why didn’t he just have surgery in the off-season to get this taken care of?
 
This is always a difficult question to answer without knowing specifics of the situation. Hindsight is 20/20, but it is not always known at the time of an initial injury whether it is going to require surgery or whether rehab will be sufficient. Clearly, the Twins and Javier felt that rehab stood a reasonable chance of being successful, or I suspect surgery would have been undertaken previously.
 
Question 4: What is done at surgery?
 
There are subtle variations in technique for these type of injuries, but the majority are treated with arthroscopic surgery. This means a small fiber-optic camera is inserted into the shoulder, and the shoulder is filled with fluid. The labrum is then examined and the extent of the tear is assessed. Typically, the pre-op MRI will give the surgeon a good idea how extensive the tear is, but the precise size and location of the tear is not known until surgery.
 
Once the tear has been assessed, the repair process begins. Small anchors (similar to plastic drywall screws) are inserted into the rim of the socket in the area of the labrum damage. These vary in size, but are typically somewhere around 3.0mm in diameter. These anchors have strong stitches attached. The stitches are passed around the labrum using special tools and the labrum is secured back to the rim of the socket. This process is repeated for as many anchors as are needed to completely repair the tear.
 
 
 
After surgery, the small incisions are closed with suture and the patient heads to the recovery room. Surgery typically takes around 1-1.5 hours.
 
Question 5: What happens after surgery? Why does it take so long to get back to full activity?
 
Any time we repair a structure in orthopedics, the rate of healing is dependent on a number of factors. Some factors include the type of tissue injured, the severity of the injury, the age and health of the patient as well as numerous others.
 
One helpful comparison in this case can be a fracture of a bone. Bone, as compared to cartilage (labrum) has a much greater blood supply. As such, most bone fractures are able to fully heal somewhere around 6-10 weeks (with some variability of course). Labrum (as with all cartilage) has a much poorer blood supply, and as a result takes a lot longer to heal. This is one of the main reasons for the lengthy rehab.
 
In addition, the stresses placed on the shoulder are significant. The labrum has to withstand a tremendous amount of force when throwing a baseball or swinging a bat. The muscles around the shoulder tend to get weak quickly after surgery, and it takes time to rebuild the muscles. Proceeding too aggressively (before the muscles have recovered) places extra stress on the labrum, and can lead to failure of the repair to fully heal.
 
Question 6: Will Javier’s shoulder ever be the same?
 
This is perhaps the most difficult question to answer. Without knowing the extent and location of the damage, it is very difficult to comment on this subject. It is certainly better that this is his non-throwing shoulder, as that likely portends a better chance of full recovery. Few surgeons have done more of this type of surgery than Dr. Andrews, so he is in good hands.

The Minnesota Twins drafted Ricardo De la Torre in the 6th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of BB Academy in Puerto Rico. The Twins assigned De La Torre to the GCL Twins and in 153 at bats he hit .268/.341/.359. In 42 games his fielding percentage from 3 different positions were a combined .900. I got the chance to interview him via. Instagram using Google Translate.
 
Me: What was one of the things that brought you to baseball?
 
Ricardo: One of the experiences that brought me to baseball was seeing my two brothers playing ball since childhood and they inspired me to play and I really liked baseball and thanks to my parents if it were not for them I would not achieve my dream.
 
Me: At what age was that?
 
Ricardo: At 5 years old
 
Me: Okay, what are some exercises or diets you do to keep fit?
 
Ricardo: Some of my exercises that I do is always work with my legs, strengthen my legs, that's where the strength is and I always work on continuing to strengthen my arm.
In the diet and that is already spoken with the nutritionist we already have a plan created to continue like this and my diet is to eat well and nutritious.
 
Me: What is one of your favorite foods of the diet?
 
Ricardo: One of my favorite foods is salad with breast.
 
Me: That would be my favorite too... But here's a different kind of question. How many Fortnite victories do you have?
 
Ricardo: Hahaha I have 45 victories in Fortnite
 
Me: Who is your favorite teammate to play with?
 
Ricardo: I always play with my brother, Royce Lewis.
 
Me: What connection do you think brings you two so close?
 
Ricardo: The connection was from high school when we played in All Americans and in our first year as a
professional we went to roommates.
And since then he really is one of my best friends.
 
Me: That's really great that you ended up in the same organization.
 
Ricardo: That’s it
 
Me: How many baseball cards do you think you have signed for fans?
 
Ricardo: I have signed many letters but I do not know how many specifically
 
Me: That is very nice of you to do that.
So, who was one of the most influential people in your baseball career?
 
Ricardo: One of the people was my parents.
 
I would like to thank Ricardo for answering these questions and I wish him luck on his way to the majors!

They say you should write your dreams down right when you wake up in order to remember them clearly. After returning from a dreamlike day and a half in San Juan, I’m feeling like the exercise will be helpful for me as well. Luckily, I don’t have the deadline many local writers had after the 16 inning marathon of game two.
 
The seed for the idea was planted months ago, when I mentioned to my Dad that it would be fun to meet up for the Puerto Rico series. Fast forward a few months, and with tickets booked from both Minnesota and the Dominican Republic, an AirBnb reserved, and seats for the games themselves, we were ready.
 
We landed, dropped off our stuff, and headed straight for Hiram Bithorn Stadium. After raining all morning, it had gotten hot and muggy (even more than I’m used to in the Dominican Republic). The atmosphere outside the stadium was great, with music, games and beer (but no bottles of water to be found). After standing in line for 20 minuets in the heat without water, the water came in the form of a sudden downpour.
 
As water was coming off the stadium roof like waterfalls, we experienced the first of many examples of locals showing kindness and hospitality. The family behind us quickly opened up an umbrella and invited us under it with them. We walked together toward the gate as I translated for my father and the family.
 
Inside the stadium concourse the scene was similar to many stadiums around the world: concessions, games and giveaways. One thing that was different was the appearance of a some players on the concourse pregame. Both Jose Berrios and Eddie Rosario came out of the clubhouse and caused a bit of a mob scene taking pictures and greeting fans. It was really cool to see the reaction of the fans, who were ecstatic to see their heroes in person, and also the players, who were obviously excited to interact with their compatriots.
 
The other celebrity sighting was on the other side of the concourse, where we were asked to move out of the way by security, only to see Terry Fancona getting driven through the crowd toward his clubhouse. He looked noticeably less excited to be out on the concourse with the crowds.
 


Once we got to our seats we realized that the Twins BP was cut short by the rain, but we did get to see Cleveland hit before the game.
 


Once they hit, the starting lineups were introduced. There certainly seemed to be more Cleveland fans than Minnesota, and the biggest ovations throughout the series came for Fransisco Lindor. The great majority of jerseys in the stands were Lindor jerseys, especially from the locals. There were a great many locals with the shirt or jersey of one team and the hat from another, which I think is a great example of the attitudes of most of these fans. They cheered hard for their own, Lindor being the most notable. During the second game, I sat next to an older gentleman who had to ask if Rosario and Berrios were from Puerto Rico, but was adamant that Lindor was the best shortstop in the majors.
 


This isn’t to say that the locals are misinformed or “bad fans,” on the contrary, they seemed to be more informed about the game than fans in the Dominican Republic or even the US. They hung on every pitch and at bat, and cheered for good baseball, whoever happened to be at the center of the play. I talked to a few different fans in depth about particular non-Puerto Rican players, and the conversations were as good, or better informed than ones I’ve had with fans in the US. Many people were in awe of Sano’s size and power, predicting home runs on every one of his at-bats. I was also told that Joe Mauer is under appreciated, and one of the best players of the last 10 years (I bet you won’t hear that in the stands at Target Field anytime soon, or maybe you will if he keeps hitting .370).
 
The locals also didn’t hold back their opinions and trash talk. I was told multiple times that I was cheering for the wrong team, but always with a friendly smile or laugh. It was great to see a baseball game where seemingly everyone was there to watch and experience baseball, not necessarily just to hang out outside and chat with friends over overpriced beer and food.
 
By the end of the first game, the stadium was fully on Cleveland's side. Seeing Lindor’s home run was a really special once in a lifetime experience, for the fans and the player. After seeing man winter league games in the DR, I was surprised at hearing him apologize for how he acted during and after his home run. This is how players play here, and what fans expect. To me, anyone who asking him to contain himself might as well ask him not to speak Spanish, or change how he plays the game entirely. Good for him for coming through during one of the most important games of his career (although I was completely unimpressed with his performance through the rest of the series).
 
