ewen21

That's all you need to say right there. Mauer went entire seasons where he didn't pull more than five or six balls in the air. Once he got to 2011 his ability to turn on a baseball was almost non-existent.

Look here BOY. I say.....listen here BOY.....you start hittin' ...I say....or we send you back to St. Paul

I was thinking the same thing. What is with that kind of superlative this early in his career? A "phenom" to me is a player who has juice nationally long before they have arrived, like a Bryce Harper. Very few of these exist. I just hope Walker can someday become an above average everyday player. In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing this organization produce three or four of those. No need for the "phenom" label and some player to throw rose petals at.

I would say Jenkins doesn't face any real pressing questions to answer as of September 2026. It is way too soon for this. He is only 21 years old and he is only five games into his career.

Torii was probably my favorite Twins position player when the Twins wouldn't give him "Gary Matthews money". He was very much tied in with our Twins. After retirement he came back to be a special instructor during spring training. He's been doing that for the Angels now. Something happened with the Twins and Torii. As quirky and hard to handle as Torii could be he was an absolute grinder. I 100% respected his toughness and drive to play every day, all out. As soon as Torii and Johan left, it felt to me like the cajones left with them.

If the Twins tell him he will not be resigned sometime in the middle of next season that forces him to make a decision to either bet on himself and test the market or simply retire. The Twins don't own him a damn thing. We are not obligated to make this guy "a Twin for life".. Why doesn't someone tell me the kind of new contract the Twins need to offer this guy for 2029 forward? Could it be no one can logically defend that? This is the feeling I am starting get here.

Why are you incredulous about the numbers? The stats I presented were found on baseball-reference. We witnessed him play in just 991 games in nearly 12 seasons. It requires no explanation. We saw his .248 lifetime average and his .309 lifetime OBP. We saw everything and the numbers are there for you to view for yourself. They are what they are and they summarize what he is even better than WAR, in my opinion. I mention close and late and RISP with 2 outs stats because he has been particularly bad when in tight situations throughout his career. You are being a little melodramatic calling this Buxton hate. I just don't think he is good for this team any longer. He is a problem. He's in his 12th season and has 862 hits to show for it. I did not "come up with" those numbers. I want what is best for this team and Buxton is not it anymore.

The reality is he was given the starting job for the last 11 seasons and he has played in 100 games only 3 times. This isn't something that is going to improve with age as he heads toward his 33 year old season. Time to change the conversation and cut the cord. We should not talk any new contract with him. Tell him "we are going to play it by ear" this winter and then around the All Star break tell him it is over after this year. Maybe he can waive his no trade clause and we can get a mid/upper level prospect for him. It's over. He is done

75% of 50% of 162 which equates to 20 games in CF and 60 games DHing. This says to me we need a CF. At some point next season, no matter what he is doing, the Twins really should tell Buxton he will not be resigned. Perhaps then he will waive his no trade and we can deal him at the deadline for a prospect. It really is time to move forward and get away from this lunacy. We need players who will play.

It is an unpopular and yet highly rational stand if you ask me. We probably should put him out there opening day by default and give him his spot. I think that at some point we need to let him know he isn't going to be resigned. Maybe then he would waive the no trade clause and we can put up something at the trade deadline (that is if he isn't on the IL)

Byron Buxton is a problem. His spot in the lineup is always an unknown. Who can figure what will happen with the guy? He has a hot month or so and then he is has a month where he is as bad as he was good and then we start hearing about a variety of ailments. I am so over it. He is not as special as this place has made him out to be. His lifetime OBP is .309, his lifetime average is .248, in 12 seasons with us he has had more than 100 hits twice. He has a lifetime average of .192 with 2 ours and RISP with 119 Ks in 338 at bats. He has a lifetime average of .213 close and late with 183 strikeouts in 478 at bats. That flat out sucks. He has had so many horrible at bats in high leverage situations over the years. He makes managing the CF spot on this roster a headache. The sooner we can move on from him the better. He isn't a model player. You cannot have your model player (and the Twins have tried to put him on that pedestal) be a guy who starts in slightly over 50% in the schedule a year. It is a fools errand. In the last five seasons he has played 60, 57, 94, 118 and not this year probably just 72 games in CF. Does anyone expect this to get better in 2027? The sooner we can move on from him the better. He isn't a model player. We cannot have your model player be a guy who averages slightly over 50 games a year. End of story. I like what I see from Walker Jenkins, but I am STILL waiting for us to someday....somehow........ draft, raise and produce a starting pitcher that puts fans in the stands. It is a task that seems impossible for this organization execute and achieve. WIll someone please name a starting pitcher we drafted, developed and saw on the mound at the major league level giving us something remotely resembling AS material? The last time there was any actual juice behind a pitcher like that was Matt Garza in 2006. In fact, we can go back over 30 years and he would be the only SP we actually drafted and raised in our system of any note. That is beyond pathetic! I disagree that with the return of Lopez, Festa and Abel that this starting staff will be "extremely deep". They will need to show me something different. Lopez is a talent but he is coming off Tommy John and has only begun to throw very recently. What is his timetable for next year? We do not even know. Mick Abel has 59 innings of major league experience and has a 5.46 ERA over that time and he is coming off a season ending injury. We don't even know what he is. Ditto with David Festa. This team has been a bore for a very long time. I won't even prognosticate beyond the history these players have provided for us in the major leagues. Unless this group magically transforms itself this team is a 76 win team.

