Rosterman

Would look like Ober, WInder and Varland pitching against Cleveland. Question is how do they shuffle in Ober (probably for Sanchez after he gets another use in the Bundy start). Varland would be the doubleheader add. The outfield is...pathetic. When Polanco comes back we can see...The Return of Gordon! And, if Kepler is laid up, let's just bring up Wallner...over Contreras (sorry, Mark).

The Twins are far from a scary lineup. Once again, first and third. Can't put possible stolen base fear with Gordon at first. No one can get at least one runner home. Go figure. The outfield depth is zero. There is no bench. Would Wallner help? Of course, Polanco and Buxton would help. Anyone else in the minors? AZ bench of Caleb and Billy Hamilton, Celestino, and Leon/Sanchez is just not cutting it. Kepler needs to sit. Well, at least all the members of the Twins bullpen got work in this series before the Monday off day. When is Varland coming back? And who gets the 29th call for the Guardians double-header (Smeltzer?). Is Ober gonna be ready for that start? Below .500. Weren't we 10 games over at one point this season?

I find it interesting advancing Shuffield, a 2022 draft signee, to AAA. Why not Lee? Wallner deserves to be in the majors more than Cave, Billy Hamilton. Especially with the wounded outfield. Put Kepler on the IL and bring in Wallner.

Kepler batting cleanup? Why not get that extra at bat and have him bat lead-off. Wait, let's have Garlick lead-off and Kepler back second. And, it's only Cleveland. Let's rest Correa, Arraez in the same game.

Once again, the Twins don't give up! Sands, FOUR walks and two hit batters. Thank goodness for a double play. But talk about a 39 pitch inning with few strikes. We all wanted him out. He ate some innings, gave up anotehr run putting the team deeper in the hole. Good or bad? Well, at that point Baldelli felt it was a B-game and we were to see Megill and Pagan. A game with four pitchers that shouldn't be on any contending team, if you are really contending. But is there replacements? Winder, Ober, Larnach, Jeffers at some point are expected back. 40-man roster spots have to be found for all.

I can live with ALL these guys going away (okay, maybe not Encarnacio-Strand - but who knows what the Twins first base/third base needs will be in, say, 2023). I'm happy if Tyler Mahle and Jorge Lopez can give us a 2023 and hopefully eturn in 2024. I would like to sign Michael Fulmer over going to arbitration with Pagan. I would welcome the return of Sandy Leon as minor league depth. I would love seeing him work with our young pitchers at St. Paul - considering the Twins now have 10 candidates for the season rotation, at some point, in 2023.

I almost felt the manager gave up but the players didn’t, and then there just isn’t really the offense to keep things happening (we need Polanco and Buxton and even Jeffers). If Kepler is hurt, stop sending him out. Bring up Wallner.

The joy of the playoffs is that you can get by with 3 or 4 starters. Piggback those guys. But the key will be a healthy and productive lineup. We still need Kepler. We need Jeffers. We don't need Sano.

Y'know...yes, this is a positive. Seems Sano ahs always been the question in the room. We need to play him at third. We need to bat him higher in the order. Put him in the outfield to get him to play. Finally had to play without him. Do we need him? Nope. The other joy, I dreaded Baldelli having him and Sanchez bat back-to-back in a game, which no doubt would've happened repeatedly, both coming up with the bases loaded and no or one out.

I'm trying to figure out the pitching order for the rest of the season, if an when Ober and WInder are added back in (at the expense of whom ?), and if Varland can get 3-4 more opportunities to start.

He was our #1 in order starter to begin, which means he was matched up against better pitchers early on. Not that it means a whole lot if only pitching five innings or so. Mostly a work in progress. He has to master usage of his slider. Just how he spots his fastball, he would have the making of a dynamite closer. But unless he really starts to flounder nd is by-passed by others, he is a solid rotation arm...for now. Mid-order. He also will egt the innings this season, which is a plus. I also notice that he pitches better when he dominates the speed that he delivers a pitch. Maybe the revised pitch clock, batters staying in the box will help him. I like when he seems to have a thjrowing plan and just does it. But, like in his latest start, someone like Aaron Hicks really worked him in the initial at bat, which seemed to throw him off a bit. Plus the base runner pressure he received is soemthing he has to figure out. We forget that he is a rookie. We also have to remember that the pitching rich Rays found him disposable. Which doesn't make him a bad pickup, just not the stud we may think we were getting.