Although the Twins didn’t look very good in game 1, it was still a great time. A big part of that for me had to do with the twinsdaily community. Before going to Puerto Rico, I talked with another community member about meeting up there, and sure enough I met and sat with Ben for the whole 1st game. It was great getting to know and share such a cool experience with another twinsdaily fan!
 
Speaking of gringo fans like ourselves, there were plenty at the game, but it’s hard to say which team had more there. If I had to say, I’d lean towards Cleveland edging out the Twins in that department. Just like my experience with the local fans, everyone was really nice and didn’t hesitate to stop and chat whenever there was a chance.
During the day before the 2nd game, my Dad and I took the chance to check out San Juan. During our day of sight seeing in the historic Old San Juan, we learned that the power had gone down island wide. This coincided with the sound of gasoline generators powering up, with the noise filling the 400 year old streets throughout the day.
 
This is when I truly felt the meaning of this series for the Puerto Rican people. Many that we talked to during that second day seemed to take the outage in stride, continuing to go about their business as best they could. I was still able to get a cold beer and people around me were still served their lunches at the local bar. The bartender said that these outages happened every once in awhile, and never lasted as long as predicted (he was right, this one lasted 6 hours and not the 24-48 predicted). There were still plenty of signs of damage from Maria around town; many buildings with tarps on their roofs and trees uprooted in parks. Traffic lights were intermittent at best, with cars jockeying for position to sneak across. With daily life still in disarray, people seemed genuinely proud to be able to go to a game and cheer for Lindor and Berrios. Not only were they the pride of the island, the game was something that the locals could do to forget about the power outages and other continuing issues for three (or six) hours.
 


After stopping at the beach and a local beer garden to sample some local craft brews, we headed to game two. This one turned out to be one of the more amazing games I’ve ever seen live. I myself was nervous for Berrios as he stepped to the mound, and after the somewhat rocky first (for his standards anyway), I was worried he might have let his nerves get the better of him. Boy, was I wrong. Watching Berrios duel another great pitcher in Corrasco for seven great innings was a sight to behold. I was actually somewhat disappointed the crowd wasn’t behind Berrios even more than they were, as he was really dealing. I was also disappointed Molitor didn’t at least send him out to get one out in the 8th and get the ovation he deserved from his home crowd.
 
After taking out Berrios, it seemed that the futility of both teams at the plate was the theme for the rest of the game. Seeing both teams squander chances inning after inning became frustrating, especially because I had an early flight the next morning to get back to work in the DR. But I certainly didn’t complain when Sano blasted the ball to left to tie it up in the 14th, and I didn’t complain when the Twins got out of a jam in the 15th. The walk-off in the 16th provided the perfect who’s who in a wild night of baseball. First, of course, Rosario deserved to be the winning run after being the perfect ambassador for our team in his home country and for his country in our hometown. Second, we got to see Logan Morrison, who didn’t get on base in the 6 previous attempts and who was hitting sub .070 get on base on a fluky play. Finally, we got to see a guy in Ryan LaMarre who has been overlooked year after year and who didn’t even start the game get his first walkoff hit.
 
By the end of the game, I think most fans were just hoping one of the teams could score and get it over with. I was impressed with how many people stayed for the whole thing, it being past midnight by the time the game was over, but the stadium may have been a third full by the end. Regardless, seeing Eddie get to jump around the field after the walkoff made it all worth it.
 
And even if the Twins would have lost that game, it would have been worth it. Worth it to add another stadium and city to my passport, to try a few new beers, and to hang out with my Dad for a couple days. But most of all to see that baseball can still be a force for good and positivity for people going through tough times, wherever they are.

http://gentlemint-media.s3.amazonaws.com/images/2012/04/18/6745f59b.jpg.505x650_q85.jpg

 
 
ANND Welcome! To Minnesota Twins Whine Line: Detective Edition! I'm your LEAD Investigator, Vanimal, along with my trusty sidekick, the intern. Since we last checked in, both of us set down the PS4 controllers, put MLB The Show back in the case, and studied for our Private Investigator license! In the real world, we noticed that it's January 30th, and 8 out of the top 10 free agents have still yet to sign! It's a strange, boring off-season... There's been several STRONG takes about why this is happening... And we're no different! We decided to put on our Deerstalker, and dive deep into the REAL reason why recent off-seasons are boring...
 
Collusion: It happened once before, so it could happen again, right? That's what we thought too! Until we put it to the test using real world examples... Have you ever arranged a conference call with 30 busy people before? It's NEARLY impossible to do! Plus, they would waste countless hours of time! Owners will be talking over each other, waiting for others to take themselves off mute, jumping on the line 25 minutes late, and needing to "circle back at a later time." All of that sounds exhausting....
 
Whine Line Verdict: False.
 
Waiting for a Sale: As consumers, we're accustomed to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, 4th of July BLOWOUTS, or "just because!" sales. Doesn't it feel good to purchase what you wanted, for a 30% discount! Of course it does! General Managers are humans too, and they want to feel like they got a discount... Now these days he could look at MLBTradeRumors, FanGraphs, even the Twins Daily Handbook to find salary projections of free agents. Where's the excitement?! The THRILL of the hunt?! Perhaps they're waiting for their Cyber Monday sale....
 
Whine Line Verdict: Certainly possible!
 
Too Many Options: Typically at this time of year, 1 or 2 of the top free agents are left unsigned... If that! This year, there are 4 to 8 times as many options! Is it possible that General Managers are frozen in fear because there's too many players to choose from? We took our investigation on the road to get to the bottom of it!
 
ANNND Welcome back! We're broadcasting LIVE from the Cheesecake Factory! That's right, the home of a 20 page menu.... If you can't find something to eat here, you're not looking hard enough! In order to test this theory, the intern and I gave ourselves a 30 minute window to decide what to order...
 
WAITER: "Here are your waters, gentleman. Do you have any questions about the menu? Or know what you want?"
VAN: "I think we need a little bit of time. There's so many options here. Any specials?"
WAITER: "Today's soup of the day is split-pea, and we also have a Philly cheese steak with your choice of fries, salad, fruit, onion rings, or vegetable."
VAN: "Wow, even the sides have a bunch of options to choose from... Okay, we need some time."
 
8 minutes later...
 
WAITER: "Are you ready to order? Questions at all?"
VAN: "Yeah, a few questions. I'm debating between the Avocado BLT, Philly cheese steak, Chicken Parmesan, or Chicken Enchiladas. What would you choose?"
WAITER: "Hmm, well, our Philly is one of the most popular orders today. The Chicken Parmesan is okay, but I would recommend our Spaghetti and Meatballs over that. And frankly, you're better off going somewhere else for Mexican food."
VAN: "That helps... And the Cobb Salad?"
WAITER: "I mean, it's a salad.... So... How about you sir, are you ready?"
INTERN: "I'll have the uh, chi.... No. Not that. Umm.... Can you come back to me?"
WAITER: "Guys, I do have other tables to tend to. I'll come back later."
 
13 minutes later....
 
WAITER: "Okay, how about now?"
INTERN: "I.... I...... I JUST CAN'T DECIDE! Please, come back to me, okay?"
WAITER: "Are you crying, sir?"
INTERN: "It's your fault! There isn't a perfect option to order... EVERYTHING has flaws!"
WAITER: "Okay, this is getting weird. What about you, sir?"
VAN: "I have narrowed it down to 2 items, and I will get back to you by the end of the week."
WAITER: "This ISN'T how this works, sir. Look, guys, it's only lunch. You're just spending some money now... It's not like you're trading me your watch, or I don't know... a top prospect like Nick Gordon in order to eat. So what do you say? Let's figure this out before my shift is over, okay?"
VAN & INTERN: "Wow... This HAS to be how Falvine feels signing free agents.... I've seen the light!"
 
Whine Line Verdict: TRUE

I have been kicking around the idea of trying to contribute to this site for a number of years. John Bonnes recently posted about the future of Twins Daily and how it might be in jeopardy if more writers and bloggers don’t step forward so that was enough of a kick in the pants to see if my ideas will translate to interesting articles or not. This blog is going to focus on the off the field happenings of the Minnesota Twins. Topics will include free agency, contracts, trades, payroll, drafting, staff decisions, tv and radio deals, medical issues, etc… My first entry will be posted immediately after this and is about an innovative approach the Twins can take on signing Yu Darvish. Hope you enjoy!

