KirbyDome89

Its exactly the point because the Twins, and writers like Reusse decide to make it a point. If the weight has 0 impact on his defensive or offensive game then what wrong is he being blamed for? IMO you don't get to ask a player to be something that they're not, and then when the experiment fails, turn around and blame the player.

Meh...like I said I don't think the weight has played any role in how Sano has performed in RF.

Sano wasn't out of shape. They guy played 80 games last year and if he would've had a few more it would've been a tight race for ROY. The Twins (b/c they're the Twins) decided to move their 6'4" 260 lb 3B/DH to a position he had never played in life. You can't set up player up for failure, and when he fails turn around and blame the player. I completely disagree with the notion he isn't in shape and needed to lose weight. But, lets say for a minute that he did drop those 10 lbs. Would he suddenly be an average defender as opposed to the minus one he currently is? I highly doubt it. He has been terrible in RF and it isn't because he weighs 260 instead of 250. Blaming Sano is a cop out.

Right?.....They might as well enjoy the few precious Ws they pull off....

Agreed that Sano at 3B would be better than in RF but I just want to be clear that Sano should be at 3B because he's a better defender, which in turns helps the team. He is no more at risk of crashing into a wall or getting hurt diving for a ball than Buxton or Kepler. Injuries are random and they're part of the game. IMO tommy john surgery and a couple hamstring pulls since joining professional baseball in 2010 doesn't make a guy injury prone.

I'm not sure if my response to seeing the words "Nunez," and "future," together in the same article was fear or anger. Hopefully this organization can sell high for once and cash in. I'll be annoyed if he is on the roster after the trade deadline (assuming he keeps playing playing well and has actual value). I'm actually worried the Twins would try to extend him. That would be the most "Twins," move the team could make; extend a guy during a career stretch only to have him turn back into the pumpkin that he is....

You forgot to mention that Polanco would be called up to assume the always important bench spot Molitor has designated for young players. Thats how young players develop at the major league level right?

I assumed the mess you were talking about was watching him try to play RF. I don't think hes a good OFer and I think he would be replacement level at best. The numbers so far show this as well. Since theres only one Sano on the Twins we must be talking about the same guy. Hes the one who is ranked either 1st or 2nd (behind Mauer) in almost every offensive category for the Twins this season. My point is people can stop with the "bad attitude, lazy, doesn't get it, send him to AAA," arguments at any time.

Couldn't agree more, Sano in RF is a giant mess. IMO the responsible party is the Twins. Like you said, Sano is a massive guy. He also had never played an OF position. It shouldn't shock anybody that the experiment has been awful so far. For some reason the FO has received a huge pass from prominent local media this season, and when the FO has been questioned they've shifted the blame. Its infuriating to me watching an organization place a top player in a position to fail, and when failure occurs, they blame the player.

Nice to see a positive article about Sano, and penned by the Strib of all papers. I don't think I'll ever understand where the Sano hate comes from, I suppose people love to hear/give "hot take," opinions. The guy has been one of the best hitters the Twins have this year yet reading some articles you would think hes a cancer. Our friend Mike Max took a shot at him Saturday night. Apparently the best time to criticize Sano is after he homers in 3 straight games. On a side note Max stated that Sano "has been questioned by the people who employ him all season long." Is there anything more annoying than anonymous criticism from a "team source?"

I think the question is who is THIS guy?

wow...page from the old danny santana school of baserunning...I'll take it

Does Santana have any idea what he is supposed to do on the bases?

I see Urias only made it 2 2/3 for the Dodgers tonight....good thing he isn't a Twins prospect or his ticket to AAA would already be punched...I wonder what it would be like to be a fan of an organization that understands how to develop young talent...

Don't bother hustling to get that ball Danny....

Seriously though...baby steps...he needs to learn how to bunt it on the ground first...then he can work on placing it...who knows maybe by the end of the season he'll lay down a successful drag bunt

Bringing up one of the 2 you just mentioned would be a good start. Giving either more than a couple games (1 in Meyers case!) would be nice. A wave of promising young prospects was the plan during all these miserable seasons. Its time for the Twins to make good on their plan; growing pains and all.

I think those words highlight a large part of the problem. The handling of the prospects by the Twins has been more than questionable. Berrios started 4 games. Meyer had 1 start. Even if you think none of them were good starts (personally I think Berrios 2nd and 3rd starts were decent) I don't know how you give top prospects such a short leash before sending them down. Growing pains are part of the process. The Twins have been preaching about the youth movement coming up through the farm system, yet it seems they can't commit fully to what building a young team truly entails. Buxton struggled last year and this year. He spent part of the 2nd half last year on the bench with the Twins. They were so sure he was ready this year they traded Hicks. Then 3 weeks into the season they're convinced he can't handle the big leagues and he's back in AAA. Something just doesn't add up. Buxton in AAA right now isn't a bad thing, but the process by which he landed there again is problematic. Rosario having a down year shouldn't be a shock but I don't think anybody saw a .200 avg. There wasn't much the Twins could do about that one so they get a pass there. Sano will come around. In the last week he's trending upward so hopefully that continues.