They did it! Unbelievable!

Sanchez will not be worth the money he may be seeking. But he may be worth the money he is worth. Chris Williams is showing some...grace. But the last thing the Twins need is a catcher that can play other positions. They need a catcher who can catch. Be interesting to see the status of Ben Rortvedt in the off-season. Does he remain on the Yankees 40-man. Not that would be turning cartwheels to bring him back. Man, that Sandy Leon can sure...bunt.

When we were looking at Ryan and WInder in the rotation at the beginning of the year, the thought was "what happens when they hit 125 or so innings, who takes their place." Of course, thought Sands, Balazovic, Enlow...whatever. Griffin Jax was the innings workhorse, followed by Sonny Gray, coming into 2022. So, the giving pitchers short starts, which was workable when you were carrying 14 pitchers at seasons beginning and still having the shuttle with St. Paul, you will get 30 starts from the arms and a push towards 150 innings, something to build on in 2023. With the pennant push, and a lineup that has trouble giving you runs, the Twins continue to rely too heavy on bullpen arms, which half-the-time aren't that good. Even the best bullpen pitcher is going to have a bad run thru a couyple of players in a game. Few have been brilliant. The Twins are a .500 team right now, but that is because of injuries, and a lackluster offense at the plate, for the most part. Yes, I want to see rotation arms go into the sixthy (or even 7th), consistently hit the 100 pitch mark. It is a given that even on their best days, a starting pitcher is going to give up runs...be it two runs or four runs in a start. Just like a relief pitcher is going to allow a inherited runner to score, or a pitcher is going to give up a hit or a walk or both in any given inning.

Mismanaged game. I'm sorry, but getting tired of pulls of a starter. A starting pitcher can give up 1-2-4 runs in a start. That is NOT a bad thing. Six hits, a couple fo walks. 100 pitches. Hamilton is a pinch runner. You want him, especially if you get to an extra inning, to be that runner on second. The love of Megill. Put on the 40-man in the off season. Managed to be gone, then back on. Okay bullpen arm, but not when contending. Sorry. Placesetter. I would've gone with Moran, or Davis.

#1 - The lack of a closer. You don't win championship with closer-by-committee. Add in the fact that you are going to pitch starters only five innings for most of the season, you better have a solid bullpen pipeline plan. For some reason, the Twins didn't feel Rogers would be the closer, or they felt whatever $$$ was too much for a lefty set-up guy. The fact that they sent along the salary cash to San Diego totally confused me. On paper, this was a plus trade: Paddack was supposed to be a part of the rotation, albeit another guy who would probably be carefully used to get 30 starts and 150 innings. We are getting neither. Pagan was a gamble (like Colome last year). Okay if you aren't winning games and need a closer. But to rely on him for saves - forget it. Siging a Smith is okay for a moment, hoping to change him out at midseason. #2 - Sano. One expected anything from him that was more than what the Twins got. In his potential "walk" season, or option season, he became deadwood. Left the Twins vulnerable at first base and designated hitter. Sure, it has been nice that the Twins have been able to rotate guys thru the designated hitter position, and after a slow start Miranda has become the multi-position guy without a position. No one would say that Arraez would be playing the most innings at first base. Even Kirilloff, who was supposed to be the first base guy of the future was trending more towards the outfield. I'm just glad Miranda is NOT in the oufield. #3 - The outfield. We are seeing one of the issues of an incentive-laden contract based on games played. The Twins just have to hope that they can get $100 million production out of Buxton for the length of his contract. But like how signing Mauer for an expensive longterm contract because he was a catcher, Buxton was signed because of what he brings to centerfield. That we are in the division hunt with an outfield of Celestino, Cave, Garlick, Billy Hamilton, and a trending down (and maybe injured) Kepler...makes one want Gordon back in the outfield rather than subbing at second base. Injuries have really shown in this arena. No Kirilloff. No Larnach. If the Twins weren't still contending, would've been nice to put Wallner out there. #4 - Rotation. Who would've thought that Bundy and Archer would be leding the club with 24 starts. Okay, Ryan has 21 and Gray 22. All four are above 100 innings. That is good. And look to finish out the season. Nine other pitchers (Smeltzer 12, Ober 7, Winder 6, Paddack 5, Mahle 4, Sands 3, Sanchez 3, Gonzalez 2, Varland 1) either show that the Twins have a lot of depth, or..... The Twins have Balazovic, Henriquez, Strotman, Enlow on the 40-man. None will pitch for the team in 2022. None of the four have actually put up numbers that would make you want to keep them beyond this season. 17 pitchers mentioned above. No #1 starter emerged. The amount of innings pitched have hurt the bullpen. #5 - Field management. I have long given up on line-up management, from the days you try and bat as much one way or the other against certain pitchers, of the need to bat R/L/R/L/R/L. So much analytics. Which batters work the count. Who is better to have try to be on base for someone who puts it on the ground. Can players adjust against the shift. Why do pitchers throw perfect balls to hit, that are hit, and hard...but the fielder is standing right there. Anyone know how to bunt? Baldelli seems to have settled down to a more basic lineup (why would Garlick ever bat first). But then we have the bullpen, having to come into a game in the 4th or 5th inning consistently. Worked fine when you had 14 or even 15 pitchers. But too often semed to be a bullpen usage chart with pre-ordained "who is pitching today and when" (okay, I know that is pushing it, but....) on the wall. Was Wes Johnson that good that the pitching fell apart when he left? #6 - Did I expect the Twins to be competitive? Well, it seems like the potential "come to the game" crowd is ignoring baseball, coming off a COVID no-no, a partial TV only season, and a player strike. Going downtown Minneapolis, especially riding the light-rail, isn't high on the list of many these days for some odd reason. The Twins are winning. But barely. The good part is that so are the White Sox and Indians...still. No one ran away with the division, although with a few well-bullpened games the Twins could've been sitting on a substantial lead. A lot of empty seats. But the team is playing good baseball. Getting hits, scoring runs, having close games. Player ups and downs. Lots of young talent. If you go to a game, the atmoisphere is great, the skyline gorgeous, and the food decent. Unless they totally tank, the Twins will have a decent season.