On Monday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB wrote that the Minnesota Twins are still more likely to upgrade their pitching rotation for 2018 through free agency than by trade.
 
And on Tuesday, MLB Trade Rumors reported off of a 1500 ESPN tweet that pitchers’ agents were getting the sense that the Twins (i.e., Derek Falvey and Thad Levine) were putting off talks until Yu Darvish announces his decision to sign.
 
Reading between the lines, one can interpret these reports to mean that the Twins have not been in much communication with free agent pitchers waiting to sign contracts this offseason.
 
But does an absence of communication mean that the Twins are failing to communicate?
 
A story Thursday in the New York Times (h/t dougd) suggests that Levine is one of the more skilled baseball executives in using alternative means to communicate (such as text messaging) with players, agents, or other major league personnel.

"...today, we negotiate hundreds of millions of dollars of contracts and make massive trades without ever picking up the phone and speaking directly with one another, let alone meeting face to face,” Levine said. “You kind of learn the personalities of guys—who needs a phone call, who can do it on text, who prefers emails, who likes to be lighthearted.
 
"The art of the negotiation has almost been trumped by the art of communication."  
This makes the news that the Twins have not met in person with Darvish much easier to take.
 
Meanwhile, back in December, the Twins were reportedly offered Gerrit Cole in exchange for prospects Nick Gordon, Zack Granite, and Tyler Jay, according to the news site Pirates Breakdown.
 
https://twitter.com/pbcbreakdown/status/940390540998250497
 
Many Twins fans, including myself, liked this trade idea. (See here, here, here, or here —and the proposals offered by Twins fans in these threads were actually not far off the mark in terms of value.)
 
The stat we know as WAR is not how we evaluate pitchers during the season, but it can be a good, broad gauge of general value.
 
In terms of fWAR, the two sides of a Cole/Gordon/Granite trade match up well. Fangraphs projects Cole to provide 3.8 fWAR in 2018; let's add 3.8 fWAR more for 2019. That makes 7.6 fWAR for the final two team-controlled seasons of Cole coming from Pittsburgh. How much fWAR will the Twins prospects provide? The 2017 midseason KATOH+ projections estimate that Granite will contribute 6.8 fWAR through his six team-controlled MLB seasons, while Gordon will accumulate 6.3 worth of fWAR across his six seasons. Throw in a generous 2.0 fWAR for Jay as a relief pitcher, and the total contribution of the prospects coming from the Twins is 15.1 fWAR.
 
In such a Gerrit Cole trade as proposed above, the Twins would trade away a future 15.1 fWAR in exchange for Cole’s 7.6 fWAR as a starter for the next two seasons.
 
That looks unequal, but posters on the Dozier trade discussion threads last winter found that MLB-for-prospect trades often lean heavily to one side in this way. A risk premium on the speculative nature of unpredictable prospects, perhaps.
 
In any case, the barstool argument in favor of the trade may be more effective than the mathematical or financial analysis. Gordon and Granite are good players, but their production can be replaced. The Twins have Jermaine Palacios and Royce Lewis playing shortstop in the minors behind Nick Gordon, and have Jorge Polanco and other capable shortstops on the Major League team already. As for Granite, I would not count on him getting enough playing time to contribute much fWAR anyway, the maturing young Twins outfield being what it is. And the bottom line is the Twins badly need starting pitching in 2018.
 
Now compare Cole to Darvish. Fangraphs projects Cole for 3.8 fWAR in 2018, while Darvish is projected only for 3.6 fWAR in 2018. Consider that Darvish’s contract will fetch more than $20 million per season for each of the next five or six seasons; Cole will not earn $20 million over the next two seasons together. Moreover, Cole might be motivated to pitch his best in order to increase his value in free agency following 2019.
 
Through the quiet offseason to this point, and assuming Pittsburgh is still interested in a trade, Cole has looked like a solid alternative to Yu Darvish, maybe even better. Cole is younger and will not tie up salary beyond 2019, and might even present a July trade opportunity for the Twins if the 2019 season goes sideways.
 
Beyond 2018 and 2019, the success of the Twins will depend on their ability to develop their own starting pitching. Darvish might help win some games in future seasons, but those wins will cost a lot of money, and possibly at the expense of extending one or two of the Twins young outfielders.
 
Levine’s "negotiation" with Darvish this winter has put me at ease somewhat. Levine's knowledge of Darvish from their days in Texas suggests to me that the Twins are not concerned about Darvish’s health, nor his motivation to pitch after he signs this nine-figure deal. And a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow; figure on that annual salary at the end of Darvish’s contract to not look so bad as it does now, once those latter years finally arrive.
 
I still prefer a trade for Cole, combined perhaps with a signing of Alex Cobb. But if the Twins really do sign Darvish — and my gut gives them a better than 50/50 chance at it — I imagine I will be amazed, thrilled, and fired up for the 2018 season. Such a signing will instantly put Minnesota almost on par with most other teams in the American League, and will give them a dependable arm for the next several seasons.
 
But it's Darvish’s decision to make. If Levine has misjudged Darvish and Darvish chooses to sign with another team, and other subsequent options fail to break for the Twins, the Twins would find themselves going into 2018 without the addition of a single starting pitcher. For a young, talented team that made a strong run in 2017, this would be quite a blow. To borrow a great metaphor from another TwinsDaily poster in another thread, the Twins are playing a game of musical chairs, and if Darvish signs with another team, the Twins might find themselves without a chair when the music stops.
 
Let's hope the personal relationship and commitment Thad Levine and Yu Darvish have together is real. My gut tells me it is.

All the Hall of Fame ballots are postmarked. More than 100 have been revealed. Of those, only three voters have checked the name of the greatest pitcher I’ve ever regularly watched. Johan Santana’s time on the writers’ ballot looks to be short and unsuccessful.
Others have written compelling and thorough articles about Santana’s case. I’m mostly sad that he’s only 38 and we’re already having this discussion. I want to think about Santana at the height of his powers. I want to remember a game that still resonates with me more than a dozen years later.
It’s 2004. The Twins have won the Central the past two years and they’re in first place now. It’s Aug.1 and their lead is five games over the White Sox.
I’d graduated from college that spring and I’m lamenting the fact that I’m jobless, hours away from the Metrodome and with no money for a ticket anyway. Johan Santana is facing Pedro Martinez today.
But I do have cable television and it’s connected to my fiancée’s 13-inch TV/VCR combo. It’s the only TV we have in the apartment we rented when I was still optimistic about finding a decent job near Morris, Minnesota. I’d be back at home living with my dad in a matter of weeks.
But Santana was pitching this afternoon, so this afternoon things look bright.
After getting Johnny Damon to ground out and striking Mark Bellhorn, Orlando Cabrera hit a home run in the first.
Cabrera hadn’t been all that good that year. But Cabrera had just become a member of the Red Sox. Maybe the change of scenery would do him good. (It did. Cabrera hit .294/.320/.465 for the Red Sox that year after hitting .246/.298/.336 for the Expos.)
Cabrera started for the Red Sox for the first time that day after he and Doug Mientkiewicz joined the Sox earlier in a four-team trade that saw the Twins pick up 19-year-old minor-league pitcher Justin Jones from the Cubs.
Mientkiewicz’s departure was sad, as he joined A.J Pierzynski and Matt Lawton as players traded away after starting for the 2001 Twins team that sucked me back into baseball fandom.
The Twins had stopped grabbing my attention as the ‘90s often found them mired in last place and found me in a new town with new friends who weren’t all that interested in baseball. But the Twins found new life in 2001, and found me, now away at college, with some friends who gave a damn about a pennant race and with access to cable television.
Cristian Guzman reached on a single in the first but was stranded.
Santana retired three straight in the second, striking out Jason Veritek and Bill Mueller.
Corey Koskie doubled for the Twins in the bottom of the second and then scored on a Matthew LeCroy single. LeCroy was catching that day, with Joe Mauer’s rookie season mostly ruined by injury.
Mauer was the first Twins player I can say I followed from the day he was drafted onward, but Santana was the first player I really saw emerge and become a star.
Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones, Guzman, Koskie and Mientkiewicz burst onto the national scene in 2001, but as someone who was just paying attention for the first time in years, they felt a little more established. I knew they were young. I knew they were surprising, but they never existed for me as anything other than Twins starters.
But Santana was a reliever in 2001, and by this point in 2004 I’d watched him become the best pitcher in baseball.
Manny Ramirez homered in the second; the Twins were down 2-1.
That was the last hit Santana gave up that day, but while Martinez’s 2004 was not a great year by his standards, the man still hadn’t posted an ERA above 2.89 from 1997 to 2003. Maybe this was it for the Twins.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lew Ford doubled and then scored on a single from Hunter. The game was tied and it felt a little easier to breathe.
Santana struck out Ramirez to lead off the seventh, but then hit Veritek.
Veritek stole second and went to third on a throwing error from LeCroy.
Veritek only stole 25 bases in his career, though 10 of those came in 2004. This game was one of only 16 that LeCroy started at catcher that year. Sixteen runners attempted stolen bases against him in 144 innings in 2004. LeCroy threw out only one. Maybe Veritek knew something.
With Veritek on third, he scored on a sacrifice fly from Kevin Millar. Santana hadn’t given up a hit, but he’d given up a run and the Twins were losing once again.
Martinez finished the seventh with the Red Sox still up 3-2. He was done for the day.
Santana came out for eighth and struck out two, giving him 12 strikeouts for the day, one better than Martinez.
With Martinez gone, the Twins came out swinging. Guzman and Ford hit back-to-back singles to start the inning and then pulled off a double steal.
Justine Morneau hit a sacrifice fly that scored both runners when shortstop Cabrera committed an error. The Twins were up 4-3 and Santana was in line for the win.
First-year but all-star closer Joe Nathan faced only three batters to secure that win. Santana, the best pitcher in baseball, had bested the previous best pitcher in a game that was very much a pitchers’ duel despite the 4-3 score.
He may never get a plaque in Cooperstown, but Santana will be remembered by me, and I’m sure many other baseball fans, as one of the best to ever stand on a pitcher’s mound.