Is he? He has a .248 lifetime batting average, a .309 OBP, isn't even in the top 50 for career OPS+ for active players. I would disagree with the bolded because even when he is healthy, that is what he gives us offensively. No, he is not "one of the best players in baseball". Not to me, nor is he to most every baseball fan who do not have a Twins Daily account.

How is WIllie Mays relevant here? Willie Mays was 42 years old playing in his last baseball games in the World Series for a team that went on an amazing unlikely run. He made some flubs in the WS at 42 years of age for a Mets team that didn't have a whole lot of depth. Since the author spent three paragraphs on this I feel it necessary to say Mays had 101 more hits from age 35 to the end of his career than Buxton has in his twelve seasons playing with the Twins. Buxton is 32 years old and is once again looking like he's going to be shut down for the season. When Mays we 32 years old he had a 10.6 WAR, drove over 100 runs and would go on to have a +10 WAR in his 33 year old and 34 year old seasons.

Unfortunately I agree. Despite the unexpected success of the offense, I do not think this lineup is deep enough to do anything in the playoffs even if Ryan and Ober pitch their socks off. I know the Gardy Twins have nothing to do with today, but we lost in the playoff primarily because we did not hit in the playoffs against strong pitching staffs. In fact, we averaged only a shade over 2 runs a game through all those playoff losses. Eeeking into the playoffs only to make a quick exit in the first round doesn't appeal to me.

We should be nothing but sellers in 2026 (if anything at all). We do not have a very talented team and the fact that we have a medium chance to sneak in as a wild card does nothing for me. This isn't 1999 when we could cry about payroll, so we have as much money as so many other teams--midmarket now. I think we have been below average assessing and developing talent. I also think we have done a dreadful job drafting, assessing and raising starting pitchers and that is a HUGE problem. Wouldn't it be nice to have a young pitcher come through the system with a little spark of excitement to them? Why does that seem nearly impossible??

That is indeed correct, but I was highlighting our pitching and not our defense. Our pitching is a bigger far more obvious problem than team defense. We are ranked 23rd in walks and hits per inning. That is a telling stat. I am not waving off the importance of team defense, but at this point what is the remedy? Trade for a good glove at the deadline? I am wondering if we have chips to trade for a decent pitching prospect and I would be willing to take a flyer. Pitching has long been a shortcoming and it is maddening to me how this team never seems to be able to draft and raise starting pitching through the ranks. The ones that were halfway decent ended up getting dealt. Over the last 20 years, or since Matt Garza, our system has produced next to zilch in starting pitching.

I remember day drinking at my local watering hole in anticipation of a Liriano start in Detroit. I was just about crying in my beer when he got yanked from that game. The most unforgivable thing about 2006 was getting swept by Oakland. We had that wonderful run only to be swept by Oakland, the first two at home, As great as that run was it was completely erased for me with that feckless performance against Oakland.

THat is true, but even if were were at the top of the league in fielding percentage (which is an unrealistic expectation) where would that place us now with regard to earned runs given up? Maybe five to ten slots better than third worst in the league. Elite defense isn't elevating this team nearly enough to become a contender.

The Twins are third from the bottom in earned runs in all of baseball. I understand the Twins are tied with six other teams who played 73 games thus far and some teams have played as little as 69 games. I really don't give a damn. Take a look inside the division. We have given up 347 EARNED runs in 73 games and Cleveland has given up just 266. In games KC has given up 315, Chicago 296 and Detroit 272. We can have a GG at every position we'd likely still be the worst in the division.

And yet this is a guy who was celebrated for having a decade of service with the Twins and he still has not reached 800 hits. Molly once said, "Buxton could hit .150 and he's still worth it". Now that his defense is only that of a pretty good CF his offense really needs to pick up if we are going to shower him with accolades.

Buxton has 782 at bats with runners in scoring position in his career with 238 Ks and a .231 batting average in those opportunities. He's even worse in close and late situations. For his career 445 at bats, 174 Ks and a .202 batting average. He has 538 at bats in high leverage situations and he's struck out 182 times in those opportunities. Thus far this year, he is 0-17 with RISP. Just sayin

Guys like Banda and Clemens are going to be on the rosters much longer on teams that really aren't contenders than they would be on contending teams. I can accept that the Twins are not serious contenders. Just don't sell the idea that they are if we are going to have a roster like this. There are so many players that are either unproven or are unreliable due extensive to injury histories. THere are many many teams like this. The Twins are just one of those and it will require a lot of good fortune and luck to get into the playoffs. As far as advancing in the playoffs with this current roster? I do not count on that

As far as Clemens is concerned, he is 30 years old and has 838 plate appearances. With that much exposure he has a .203 lifetime batting average and a ,263 OBP. That is pretty awful. If he were to be DFA'd today no one should be unhappy about it.

I understand your point of view, but in this case why not "anyone"? Banda has a (well) below average career WHIP even after having two solid years in LA in his 30 and 31 year old seasons. Subtract those two seasons (relatively late in his career) and consider what he has done in all the other seasons as a major league reliever. It is actually very ugly. This isn't to say I am advocating for this particular move right now. A guy like Banda should be expendable at any point if this team is actually seriously going to contend for winning the division.

Hahaha. Really now. I will actually be at the game this evening. This is fun brief little interlude in my day. Lighten up I was not the one shouting that at Duran and I do not think the fan was right. Perhaps Duran should take leave and get some psychotherapy. His reaction wasn't that big a deal, although it was unprofessional and he needs to get over it.