Rosterman

All four full season teams are winners so far. But the Saints have a challenge to stay that way now with two extra weeks of play.

Be interesting to see if he stays with the Twins organization. Somehow he got bumped by Celestino who has a similar skill set. Wichita, having baseball back, has to be an exciting place with a winning team. Twins AA ball teams usually do pretty darn good.

Tough tough list. Ober isn't getting to decision time at all. Can he have an opener, perhaps? Thielbar has excelled, but not much to being a setup man on a losing team. With Rogers gone, he was the heavy-carrying lefty, until Coulombe came on the scene (also underrated). Can Col-B and Farrell (and Minaya) be the core of a bullpen in 2022? Do we think Thielbar will stay on par or excel even more? Is Rogers still in the mix as setup, or are we going to play him at closer and forego getting a real closer for the team. Can any Twins pitcher pitch an extra inning with a runner on second and get out of the inning? At one point we were happy with Garlick, and rooting for Refsnyder. It's too bad there isn't anyone else the Twins could be running out at catcher.

That's right. Wichita will be playoff bound, which is good for that team. My only gripe for NOT bringing up a pitcher in a bad year for a team, is that it IS the perfect opportunity for them to get the Big League debut out of their system, and especially give them something to work towards in the off-season.

I'm still a little ticked. Strotman should be pitching and getting 4-5 starts with the major league club. Balazovic and Sands could be pitching in St. Paul and also getting 4-6 starts, or x-amount of innings. With Balazovic coming to Target Field to even piggy-back in Ober starts, since Bailey can't go five innings.

The Twins still need the same TWO things they needed last season, a starter (who this year) would be better than Berrios, and a real closer. Both could be expensive, but the money spent on a bunch of lesser talents could be pooled for a bigger expenditure. Or, if that doesn't work - trade.

I'm seeing the Twins not having a .300 hitter come season's end (except for the departed Cruz). Arrgh! And so many in the low, low .200's, or fighting to get to that number. But, hey...as long as every player hits .200 and the team gets 200 homers........

I pegged that Ryan would be an okay starter, but that he would eventually suit out as a closer. Works fast, nice mix, will challenge hitters. Have to see how the buzz and video follows him as he works thru the lineup multiple times. Can he do it consistently? I say, go for the rotation as loooong as you can. But he is an arm that should have a solid career in the major leagues.

When do we get to see Luke Farrell again?

I would love to see Cruz return for another encore with the Twins. But then, we have Donaldson at third and Sano at first and Garver catching. No room in the inn for Kirilloff at first and Miranda at third. But if you look at Cruz as being that BIG bat off the bench, maybe playing 80-90 games, then okay, I guess. The Twins could do worse. Then they have Cruz back and also two pitchers who could do major league time.

Man, the Year of the Pitcher, when they changed the ball and batting averages fell and people accept that you can possibly win a batting title again and not hit .300. Of not have a .300 hitter on a team at least (Go Twins!). The Twins rotation was pitiful. Besides refusing to pitch five innings at a time, can you heap much praise on Happ or Shoemaker as free agent saviors? Naw, they have been sent elsewhere (where they are actually pitching better, shades of Lance Lynn). It was the year Smeltzer and Thorpe were going to shine and show they belonged in the rotation, if not the pitching staff, along with Dobnak (shades of Joe Mays and Nick Blackburn) who got a longterm deal but could be waivered out and unclaimed because...of the salary the Twins gave him. Jax and Barnes reminds you that many rookie pitchers have tough times in their first partial major league season and might find better luck in the bullpen., Speaking of the bullpen, Colome stunk up in the beginning sending the Twins into a spiral when it came to extra inning games. He was basically the 26th man and didn't draw any trade interest thru mid-season (shades of Michael Pineda not being wanted), and now he seems to be bucking for an extension from the Twins. I would almost rather see Duffey given a chance at closer, he will be here in 2022. But the other mess of musical chairs: Burrows, Barraclough, Garcia, Gibaut, Law, Vincet, Garza, Minaya, Coulombe, Farrell, Stashak, Thielbar. At the least we flipped Robles. And other teams saw interest in Waddell and Shaun Anderson (go figure). What to do about catching. Jeffers has gone the season hitting around the line of such famed Twins catchers as Jerry Zimmerman and Phil Roof. But he has power punch. Calls a decent game. And his backup Ben Rortvedt makes us dream of Drew Butera. The Twins improved their infield, with Polanco moving to second, Simmons at short, Donaldson at third base and Sano holding down first. Problem is, Sano has 14 errors in 94 games. Polanco has made 14 errors in 93 games, Simmons 11 in 115 games, and Donaldson has played 78 games and made 12 errors. Infield has been the finest moment for the Twins, with Arraez playing 33 games at 2nd (7 errors) and 41 at third (7 errors) besides making 4 in leftfield. Astudillo has played C, 1B, 2B, 3B. They kept him out of the outfield. But his value is that he can catch, which he really hasn't done...or be that bench bat, but can you do better? Nick Gordon has made 7 errors in 18 games on the infield, but only 1 in 26 games in centerfield. The outfield has been a disaster. Left field has seen the Twins use Garlick, Larnach, Arraez, Refsynder, Rooker, Gordon, Cave. Humm....how many also played in right when Kepler wasn't playing well? And who was our centerfielder when Buxton was hurt? Kiriloff did 33 games at the corners, but also 25 at first base. When you start looking at the Twins roster, the only guys that played their position ONLY were Donaldson, Jeffers and Rortvedt, Blankenhorn and Riddle. Even when Tzu-Wei Lin was up for a game, this guy played the outfield, a position he usually only played after tolling in the infield. Amazing that the Twins didn't get Cruz in the field this year! One hates to single out players with a "stink up the game" list. You really don't need to do that as is it really fun to rag on players, when their stats usually speak for them. And, at times, it is a team effort. That is what we saw in 2021...a team effort. New baseball, extra inning/double-header strange rules, lots of injuries, strange managing but it does really work when most of the time a player is standing right where a ball is hit. Go figure that. Except in the case of...Our Twins!