This article was originally posted back in January, but with Mauer's 2000th hit Tom wanted various Mauer articles. I haven't changed much, but have added more data to support my opinion. I'd also just like to mention that I did not change my opinion on a potential salary for 2019 and beyond despite his torrid start to the season.
 
It's no secret that Joe Mauer is entering the final year of his 8 year, $184 million contract extension signed in 2010. It's also not a secret that Mauer isn't the player he was in 2009 or in the years leading up to that MVP season. What does seem to be a secret, is what thoughts "Falvine" has on Mauer's future past the 2018 season. There are really only three options, which I will breakdown below.
 
1. Stay with the Twins
Personally, I think this is the most likely scenario. He's from here, his family is here, he's spent his entire career here, his personality and demeanor (although frustrating to fans) fits well with the "Minnesota nice" mantra, and the Twins are starting to become contenders. So what will it take for the Twins to keep him here?
 
Since his move to 1st base (2012) Mauer has played 813 games as a first basemen, which is good for 13th most among 50 qualified players. In that same time he has provided a 14.7 WAR which is good for 10th best:
The "good": he's staying healthier, he's getting on base (6/50 in BA and 5/50 in OBP), and he's become one of the best defensive 1B in the game (#1 in UZR in 2017 among 21 qualified players).
The "bad": he'll be 36 in April of 2019 (only 6 qualified players were 36+ years old in '17), he provides no power as a 1B/DH (42/50 in SLG from 2012-2017), despite being healthier he's still good to miss at least 20 games/year not including the days provides no defensive value as a DH.

I think it's fair to assume that 2017 is the ceiling of what we can expect from Mauer in 2018 and beyond, although he has been lights out so far this season. Looking at salaries for players who are currently 36+ years old, 2017 and 2018 contract agreements, and salaries of other 1B around the league I would be looking for the Twins to give Mauer a 2-3 year deal at $8-$10 million/year not including incentives or player/team options. Again, I believe him signing with the Twins is the most likely scenario.
 
I came up with the $8 - $10 million range from looking at the following data.
 
Yonder Alonso signed with the Indians for $8mil per year. Comparatively to Mauer, he provides a little more power, less OBP, and a lot less defense. He's younger, coming off a career year, and also fits the "launch angle" ideal that so many hitters are trending towards. Ultimately, my opinion is that the pros and cons of both players provide a similar value to a team although the type of value they provide are different. I think that provides a sort of base line going into next offseason.
 
I also looked at players that signed in 2016/2017 offseason who were 36+ years old and although the median salary was 7.75 million a few of those guys are getting paid $13 & $16 million.If I were to include 35+ year olds, which is technically how old Mauer will be at the start of the 2019 season, the median is at $8 million and includes Yadier Molina (a career long Cardinal) getting paid $20 million. Although the median is lower, I think the higher deals give Mauer/Shapiro some room to negotiate an above the median salary. Especially if Mauer performs similarliy to how he did in 2017 and/or is able to hit like he currently is for a majority of 2018.
2. Sign Elsewhere
I don't see this happening, but obviously this is a possibility. Assuming Mauer only has a few more years in the big leagues, he could be looking for a team to win now. Now being 2019 or 2020. Depending on what the Twins FO does in free agency over the next couple years the Twins may or may not be legit world series contenders in 2019 or 2020. I hate to say it but with Greg Bird not being able to stay healthy the Yankees may have an opening at first base that would be a good fit for Mauer. Teams like Houston, Boston, Chicago (NL), Dodgers, Indians and Nationals are also obvious contenders, but currently have a player who is under contract at 1st base.
3. Retire
From what I have read/heard, there hasn't been any rumblings that Mauer is ready to hang them up. Doesn't mean it's not something to consider. Honestly, I almost think Joe would be more apt to retire than he would be to sign somewhere else. Moving somewhere else obviously would mean either moving his family or moving away from his family, which I don't think he would want to do.

Hey everyone,
After doing some research, I have come up with what I think is not only a perfect off-season plan for our Minnesota Twins but also a really possible one too. Feel free to comment below I love to hear new ideas and feedback.
 
2018 Plan:
 
Free Agency:
I think because of our success shown last year at the plate and in the field we should be making a big push through free agency to push ourselves to be real contenders for the first time in a while. So here's some needs followed by my wishlist that I would send to Falvine.
 
Needs:
1. Starting Pitchers (Obviously) but good/great ones not lottery tickets
2. DH!!! (Robbie Grossman is a great guy but really should be a 4th OF at best on a contending team.)
3. Relief Pitching (We need upgrades in the RHP and LHP categories)
4. Reliable Utility Guy in the infield (Would like to see Escobar at 3B more than occasionally and Sano preparing to move to 1B and DH more often)
 
In House Options To Fill Needs...
Starting Pitcher:
1. Stephen Gonsalves (It's about time we give him a shot to take that 5th man spot in the rotation)
2. Trevor May (I still believe in him enough to give him one more shot at a rotation spot due to giving up Revere for him)
3. Fernando Romero/Kohl Stewart/Felix Jorge (Not my first choices by any means but wouldn't be a bad idea to give them a real look to see what we have before moving on. MLB is trending towards trusting younger players and this would follow suit)
 
DH:
1. Kennys Vargas (I love the guy as a person but it's time to move on...)
2. Robbie Grossman (See above)
3. Miguel Sano (Leaves a hole at Utility if Escobar moves to 3B until our younger prospects are ready)
4. Brent Rooker (Eventually...Lots of promise in this kid. Can't Wait!)
 
RH Relief Pitcher:
1. Ryan Pressly (I pray every night before bed that he turns into a poor mans Andrew Miller)
2. Tyler Duffey (Decent pitcher with some hiccups, makes my bullpen in 2018 for sure.)
3. Alan Busenitz (Solid Rookie Campaign. Worth more looks in 2018)
4. Trevor Hildenberger (Same as Busenitz)
5. John Curtiss (So much potential but watching his film makes me think he's a AAAA kind of pitcher. Hope he proves me wrong)
6. Chargois/Reed/Eades/Littel/Melotakis/Burdi?? (All have makeup of good options but are not proven and most have injury history
 
LH Relief Pitcher:
1. Taylor Rogers (He can be that sub 3.00 ERA reliever just has to place his fastball better)
2. Buddy Boshers (Nope.)
3. Gabriel Moya (lots of flash but unproven...I believe in him because of the delivery though)
4. Dietrich Enns (would like to see him in AAA working as a starter for possible spot starts in the show)
5. Adalberto Mejia (could make some long relief appearances but I hope he gets a rotation spot)
6. Tyler Jay (Future Closer candidate and gem to watch...you don't use the 6th pick on a guy you don't envision on your ball club.)
 
