ToddlerHarmon
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Everything posted by ToddlerHarmon
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You may be overstating, but just a bit. This team needs to take some big swings* at excellence and youth. While I believe that proven MLB performers get under-valued in the chase for ooh shiny, the Twins are in a situation where lightning has to be given a chance to strike. *NB: not an endorsement of big swinger Outman :)
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The Twins Underrated Path to Contention
ToddlerHarmon replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
This is it: the problem is not that the Twins have no talent and no opportunities for overachievement, it's that they have too many spots where best case is uninspiring. What's the most we are going to get out of Lee, Bell, Larnach, Roden? Even if they all achieve "playable", the rest of the roster is not star studded. You aren't going to win divisions and playoff series with that much mediocrity.- 60 replies
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- royce lewis
- cole sands
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Minnesota’s Three Unluckiest Hitters in 2025
ToddlerHarmon replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
This is the whole deal. The sample size of batted balls last season for all three was small, and when you zoom back, the larger sample size doesn't make any of them look like good MLB hitters. And each of them have notable small samples where they looked great: Outman and Julien as rookies and Clemens in his first few weeks as a Twin. The regression to the mean has already happened for them. The only luck remaining is that they are all lucky to be on an MLB roster.- 27 replies
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- james outman
- edouard julien
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The most-ready impactful prospect might be EmRod, though I suppose you need to see if he is past his injury. To play him every day, either he or Wallner would have to be your DH. IMO add EmRod and Roden. Drop Outman, trade Larnach, and pick between Julien and Clemens. Stare pointedly at Brooks Lee while waiting for Culpepper to prove it at AAA.
- 81 replies
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- ryan jeffers
- josh bell
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This is the whole thing right here. The Twins started the season with above-average expectations and an almost-average payroll. The opportunity cost of playing and paying Correa instead of playing and paying others sunk the team's season, as it was too high a cost for this mid market team to bear. Is that "fair" to Correa? Maybe not, but that's the downside of getting paid $30M a year to play baseball.
- 29 replies
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- dashawn keirsey jr
- jorge alcala
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Hmm. If no starting pitchers are traded, I would guess Topa's option gets picked up in a bid for competitiveness. Gonzalez is more likely IMO to be given a shot on Opening Day than either Outman or the young Jenkins. The roster has no backup shortstop, and I don't think Clemens has done enough to keep that spot. Especially if any one of the corner outfielders can take over first base. So Culpepper instead?
- 67 replies
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- ryan jeffers
- rhys hoskins
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I slightly disagree with the author's statement that Martin's emergence changes no plans: it should have the Twins vetting several of their corner outfielders for first base. It should also give them confidence to move on from the 4A experiments like Outman, Kiersey, McKusker, and maybe Roden. To echo someone above, Martin should be the bar to clear, offensively, defensively, and by age. If you're not clearly better or younger, someone else needs a shot.
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Two bats; if you are spending, you are keeping Lopez and Ryan, and you will need lineup oomph to make that worthwhile. Sure add a bullpen arm, but that is hardly your big spend.
- 64 replies
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- joe ryan
- pablo lopez
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I think you are correct about what is being suggested. But my opinion (and maybe other posters' hope) is that it should only be done if you have an option to actually adopt it. Otherwise, you make it too hard to adapt pitchers that turn out to be excellent into the traditional starter role. Kind of a practice-like-the-real-thing philosophy. I see the most promising possibility for long-term adoption being creating a permanent third category between starter and reliever: a piggybacker who does multi-inning stints at (mostly) regular intervals. That could be valuable for development, for surviving a staff with few 6-inning-capable starters, and for adapting to the inevitable but unpredictable situations of an overworked pen. I could go along with that experiment.
