Rosterman

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.

Who takes the place of Gant?

Well, we got lots of guys in the bullpen, but are they the core you want for 2022? Can't keep that baserunner on second, can we!

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.

Well, when you starter doesn't finish the first on a one game roadtrip. You have a bullpen full of undefined arms, and the one you wanted to close no one wanted at trade deadline. It is hopeless to wish for nice things, I guess.

Dobnak). Overpaying for a still young Berrios or Buxton, is that bad if you are willing to do it for aging mid-rotation starters or gutsy third basemen. As long as on a team and producing, they can still be trade chips if push comes to shove and you have to shed payroll, or reboot because the group isn't performing as you wish.

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.

In 2016 they inherited a Manager, a farm system, and a draft class. They kept (and still have ) many top executives from the "Twins Family" still in their ranks, but it has only been the past three seasons (counting this and 2020), that they managed to re-format the farm system, and organization, in their dream. The class of 2014 was when the Twins drafted a bunch of pitchers who never panned out. Gordon remains, but names like Burdi, Clay, Reed, Curtiss, Hildenberger have left the Twins and are still looking for that MLB paycheck. Also names like Taylor Hearn, Sam Hillaird, Dalton Gillespie and Mike Baumann are playing in other organizations. Most everyone else is gone or never made it. Players from 2015 either have made the Twins, or are soon to be gone. We have Moran, Stashak on the team from that year. They traded away Blankenhorn, Vasquez and Wade. Wiel was released. Lujan and Cabbage are soon to be free agents. Names like Tyler Jay, Kyle Cody, Colton Eastman, Blake Cederlind, Dalton Sawyer, Johnathan Engerman, Tristan Pompey are still in major league ball. The 2016 draft doesn't have much left in Twins land. Kirilloff, Rortvedt, Jax are with the big club. Balazovic is still in the wings. Baddoo and Wells are playing elsewhere with modest success, as are names like Gregg Deichmann, Sean Poppen and Tom Hackimer bidding time elsewhere. The Twins still have to make decisions on Ryan Mason and Caleb Hamilton. that is it for guys from that draft still in baseball. Now the new administration got to draft. We are in Rule 5 territory with guys drafted in 2017. Ober, Rooker and Barnes have made it to the majors. Royce Lewis should've, but WILL be protected. Faucher was traded away and Rickey Ramirez was stolen in the Milb Rule 5. Names like Johnny DeLuca, Patrick Bailey, John McMinn, Max Meyer, Luke Miller, Griffin Roberts, Joe Record, Gabriel Rodriguez, Chandler Taylor, Cade Smith are in different organizations. The still remaining prospects are Enlow, Leach, Bechtold, Molina, Contreras, Gore - all Rule 5 eligible. Shows you how few players of the 40+ drafted do actually stay in a system for 3+ years. 2018 gave us Jeffers and Larnach. Both are still a bit raw, and we will see what 2022 brings us. But there are still 17 prospects in the system, including names like Winder, Sands, Williams, Gross, Funderburk, Schulfer, Snyder, Pinketon, Neff and Ritter. Erik Cha and Ryan Holgate are playing elsewhere. Winder is the one that needs protection. 2019 has 21 prospects still in the system as well as the FOUR members of the Class of 2020, which was a lost year for many lower level prospects. Cavaco many of us have voiced as being a bust, Canterino, Gipson-Long, Holland, Prato, Legumina, Mooney, Julien, Varland have given us some notice. Right now, the Twins are sitting with some 120 prospects that they have signed, traded for, working on developing in their DSL program. Probably going to see close to 12-18 cut shortly, but they did sign 12 of their 21 class of 2021 whoa re all in play in Ft. Myers. Can the Twins also trade from minor league depth? Yes. So, yes...let's wait and see what comes from the two guys the Twins hired AT THE END OF 2016 who inherited whatever the Twins were fielding, and starting in 2018 was able to start their remake/remold of the team, only to have the minors shattered in 2020. And, remember, we are also working with revenue losses in 2020, and probably 2021. The Twins absorbed a lot in 2020 by paying many minor league folks a full salary, as well as keeping most of the operations staff under contract. Compared to over all budget, it was cheap...but still had to keep Ft. Myers going. This year has been tough. Remember, they signed a bunch of guys like Happ and Shoemaker and Simmons and Colome as placesetters, hoping folks like Duran, Balazovic would be pitching and Lewis would be in the field by now. They expected to have Kirilloff in the line up, but more the second half than the first, which is why they had quite a few minor league free agent corner outfielders in the mix, as well as Cave who was out for a significant amount of time. And do wish that Garver would've kept Jeffers, perhaps, in the minors for more of the season. When they signed Donaldson, Miranda didn't look like he did this year (and can't quite understand why they aren't letting Miranda get at least 20 games of MLV ball under his belt going into spring training). I'm sure we also expected quite a bit more from Dobnak, Thorpe and Smeltzer. It's hard to think the Twins have had only five general managers in their history. One being Griffith doing everything to keep from hiring others, Fox as the wedge between Griffith/Pohlad, MacPhail was the first true modern GM, from outside, and was wooed away because he was good. Terry Ryan took the job, but really didn't see it as his career. Bill Smith was a good baseball man, but NOT a good baseball man. And with Levine and Falvey the Twins actually went outside the organization HUGE BIG TIME to bring in bright, YOUNG, innovative administration. Anyone else new coming in would just also tear things apart. Or we just promote the same tired bodies from within and always a series away from going deep in the playoffs, if we can beat most everyone in the division. I'm still hoping that Levine and Falvey will take us beyond being competitive IN THE DIVISION to being the team to beat in baseball. They supposedly had a five year plan for 2018-2022. Because of 2020, I'm willing to give them until 2023.

You trade players in your minor league system for other players in a minor league system, as long as they are not on the 40-man roster.

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'm starting to like the Twins bullpen for 2022. Rogers, Duffey, Alcala, Farrell, Coulombe, Garza, Moran, Minaya. They still need a real closer.

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.

Too bad Strotman wasn't available, having pitched yesterday. This is a way that would like to see him get at least a game in the majors.

Insurance, if you have it on a contract, is usually if it prevents a player from performing all season, in most cases, or is career ending. I am not sure what MLB workman's comp is like, or who pays.

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.

I am so disappointed that we aren't getting any looksee at Duran or Balazovic. I will also be sad if Strotman isn't given a major league look. He should be on tap for such a thing. As much as my favorite Jax. Smeltzer and Thorpe have worked themselves out of the picture. Are they worth keeping on anything but minor league depth? Enlow will be rehabbing, Canterino will be at AA, Sands will be at AAA. But as this year with Ober, Barnes and Jax shows, you never know. Maybe Bryan Sammons will be the diamond in the surprise box. Whatever the solution, anyone on the 40-man better be ready to pitch at least a few games in 2022, otherwise...why.

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!

A guy who has risen steady thru the system, but that lost 2020 basically made him a minor league free agent ending this season. With luck, he moves up to AAA for a few games and the Twins resign him (or 40-man him). He offers us much the same as Rooker - an outfielder who can play 1B. Shown more power (but also strikeouts). Is there still room for him in the wins system? Would he contribute to any major league team? Again, if 2020 hadn't happened, this would've been a good season of him playing AAA ball. Now, still unknown if he can hit more polished pitching.

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!"

Looks like the Twins fielding! Go Nelson! He didn't even lose his Helmet.