Utility/Bench
1. Eduardo Escobar (Deserves a starting spot to start the 2018 season)
2. Ehire Adrianza (Good story but the bat doesn't do it for me)
3. Granite (Yes Yes and Yes, very good 4th OF.)
4. Grossman (Trade or DFA we just got his career year)
5. Mitch Garver (Groom him big time this year in the show)
 
Wishlist in Free Agency:
DH:
1. Carlos Santana*** (Pay the money, he fits two needs...DH and Utility, and is a great teammate to have around our young core)
2. Mike Napoli (Only if the price is right otherwise he blocks a spot for one of our prospects to develop)
3. Yonder Alonso ( If he's okay with not playing 1B regularly he would be a definite upgrade over Vargas's bat
 
Starting Pitcher:
(Don't overspend on Arrieta or Darvish...Stretch your dollar)
1. Alex Cobb*** (Again, PAY THE MONEY. His style fits in Target Field exceptionally well and would be happy to be a 2nd/3rd starter. Also, the Q.O. he received may make his market shrink which means cheaper for us.)
2. Lance Lynn (Ehh...good numbers but I'm not convinced he can put those up consistently with the money he will demand.)
3. Anibal Sanchez (1 year prove it deal with a second year option full of incentives. I think he has more in the tank)
4. Clay Buchholz (Same as Sanchez)
 
RH Relief Pitcher:
1. Addison Reed*** (has history closing, will come cheaper than what he should. locks down our setup or closer spot)
2. Trevor Rosenthal (Give him a shot. Might find a 27 year old who flourishes with new scenery.)
3. Drew Storen (Have wanted to see him in a Twins uniform for a while. Has a good arsenal for the $$$ he'll cost)
4. Steve Cishek (Funky delivery. Good Middle Relief guy)
5. Luke Gregorson (Good 7th/8th inning piece)
6. Glen Perkins (Minor League Deal for the heck of it)
7. Pat Neshek (Funky Delivery again but older than Cishek so he worries me)
 
LH Relief Pitcher:
1. Mike Minor*** (I love him! Opted out of his deal so make the Royals hurt because of it. Nasty stuff. Could see him as our closer...ERA could be definitely lower than 3.00)
2. Brian Duensing/ Fernando Abad (Minor League deals or cheap MLB ones. Could regain some magic back in Minnesota)
(No one else because I believe Rogers and Moya can hold down the fort if we get one of these guys...especially Minor
 
Utility:
These Guys have to come cheaper than what they'll originally ask...
1. Darwin Barney (Plays multiple positions and has been in the Cubs locker room...knows how to work with young players)
2. Adam Rosales (Solid Dozier fill in to keep him fresh. Also plays shortstop with decent glove and bat numbers)
3. Erick Aybar (Veteran Leadership...good relationship with Torii Hunter)
 
That's all I have for now please comment below with what you think. This will give us an Elite Lineup and tolerable pitching to hopefully run away with the central (I think the Indians are going to regress and the other teams are irrelevant, now's the time to play our cards and strike!!!) Coming out with trade ideas for the off season soon so stay tuned.

I'm very happy that Joe had a great year. It was nice to see him return to the .300 club.
 
Many years ago I sat in a packed, humid gym for a taping of an ESPN special focusing on Joe - just as contract negotiations were heating up. He had just won the MVP, his second consecutive gold glove, and became the first catcher to lead the league in average, obp, and slugging. When I looked up the details of his contract I noticed that there are bonuses of $25k for each Gold Glove or All-Star Selection. So perhaps his twins will after all get new shoes for Christmas.
 
Anyhoo, I recently ran across a Letterman-style top ten list I created in 2009 for his demands in the big contract. Enjoy:
 
Top Ten Joe Mauer Contract Requirements
10. Any written mention of “M&m boys” must consist of one lower case “m” to denote justin morneau
9. At every home game, must be met at his car by Jerry Bell, Howard Fox, Bill Smith and Dave St. Peter and carried in a Cleopatra-like palanquin into Target Field
8. Opposing fielders must say “one mvp, two mvp, three mvp” prior to moving in any direction in an attempt to field a ball put into play by Mr. Mauer
7. Ten bucks added to bi-weekly payroll every time Gardy says “…and we’ll go from there”
6. Umpires must inquire of Mr. Mauer regarding his opinion as to whether the immediately preceding pitch did indeed cross into the strike zone prior to signaling strike or ball. Said requirement is optional during play in which Mr. Mauer is neither catcher nor batter nor a game in which the Minnesota Baseball Club (nor any future Yankee Baseball Clubs for which Mr. Mauer may play) is not participating.
5. Searchlight added to top of hitting and catching helmets that projects letters “MVP” onto clouds on overcast nights
4. Bud Selig must, at his own expense, fly in and host weekly gala luncheon for all mlb catchers that have won batting titles (no descendants, please)
3. In any situation likely requiring him to slide, Nick Punto must belly-slide immediately under Mr. Mauer to reduce possibility of injury
2. Opposing players stealing second must run laterally so as never to show their back to Mr. Mauer and repeatedly bow during their attempt
1. Two words: Sideburn insurance

After my most recent blog entry from Ft. Myers, my wife arrived to take part in the fun in the sun. Unsurprisingly, time spent at the keyboard diminished to near-zero until I got home. This post represents a condensed and abbreviated review of the rest of my stay in Florida.
 
All baseball and no beach makes Ash a dull boy, at least in certain people's eyes. At left, you'll see circumstantial evidence that Friday morning was devoted to Ft. Myers Beach. Also, below, someone there went to the trouble of constructing a lavish sand castle - but parts of it have a suburban pre-fab cookie-cutter look, I think. Call it a Sand McMansion With Moat.
 

 
Back to the back fields with Mrs Ash, for the afternoon games. Jason Wheeler was the starting pitcher for the AAA team, while major-league closer Brandon Kintzler dropped down a couple of notches to pitch the first couple of innings in the AA game. I peeked at the radar gun for Wheeler and he was sitting at 88-89 for his fastball, with off-speed pitches in the low 80s - same ol' Jason, and I wish him well but the current mindset in baseball doesn't give him much hope for even a cup of coffee in the majors by this point.
 

 
Alex Muren was one of my TD Adopt-A-Prospects when I was pretty new to the site, so for sentimental reasons I still am rooting for him to make it past some recent physical ailments and get over the AA hurdle. Here he is, warming up to relieve in the AA game, possibly touching 92-93 with his fastball:
 

 
Dan Rohlfing hit a long home run in the AAA game. I could show you a photo of his home run trot heading toward home, but you kind of know what that looks like already, right? Ahead of him, Engelb Vielma managed to get on base by a fielder's choice, stole second...
 

 
...and made it to third base on an error before the big blast. If he scores a lot of runs this year for Rochester it may be in this style, because I still don't see enough from him to indicate his bat is ready for the majors.
 
Here, during the traditional mid-game milling-about period (the back fields' answer to the Seventh Inning Stretch?), Todd van Steensel rocks the full-beard look:
 

 
Van Steensel lugged that heavy beard out to the AAA mound and seemed to be throwing gas this day, hitting 94 mph several times that I noticed, with off-speed stuff in the mid-80s. Trevor Hildenberger, next, threw at most 89 mph with his sidearm delivery, but at least one of his mix of pitches was down at 74, for quite a range of speeds to be looking out for.
 
On the AA side, Eduardo del Rosario was also in 94 mph territory, with breaking pitches in the 84-87 range. He did well.
 