- 44 replies
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- mick abel
- taj bradley
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Ope, Didn't Mean to Let You Have Hope
ToddlerHarmon replied to Chris Hanel's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
Subtitled: How the Pohlad Kids Lost a Billion Dollars in Franchise Value. They didn't have to sign Gray, or Kepler. One $20M/year slugging first baseman, instead of "right-sizing", and maybe the last 2 years we don't collapse. Correa showed them how it could be done, and they weren't interested. -
Pretty much this. It wouldn't qualify as "much", but getting an average-hitting backup catcher might be exactly what the Twins need. Would Larnach even fetch that?
- 58 replies
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- carlos correa
- byron buxton
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If you don't think tearing it down makes sense, why are you trading away Festa and ERod, who have a chance to contribute to winning as early as (checks watch) immediately?
- 58 replies
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- carlos correa
- byron buxton
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Would anyone like to share with the author what year it is?
- 13 replies
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- jhoan duran
- griffin jax
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Rocco Baldelli and the Case of the Missing Lever
ToddlerHarmon replied to John Bonnes's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
While it wouldn't shake the world, and his performance to date has not demanded it, bringing Martin up to replace Gasper could theoretically create an option. If Keaschall and Rodriguez were being held down for any reason other than injury, that would be a mistake. So, yeah. Like Rocco, I got nothing- 59 replies
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- jose miranda
- brooks lee
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The Next Minnesota Twins, 2025 Edition
ToddlerHarmon replied to Steve Lein's topic in Twins Minor League Talk
Given the talent in the high minors and among recent rookies, it seems we should have 2B, starter, and reliever depth to trade from if we want to buy at the deadline.- 21 replies
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- emmanuel rodriguez
- walker jenkins
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Hmm too bad we all want Larnach to get better defensively, rather than be the everyday DH. Otherwise, a Keirsey/Bader platoon in left would be great defensively, and would suffice for batting ninth
- 58 replies
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- jose miranda
- edouard julien
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A useful set of stats taken together with contact rate and exit velocity, I would think. Look at Correa, who maintains a decent threat level by your PullAIR, but has a very high OppoGB, and hits to all fields. If we assume good contact and not too many swings and misses, you have what we know about Correa: a solid hitter that pitchers have to respect, who doesn't make easy outs.
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I don't massively disagree with the rankings, though there is probably some flyover-land discount. As for potential future top 100 players, I think Wallner could put it all together and get there. I'm curious if any relievers at all made the list.
- 14 replies
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- carlos correa
- joe ryan
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A lot of the commentary is taking the uncertainty over Lee's position as an indictment of his defense. Rather, I think he showed he can be a good defender anywhere in the infield. Accommodating everyone else's glove is what creates the uncertainty. With the shift ban and pro-steal rules, I think the defensive priority of the future is second over third. Our non-Lee best case long term defensive options at third (Lewis and Miranda) have shown more viability defensively and offensively than our options at second (Julien and Keaschall). So far. I think it adds up to giving Lee second long term as plan A. But I would not be opposed to using this period of time to test drive Julien as the second base fixture. I also wouldn't be surprised if Lee's bat leaves him as a backup infielder long term, especially if Keaschall keeps hitting and claims second. The Twins moves so far (bringing in short term backups for second but not third or short) makes me think this is exactly the Twins' plan.
- 53 replies
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- brooks lee
- royce lewis
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Sorry, but you're going to have to wait to get irrational about Ty France. If he starts April off super hot, we will still be asking the same thing: "is this what Ty France really is?" We can get irrationally exuberant in... late June?
- 34 replies
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- chris paddack
- luke keaschall
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After seeing the boxscore, I was worried that both Topa and Stewart left with injuries. Perhaps there was no intention to have Stewart pitch a full inning?
- 61 replies
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- justin topa
- jhoan duran
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Not really going to disagree with any of the comments here, except this: Winning it all is worth an awful lot. It is worth taking outsized steps to get players with the skills to perform in the playoffs, which Garver showed. What Texas did is exactly what I would want the Twins to do if it turns out we are one elite bat from contention. And the cost to them was well-contained. Can't say the Twins lost this trade, but a championship says Texas won it.
- 15 replies
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- mitch garver
- isiah kiner falefa
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