Did the Twins catch a roster break, able to add Varland as an extra guy for the double-header? They still have to make a 40-man move. Remember that they also have an upcoming double-header happening with Cleveland.

Welcome Louie! Nothing more memorable than your first major league start in Yankee Stadium!

Three of the four previous winners came down-to-earth when advanced up a league. Sigh!

The Yankees may look weak, but the entire eastern division is better than the central division, in most ways...because they have to play each other more. The B-squad out of the pen. Finally gald to see Davis. The Twins will have ahrd decisions if they decide to bring back WInder, Ober or Dobnak. All involved making 40-man decisions when they come off their rehabs, too. Not that the Twins don't have choices. But they would also have to make 40-man decisions for Larnach and Jeffers, too.

We still have a month to see if he is the closer we needed for thee season. Yes, Duran should probably be closing. He ahs earned it. I';m surprised, thoiugh, that Baldelli seems to have little faith in Pagan, Megill and hasn't used newcomer Davis (I would've pitched him to begin the 9th on Sunday). The only joy is that these three are on the bubble if the Twins need to find space for Winder, Ober and...maybe, Dobnak. Also, at this point, I would've rather taken a flyer on Sisk than sign Austin.

Teams do have Fall Instructional play, usually for the newest and other low-level prospects of note to get some extra one-on-one coaching. They usually play short competitive games amongst themselves for a few weeks (starting soon). The Arizona Fall League is usually the TOP PROSPECTS from A/AA levels competing. That, alone, is worth is. Players playing are much closer to each other in age, are the best of those levels, and most all do reach the majors, albeit briefly, in their careers. The difference between playing pick-up abseball amongst a group of your own, and being on the field against another team with a desire to win....well, the pitchers are not worrying about throwing inside. Usually the teams have a coach, so players won't mingle and exchange views and stray too far from an organization plan for how they should bat, pitch or field. It was also a way for a more controlled environment for upper level prospects to play. You would rather supervise them in Arizona then have them go off, as "top prospects" and play in the various winter leagues just to keep their game on. And, remember, minor league seasons ended a tad earlier. As long as MLB is footing the bill for this form of player development, I say go with it.

No. So do you sign him after the draft? Pay him too much that another team won't sign Rule 5 him if you do sign him?

Disaster for Peacock and Smeltzer, hurting their chances for any callup, I imagine.

Is he eligible to be a minor league free agent?