The major leaguers played a night game against the Orioles, and I attended along with Mrs Ash and a couple of other TDers. Pictured below, outside Hammond Stadium before the game, TC Bear terrorizes a child with his cold lifeless eyes, while older fans flee in panic:
 

 
Just before the game, there was an appearance by the famous Clydesdales, sponsored by a brand of carbonated water I believe. These are really magnificent critters:
 

 
Oh, and as for the game? It was a bad one, as far as I was concerned. Ervin Santana pitched well, and gave up only one run, but he deserved better because the defense behind him was atrocious. There were errors, or poor plays not counted as such, two by Rosario, one each by Sano, Dozier, and Hague. The home team had a big inning with 5 runs, but late in the game when both teams had the minor leaguers in they gave the runs back courtesy of Tonkin and non-roster hopeful Drew Rucinski (who probably lost a fair percentage of his remaining hope), and it was 5-5 after nine. Naturally, they didn't even bother with a tenth inning. Can you see why I, in return, don't bother coming to (and paying for) very many of the big league games in Florida? Here's my one visual highlight from the game: Buxton going first-to-third on a single to right. Even on a fairly routine play, he's a blur, right? It's certainly not due to any inexpertise by the camera operator, I will assure you.
 

 
Saturday. I spent the morning at the back fields, while Mrs Ash shopped. I discovered after snapping a few photos that I had neglected to put the memory card back into the camera, so there are no pictures to share for that part of the trip. The morning was hardly a total loss, as I still enjoyed the A and high-A games, and I got to meet TD luminary Bob Sacamento.
 
After lunch, we rode with Chief and Diehard to Sarasota to see the big league club take on the Orioles. Here are pictures of Ed Smith Stadium - it's a much nicer facility than I was expecting. The press box:
 

 
... and the view of the neighborhood from inside the park:
 

 
... and the capacity crowd:
 

 
The park was so full because it was fireworks night - the only available tickets were Standing Room, but because we arrived early we had good "seats" nearly behind home plate as you can see, and mid-game a kindly usher located four vacant seats for us pretty near the field.
 
The game itself was crummy again (the Twins brought their scrubbeenies, and never put up much of a fight after Santiago gave up a pair of long HRs), and the biggest lowlight for me was when Niko Goodrum, after having impressed me every time I watched him on the back fields, made a putrid play as a late-inning sub at second base. But hey, the fireworks were good, and so was the conversation, so the night was still a Win in my book.
 
Sunday. It was a day off for the minor leaguers, and we'd had our fill of the big club. So, back to the Gulf of Mexico, this time at nearby Bonita Beach. After a morning of sun and sand, Mrs Ash and I moseyed further south to Naples (be sure to ask Chief about renting Segways online there), and spent some pleasant hours at the Botanical Garden there. They have a nice butterfly cage you can walk through
 

 
and an exhibition of sculptures inspired by origami dotting the landscape
 

 
One should believe the several signs informing you that all the wetlands on the site are inviting habitats for alligators. Here is a fine specimen basking in the afternoon sun:
 

 
Dinner was back in Ft Myers at Fancy's, a southern cuisine restaurant where we shared an order of chicken-and-waffles, plus frogs legs and black-eyed peas and collard greens - it's near Hammond and I highly recommend it. After that, we hustled over to the Bell Tower cinema to see "Get Out".
 
For a totally non-baseball day, it was all right, I guess.
 
Monday. My last morning was spent much as the rest of the trip, on the back fields, chatting with Halsey and ChiTown. I snapped some photos of morning calisthenics
 

 

 
You might assume the above were wind sprints, but they were pretty leisurely. After this, morning drills and skills were the focus. Here's catcher Mitchell Kranson receiving a pitch:
 

 
When it was nearly time to go, I wandered up toward the front of the CenturyLink Sports Complex, and thereupon discovered it was Truck Day. Well, not really. Truck Day is an actual thing in Boston - it's the day, early each February, that the trucks are loaded up at Fenway for the drive down to Spring Training - an event that is usually attended by several hundred Red Sox fans, and for which the team puts together a little parade down Van Ness Street complete with Wally the mascot and various other dignitaries. In the throes of never-ending Winter, it's a confident sign that Spring Is On Its Way. Well, this was different. It was the day the players' cars are loaded onto half a dozen or more trucks, for transport up to the Twin Cities. A confident sign that The Regular Season Is On Its Way. Not as catchy, and not made to be a thing for fans particularly, but still pretty cool:
 

 
And with this, I said my goodbyes and took one last look at the fountains, and headed to the airport with Mrs Ash to face rain and snow for a few more weeks in New England. I hope this little series encourages some of you to give Spring Training a try one year.
 

Thursday morning in Fort Myers, I resolved to take some pictures for once. Arrival was a little after 9, in time again for calisthenics (shown, left). Either that, or the prospects were being put to work erecting a new fence.
 
Fellow TD moderator USAFChief arrived shortly after this, and we shared a great day soaking up all that Twins spring training offers at the back fields.
 
After the players were warmed up, instruction began. Sometimes they do a lot of standing and listening at spring training, in this case to coach Ivan Arteaga (only his white-clad shoulder is visible in this shot):
 

 
We moved to the fields in the far back. Fielding practice ...
 

 
... was followed by every position player's favorite activity, batting practice. This day, it was decided to divide the hitters into two teams for a bit of artificial competition. The players opted for Americanos ...
 

 
versus Latinos:
 

 
The hitters judged for each other, regarding "outs" and "hits", and there was more good-natured joshing than I recall at most Twins on-field activities. Good idea, it turns out. (I failed to notice which team won, sorry.)
 
Drills ended early because the two minor league games were scheduled for 11:00. Chief and I visited the team shop, both downstairs and up, and while inside Hammond we took a look at the upstairs environment. An interestingly different view of activities on the major league batting practice field was available from this vantage point:
 

 
We noticed that the minor league games had started, so we sauntered hustled over to the back fields again. When we got to the AA game, guess Hu had dropped in to pay a visit?
 

 
Yep, Chih-Wei Hu, traded in 2015 for ..., well, it will be less contentious and painful if I don't go into that again, here. Hu turned out not to get a very friendly welcome from Twins bats, as you will infer from how he is backing up home in the above photo. However, later in the game he did saw off the bat of Twins prospect Cristian Castro (who reached base anyway on the play):
 

 
I like this shot of Tom Belza taking a swing. Sometimes it must seem to the prospects that the major league field is only one long home run away.
 

 
Over on the AAA field, you Gotta love this Rays prospect, whose first name is Cade by the way:
 

 
And here, Daniel Palka demonstrates that he's not some punch-and-judy hitter, with that high kick. Reminds me of the old saying: "When you're going well, it's a timing mechanism. When you're in a slump, it's a hitch in your swing."
 

 
Here, Karim Kevin Garcia [thank you Seth] goes out to talk with Mason Melotakis, and Melo apparently gives HIM the encouragement.
 

 
And here, Reynaldo Rodriguez is checked at home plate by a trainer after taking a very painful shot to the lower leg on a foul ball. He did not look very steady as he was helped off the field, either. Owie.
 

The Twins medical staff is under fire again for yet another misbegotten medical decision, and according to sources, some of the doctors on staff are starting to question the team's long-running practice of relying on Yahoo! Answers for medical advice.
 
"We've long been believers in Yahoo! Answers, which has been our go-to repository of cutting-edge medical research," said a source, who's intimately involved with the team's medical staff. "Unlike traditional journals, which can be months, even years behind the time, we've found Yahoo! Answers to be constantly updated and responsive to changing the medical needs of our age. That said, when reviewing outcomes from our decisions, we've yet to see an improvement, and so we're beginning to wonder whether the research is truly up to snuff."
 
The Twins have long relied on the medical advice of researcher "xxx_legday_xxx", whose groundbreaking theories about using weight training to cure both partially and fully torn arm ligaments have long been among the top Google results for the search "how to heal elbow without surgery." After Twins outfield prospect Alex Kirilloff became the latest Twin for whom the research failed, though, several members of the Twins staff started checking into his background.
 
According to the source, the team found that the cutting-edge researcher had also advocated long-disproved medical theories like bloodletting and trepanning, as well as offering a wealth of ill-considered advice about sexual health and making thousands of dollars per month by working two hours a week from home.
 
Despite the team's long-held assumption, investigation was unable to unearth any documentation of what the team assumed was Yahoo! Answers' strict peer-review process, or any sort of vetting process of any kind to ensure that answers were indeed provided by experts.
 
"We're just starting to wonder about this whole thing," said the unnamed medical staffer. "But why would they even put it on the internet if it wasn't true? Who has that kind of time?"
 