So is Santana sent down now after that base running mistake?....

Soooo we just picked up Jordan Schafer part 2....

1) I'm talking about the straw man argument you're using. You're trying disprove my counterpoints via reductive arguments 2) I haven't lost sight of anything. I've been nothing but specific and very clear about my stance the entire time. Please, go back and read the comments I made. I said I didn't mind self policing. I NEVER advocated for it as a primary means of punishment. I'm opposed to the introduction of rules I view as unnecessary, especially when they will attempt to interpret subjective matter such as intent. You have either misstated or confused what I have said multiple times and I have corrected it. 3) What's asinine is yet again twisting what I said. I said you have to consider the cost of additional rules vs. the results and in this case I think the rules will create more trouble than they'll prevent. I NEVER said because a rule doesn't operate at 100% efficiency it is pointless. In fact I believe I told you exactly the opposite of that in a previous post. 4) We've had the subjective vs. objective argument.

Can we option Molitor to AAA yet?......

1) When you continue to argue counterpoints to their extreme to fit your narrative I can see how risk is an issue.... 2) I already touched on the Bertuzzi thing and where the "unwritten rules," come in. I don't want to see umpires attempt to "objectively," judge something that is subjective. You might be fine with it but I'm not and I've already made that point as well. 3) When you bring up the fact that fighting is on a downward trend in the NHL you are directly comparing it to MLB. My counter was that even if it isn't as prevalent in hockey now, it still occurs, and it occurs more often than we see in baseball. You keep saying you want fighting out of the game and implementing more rules will do that. My point is that the trend line won't reach zero, and at some point those excess rules become a hinderance to the game and fail to serve the purpose for which they were created. 4) I already gone over the rules that exist to prevent fighting now. If you're trying to determine intention you're right back at the objective vs. subjective debate.

1) Again if all you can do is argue the point to absurdity then just skip it and move on 2) Honestly Idk how to make it more clear. There was NOTHING that was going to stop Bertuzzi or anybody else who wants to act like that. It isn't in the "unwritten rules," to take a cheap shot at an opponent and put their life in jeopardy. That was a decision one man made in one game, not because it was in the "unwritten rules," but because he became angry and made a terrible decision. People make emotional and irrational decisions all the time, that is why they're called irrational decisions. 3) So no fighting occurs in the NBA? There is a 15 minute video on youtube covering the NBA fights JUST THIS YEAR. I have a hard time believing that the NHL also experiences less fighting than MLB too. Fights happen in all sports. Its a competitive and high stakes environment and people will act out emotionally at times. Considering the number of games played in a baseball season "brawls," are not that common. When they do occur they're little more than some jawing and maybe pushing. So once again, you're NOT going to eradicate fighting.You can't break a set of unwritten rules because they technically don't exist. That is why they're unwritten. I've already explained my position on the addition of more rules to the game. I think I've been very clear in stating that I don't care about unwritten rules and I don't think they make the game more safe. That wasn't the argument. The argument was whether more rules needed to put into place to eliminate fighting during games. My stance is that fighting is already against the rules and it isn't stopping them now, so why would adding more rules make a difference? As I said in the previous post I don't want to see ejections, suspensions, and fines handed out subjectively and I think that is exactly what will happen if more rules are enacted. You made it clear that you would support that! 4) They are fined, and they are suspended. You saw that Odor is out for 8 games right?

Ok I'm all for the paragraph breakdown: 1) That isn't at all what I've said and if you can't understand that don't bother reading any further because I'm sure you'll be just as lost reading the rest. If you do understand my previous posts then feel free to stop reducing them to absurdity. Here comes a line you've heard before. The players operate under the rules laid out by a governing body. They aren't a separate entity that doesn't recognize the regulations of MLB. The "self policing," is like a neighborhood watch, citizens can work together to make sure the neighborhood stays clean but ultimately the only real power lies with the police. Can we move past this militia idea now? 2) Again, I never said the game would be more safe if players are "brawling." What I said was that a guy like Bertuzzi clearly had no regard for the rules and took a cheap shot at another player. My point is that if a guy wants to act that way he is going to. You can have all the rules and regulations you want but it isn't going to end fighting. What I said was there are already rules in place to try to prevent those actions, we don't need any more unnecessary rules. 3) Hard fouls don't happen in the NBA? Did you watch any games this year? I'll say it again, these actions are unavoidable, players are going to fight regardless of the rules. Your beloved slide rule is a perfect example of this. Why did Odor punch Bautista? Because Bautista tried to spike him, a move that is legal even within the parameters of the shiny new slide rule. 4) I'm not advocating for baseball to be a blood bath. I would much rather watch a clean game than a bunch of guys fighting. You said you want the rules enforced objectively yet you're fine with punishments for perceived slights? Idk how you objectively judge something that subjective. Honestly, baseball getting to that point is what I'm worried about. To me that is creeping into Goodell/NFL territory which I don't believe is good for the game. IMO all that brings is a bunch of controversy over ejections and suspensions/fines without a drastic change in the amount of on field fighting. 5) I guess we'll chalk this up to a fundamental disagreement on politics.