A shutout! A SHUTOUT! AGAINST THE INDIANS!

WQho can go from that mighty bullpen so we can see Moran. And maybe Hamilton? Of course, the Twins want to give work to Pineda and Colome, sicne both will be such fantastical parts of the team going forwards. Can't wait to see the roster decisions when Thorpe and Smeltzer return!

"Hi, my name is Roy Hobbs. They told me you need some help." "How old are you son." "Younger than that coach, but older than you, Manager." "Can You Hit?" "Only if I can use my own bat, and if one of your guys is on the mound pitching." "We got a former Twin on most every team. Be ready to suit up...Roy, is it?" "Sure is." "Pretty good looking for a ballplayer," "Well, then make sure they get in real close with the camera for my at bats!"

Who the Twins haven't advanced Miranda, Hamilton and Moran is beyond me. Also, might as well let Strotman come up and get clobbered. Learning experience for a future Twin. You are letting Jax take his lumps. I was hoping to see Balazovic for at least one game. Less than two weeks of Wichita ball left. Will he come to Saints land to end the season. For some reason, not excited about the return of Pineda,

Vinny Nittoli will be the next call-up and will get us out of the central cellar! Make My Words!

The good news is Simeon Woods-Richardson threw 40 pitches on scoreless ball in his first start for the Twins. He only walked three batters. Struck out two and...well...humm.....wait....was he playing the role of opener? I'm thinking if the Saints want to return to their winning ways, they have to make a deal with the Minnesota Twins to get Andrew Albers and Griffin Jax back into their rotation. Hummm...let us bring Balazovic up to the Saints for a day, and then trade him and Strotman to the Twins.

They never really do. Giving a Donaldson contract to a starting pitcher? They had their chance with Berrios, maybe last off-season. And, why would someone come to Minnesota...now. Look at expensive arbitration pitchers that other teams may not want to keep (Boyd at Detroit). The Athletics have pitchers they don't want to pay. Even as a one-year rental, it all depends what you need to give up in trade. Otherwise, comeback pitchers (been there, done that). Albers, Gant, Thorpe, Smeltzer, DObnak with Ober in the wings is the 2022 rotation. My call! St. Paul has Stortman, Ryan, Sands, Jax, Barnes.

ting to feel bad for Strotman. A 40-man spot on the pitching rich Rays who suddenly find themselves with some arms they would rather keep. To the Twins, a wide-open starting field, and I'm sure he is pressing himself to shine, and sometimes that works against you. Seeing other arms go to the majors (including Albers who was not on the 40-man). And some of those arms NOT doing well in the long-run (Jax and Barnes). Strotman needs a chance as much as anyone. Get him a couple of starts in the majors. What's the worse he can do...give up 10 runs in five innings? That would be a lot of pitches and a learning experience. Maybe he can pitch five innings with one bad three run inning. That is a learning experience. The same can be said for the bullpen. Hamilton and Moran both have to be wondering just what do they have to do to get a call to the majors after watching Garcia, Vincent, Burrows, Barraclough all added and basically discarded. Wouldn't the Twins want...keepers? Sure, the Twins have found some life in Gibaut, Garrza, Farrell, Minaya, Coulombe. But who are the two best relievers in St. Paul for msot of the season. The guys are hungry, and start to make mistakes, and then the front office finds excuses not to call them up.

Whoever the Twins sign, they need the ability to eat innings. Odorizzi was lucky to go five in a game. Pineda isn't giving full seasons. Can the Twins find at least one workhorse that can push towards 200 innings and a couple of guys who can reach and go past 150 innings. Most of the rookies will be pressed to go 100-120 innings in their next go around (Duran, Balazovic, Enlow, Canterino with Sands, Strotman, Jax, Ober, Barnes, Ryan on the higher end of that spectrum).

I picture Kirilloff being the perfect 1st baseman. Wonder how Miranda will do at third, Arraez seems to have a weak arm for throwing across the diamond. Once again, what to do with Sano. (Or Donaldson). Right now, the Twins are a mess. Are you going with power strikeout pitchers, ground-ball pitchers, fly-ball pitchers? They know not what they have. The Twins seemed with the Simmons and especially Donaldson to want to shure up the ground ball defense for Dobnak and others like him. Only works if those guys pitch.

Buxton is making that $80 million Twins offering look tempting to himself!

Speaking of incredible hair, remember Taylor Motter. now hoping to come abck with the Red Sox? https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/taylor-motter-of-the-seattle-mariners-flips-his-hair-after-news-photo/670931828

Moran needs to be protected, bigtime. He was eligible for the Rule 5 last season, but wasn't taken. He ahs shined at AAA ball and deserves a chance. Cano, now he doesn't need to be protected at all. Old at 27, but just three years in the system. Was hoping Erik Manoah was going to continue to shine with his advancement. That's why you advance pitchers, challenge them. Ian Hamilton continues to be rock steady, but overlooked. Some other names lower down to watch are Donny Bentley, Zach Featherstone, Osiris German and Zaquiel Puentes!

I saw we use an opener in the opening game, followed by Ober...who could possibly get the win if he only pitches four stellar innings (or three) and the bullpen doesn't blow it.