At press time, the source was investigating another online journal called "WebMD," but had gotten sidetracked by the looming possibility that his occasional headaches were in fact a sign of brain cancer.

-Shtickball-



An Euphus Pitch of Truth


 
Minnesota Twins First Baseman is in the later years of his career, and says he's finally finding some of the finer things in life as a well paid veteran.
 
"You grow up, you get old, and you find things that you really enjoy." Mauer said after finally showing up to Spring Training "I've had a blast watching my kids grow up, I've had a good time trimming my lawn with scissors, and now I've started smoking cigars lit with hundred dollar bills, and let me tell you, it's just fantastic."
 
Mauer said that he wasn't into cigars in his twenties, believing that they were "yucky", but now that he's 32 and is able to finally afford some of the finer things in life, he came across cigar smoking and found that it was even better when he lit the cigar with a spare hundred.
 
"I was watching the Simpsons, and I saw Krusty the Klown do it, and I was like, hey, that guy had a bunch of extra money laying around like I do, and he's doing that, I should give it a try, it looks like fun." Mauer added, chuckling at the thought of the pasty cartooned celebrity. "It's been extra fun lighting them in front of all the minor league guys at camp this spring. Their faces when they see that hundred just go to waste is priceless. They must think it's so funny they're speechless."
 
Mauer has been known as a quiet type, and not the flashy and flamboyant type that you would typically see lighting cigars with hundreds, but perhaps this is a new Joe Mauer. Mauer says he feels more comfortable in his place in the world as a super rich baseball player, and it's led to more confidence for him to do things he would've consider silly in his younger years.
 
Some of his teammates were perturbed by the news, but ultimately didn't have anything bad to say about the former AL MVP.
 
"I mean, he's got more money than God, why would he not do that?" One Twins player said, choosing to remain anonymous. "It's weird seeing him do something like this, like he's a kid who just discovered breaking the rules or something, but hey, he's happy as hell, so whatever."
 
Mauer said he hasn't really thought about other new hobbies yet, but he's hoping that he might come across some more fun things like this in the future. It's also been said that he's considering getting an Instagram account just so he can follow Dan Bilzerian at the recommendation of a teammate, but he hasn't gotten around to downloading any apps on his phone in the three years he's had it. This very well could be a new Joe Mauer though, a cigar smoking rebel without a cause, and who knows where it could go from here.

This will be my first post and hopefully one of many. Most of my work will be from the sabermetrics/analytical angle as I spend too much time on sites like FanGraphs and Baseball Reference.
 
Today, February 15th, an article was posted on FanGraphs about WAR (wins above replacement) and relating it to the "stars and scrubs" model in forming a baseball team. The article written by Travis Sawchik (http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/is-the-end-near-for-stars-and-scrubs) uses the White Sox as the example from the 2016 season with Chris Sale, Adam Eaton and Jose Quintana being the "stars". Stars, in the context of WAR. WAR is as simple as how many wins the team would have gained or lost if that player were to be replaced by a "replacement level player".
 
To put it in Twins terms, in 2016, Brian Dozier had a WAR of 5.9. So, if a replacement level player had replaced him, the Twins would have somehow managed to lose almost 6 more games. On the flip side, Eduardo Escobar had a WAR on -.6. In theory, if a "replacement level player" had replaced Eduardo, the Twins would have won .6 more games. The stat is calculated by position player (offense and defense) and pitchers. Each is formulated differently but in this case I am writing for just a total war. Make sense? I'll put the actual formula that FanGraphs uses to calculate WAR at the end of the post. Baseball reference explains the concept well here.
 
http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained.shtml
 
For reference, here is a list of total WAR produced by players from last season. No surprise that Mike Trout leads the list at 10.55.
 
http://www.espn.com/mlb/war/leaders/_/type/seasonal/year/2016
Travis writes that those three players had a WAR of 16 combined which is relatively high for three players. If you were counting on three players to come up with 16 wins, I would consider this to be a sort of "stars and scrubs model". The problem this creates is that those three players consisted of just over 50% of the teams total WAR. The chart below from FanGraphs shows the 6 division winners from last season.
 
Talent Distribution of 2016 Division Winners
 
Team --- Top Three WAR players -------- Total WAR ------ Top Three % of team WAR
Cubs = 18.3 = 59.1 = 30.9
Dodgers = 19.6 = 47.8 = 41.0
Nationals = 15.8 = 46.6 = 33.9
Red Sox = 18.2 = 52.5 = 34.6
Indians = 16.2 = 46.2 = 35.1
Rangers = 12.4 = 28.6 = 43.3
from FanGraphs
 
You see a more balanced attack from a WAR standpoint except for maybe the exception of the Rangers who have a lower WAR than most but we all remember what happened to them in the playoffs...
 
Now lets move our focus to the Twins. Would you be surprised if I told you the Twins had the Third worst pitching WAR in the league last season? I didn't think so. Fortunately, Dozier was able to bump up the total WAR. He lead the team at 5.9, the next 5 look like this,
 
Player WAR
Ervin Santana = 3.5
Byron Buxton = 1.7
Eduardo Nunez = 1.7
Rick Nolasco (its true) = 1.5
Miguel Sano =1.3
 
Many other players float around the 0 to 1 mark and 0 to -1. To put it in simple terms. Arguably, it wasn't a good all around season for anyone except for Dozier and Big Erv. Those were also the only two on the list who played a full season. Robbie Grossman would have made the list if he weren't such a liability defensively.
 
Looking forward, FanGraphs has the Twins predicted in a similar spot with pitching again being a problem. Given the market size in terms of salary and how little moves the Twins made its tough to predict a different season from a WAR standpoint unless the young guns like Buxton, Sano, Kepler, Berrios etc. really step up. I, like many others reading this are hopeful that is the case. Even though its been said for years, these players potential is unmatched. Oh no, its my homer side coming out again.
 
Relating it back to the article by Travis, to be successful, a team needs depth and the "stars and scrubs" isn't efficient in most cases. Not only did the Cubs have their top 3 players represent only 30% of the team WAR but had their total position players WAR and pitching WAR were both in the top 5 of the league. Dozier and Ervin Santana represented 45% of the Twins total team WAR.
 
The Twins are in a position where its at the least possible. Stay hopeful fellow Twins fans as we gear up for another season.
 
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for some other geeky stat or stats next time.
 
 
Here is some more information on the calculations of WAR from FanGraphs.
 
Calculation:
Calculating WAR, especially for position players, is simpler than you’d think. If you want the detailed version with the precise steps and formulas, head to our page on Position Player WAR or Pitcher WAR. The short answer, though, is as follows:
● Position players – To calculate WAR for position players you want to take their Batting Runs, Base Running Runs, and Fielding Runs above average and then add in a positional adjustment, a small adjustment for their league, and then add in replacement runs so that we are comparing their performance to replacement level rather than the average player. After that, you simply take that sum and divide it by the runs per win value of that season to find WAR. The simple equation looks something like this:
WAR = (Batting Runs + Base Running Runs +Fielding Runs + Positional Adjustment + League Adjustment +Replacement Runs) / (Runs Per Win)
● Pitchers – While position player WAR is based on Batting Runs and Fielding Runs, pitching WAR uses FIP (with infield fly balls), adjusted for park, and scaled to how many innings the pitcher threw. FIP is translated into runs, converted to represent value above replacement level, and is then converted from runs to wins. This is a slightly more complicated process than for position players and there will be a new post detailing exactly how we do this in the next week or so (stay tuned!)

This post will be my first. It will not be based on any stats, and it will not have much to back it up.
 
The Byung-Ho Park move could mean a lot of things. But I think there is one crazy speculation that has not been made yet. The move could mean Miguel Sano plays more first base this year.
 
This theory really only works if you buy the idea that Sano's future is not at third base. The Twins won't move him just because they want to. I think Sano and the season could give them a reason to.
 
First, they don't really have many long term options at either position.
 
First base has a few more options than third base. Obviously Mauer is the stop gap here. He is signed for 2 more years, and while not the same player as before, the best established first baseman on the team. The concern here is Mauer's health.
 
Here is a breakdown of Mauer's games played the last 3 years
(Source: Baseball Reference Standard Batting table)
2016: 134
2015: 158
2014: 120
Here is a breakdown of Mauer's games played by position the last 3 years
(Source: Baseball Reference Standard Fielding table)
2016
1B - 95
DH - 34
2015
1B - 137
DH - 20
2014
1B - 100
DH - 19
 
Mauer might stay relatively healthy, but we could see that DH stay at 34, or even go up. Which means Vargas will see more playing time at first. Vargas best skill is his bat, but its still up in the air if that will keep him in the majors. It's no guarantee Vargas sticks and Park is not only playing catchup with his career, but it appears catchup with the front office.
 
Without Plouffe - the Twins only have one third baseman, Miguel Sano. And Miguel Sano is it. CBS Baseball currently lists Escobar and Polanco as his backups. Sano is the guy for at least the first half of the season. But there are plenty of questions about his ability to play third base long term. I think it is reasonable to think he struggles at third this year. Or, maybe he even gets hurt and can't play third.
 
So, here is the scenario I see playing out -
1. Defensively, Sano doesn't look like the the third baseman of the future. But his bat needs to stay in the lineup.
2. Mauer plays more DH, and eventually misses an extended amount of time.
3. Vargas gets more playing time, but becomes a defensive liability.
4. Sano starts seeing more time at first base.
 
Who plays third base? I don't have an answer for that. Maybe the Twins tread water with whatever they have at AAA. There is one chip the Twins could play - trading Dozier. Everyone is focused on getting a starting pitcher. Maybe the Twins get a third baseman instead.
 
Tough to say exactly how the front office addresses a season where Sano struggles defensively at third, and they don't have great option at first. But if they can find someone to play third base, Sano could easily find himself at first. I may have started down this path with the finish line, and trying to find a path to it. I think Sano could end up at first long term, and I found a way for the season to play out that way.
 
This being my first post, I'm half expecting someone to point out something obvious that blows this theory apart. Either way, I'm excited to start interacting with the community instead of just sitting on the sidelines. I hope everyone enjoys this!

In light of some posting styles we have been seeing lately on TD, I thought I'd do some venting of my own ... in a blog. The thread that broke this camel's back was this thread, 'It is time to end the insanity.' I've been meaning to address this for a while now, and have here and there in threads when posts become nothing more than venting general frustrations rather than addressing the topic at hand; and redundant threads get started on this same topic of frustration that seem more like rants than opening a new thread to discuss the latest news. Okay, okay ... the general topic of 'This is what's wrong with the Twins' is a topic of discussion ... but we've seen this in several threads already. Obviously there are new salient points that must be addressed, but it is this 'venting' and 'ranting' that becomes a detriment to my and others' enjoyment and participation in the forums.
 
I've always thought the purpose of the forums on TD is for discussion, critical discussion. Yes, with disagreements and passion, but, nonetheless, critical discussion, with maybe a little humor and/or snark mixed in from time to time, no matter what side you fall on with any given issue. Posters have always been encouraged to start threads to discuss a particular topic, or general topic, or a news item you saw, or a blog you read, or a question you have, or a move that was made/not made, management issues, player issues etc. And yes, those discussions will get emotional and passionate as we all have a vested interest in the outcome of the Twins, and have our own opinions on what should/should not be, and often disagree on the best way forward. And sometimes threads do get a bit meandering and off topic despite our best efforts to try and keep them within loose boundaries. But this recent posting style, such as the OP, in my opinion, really needs to be directed towards the Blogs area on this site. These threads, such as the one I made example of, serve no purpose other than to regurgitate a list of generalized complaints and are not focussed points of discussion and only invite generalized regurgitating of someone else's complaints. The title of this thread 'End the insanity' in and of itself just opens the floor to everyone's complaints and soon we have a morass of unpleasant vomiting to wade through. Yes, we're frustrated and I'm not trying to take that away from anyone, not in the least, because well, it IS frustrating, to no end, at least for me. And I guess we each have our own way of dealing, but the Blogs are there for you to let it all out. You want to vent? Start a blog and vent away. You want to have a legitimate, critical discussion, stick to the forums and structure a thread that leads to that; a post or a thread that has been thought out and isn't some generalized rant that has no real basis in reality other than it's some emotional response, not a genuine reading of facts, to what you think should have happened. Don't just vomit up all your frustration for the rest of us to wade through; that's just lazy. Those are the types of threads and posts that keep me from the forums, not the stances people may take on the Twins in general or specifically. If you don't like a topic, you are free to not read it. If you don't like a particular poster, put them on ignore or skip over their posts. So I find myself more and more throwing my hands up and 'walking away' because threads just become unreadable the more this style continues.
 
(Edit: I want to add that the thread I used as an example has generated a pretty fair and decent discussion. Many threads and posts of this 'listing of wrongs venting' have not. I'm in no way suggesting we can't be critical of the team and its management ... I mean, come on, look at the team ... I'm suggesting that don't just start a thread or make a post listing all that bothers you. Try to frame things so we can have legitimate discussions without being critical of fellow posters who might have a differing point of view, otherwise, try starting a blog. If you have to end a post or a thread start with '/end rant,' which this one did not, it probably would be better suited for a blog. They are very useful for 'getting it out' of your system. But given the OP of that thread, it was very easy for all of us to think to ourselves, 'Oy, this again?' and either walk away or get defensive or pile on. The following paragraph stands ... for all and everything. Stop the divisive language!)
 
Another issue I want to address: this generalized characterization of posters some of you think necessary to throw into their posts. This 'The Twins can do no wrong crowd' or the 'Twins can do no right crowd' is hugely disrespectful and dismissive, and from this moderator, will not be tolerated. If you want to divide and pick sides, fine, go play a game of dodge ball, your posts will be removed. Lumping posters into such 'all or nothing' categories because they choose to disagree with a point here and there needs to stop. I try to stay fairly objective, as objective as I can in my own like/dislike of certain topics, in my reading here, despite my own frustrations with the team, but there really are only two or three posters that fall into those mentioned categories on each end of this spectrum. The large majority of posters fall everywhere in between. Yes, some have definite leanings, but I have seen very, very few posters who have blindly taken these all or nothing stances on everything Twins. If all you want to do is read posts only in agreement with you, then you are in the wrong place. It is nothing but smug self-righteousness to declare yourself so right and others wrong and then to label others in such a dismissive way. It's the same with the negative/positive crowd. This is nothing but from your perspective, and your perspective is NOT the end all to defining anyone else. Say your piece. Have at it. And if others disagree, so be it. Have a debate, be open-minded to another's views and why they take them, give them the benefit of the doubt, ask for explanations, and disagree if you just disagree, but don't be dismissive about it by saying 'You're just part of that crowd.' If one poster likes a move and another doesn't, they are not in any of the above-mentioned crowds, they just differ in opinions. And if a poster wants to point out a silver lining or a black cloud, so what? It's their opinion and no one is right or wrong here. I'm not sure why that is so difficult to understand. Does it bruise egos when someone doesn't like your point, or picks it apart with their own interpretation of the facts, or their own use (right or wrong) of various metrics, stats, other numbers? Get over it. Don't double down and hunker down so hard you develop tunnel vision, and resort to the "Oh, you just hate so and so" or "Oh, you just love so and so" as an argument. It's unproductive, lazy and weak. And it gets old, and frankly, loses credibility for the poster who uses that as an argument. And maybe, just maybe, we don't need to fight to the end. When it gets to the point of labeling posters, I think it's time to agree to disagree and just let it go.
 
Okay ... I've run out of steam. Whew! That was so cathartic!!! You should give it a try.
 
See what I did there? Here's how I got started and so can you. There are all sorts of things to click on to help you find your way through the blogs. There's even a tutorial ... which I didn't click, because I didn't need to. So ... have at it.
 
1. On the red menu strip across the top, click on the word “Blogs”
2. Click on the black rectangle that says ‘Create a Blog’
3. Read the terms and rules, then check the box that says you have read and understood the terms, then click ‘Continue—>’
4. Fill in the blanks with the Blog name, Blog description, choose blog type, then click continue.
Example: Blog Name: ChiTown’s Fun Takes
Blog Description: All that frustrates me about the Twins
Blog Type: Local Blog
5. Choose your settings
6. Save
 
At that point you can choose ‘Options’ and then ‘Add new entry’ and go to town. Or leave, collect your thoughts, come back and choose ‘Blogs’ from the red menu strip across the top, click ‘Add Entry’ and go to town.