NCtwinsfan

In 2015, Brock had a thread tracking wins as a reminder of the rotten baseball we have watched in recent years, and compare where we stand in W/L compared to previous seasons. Let's see how 2017 plays out. Tracking is by number of games instead of dates because games by date/month varies from year to year. Twins current 2017 win total: 25 Year – Number of games to reach 25 Wins 2011 – 64 2012 – 60 2013 – 54 2014 – 52 2015 – 43 2016 – 76 2017 – 43 Other notes: -Both 2015 and 2017 squads both needed 43 games to reach 25 wins (25-18). -At the 43 game point in 2015, the Twins were in the midst of a hot streak. They went 7-3 over their next 10 games and peaked at 32-21. After that, they cooled off and went 51-58 over the remainder of the season. I will try to update this at various points throughout the season

Probably

Since I love comparisons - It was not until July 10 last year that the Twins had 13 road wins... and were 13-29 ...and they had 5 road losses on April 9

Last year, Twins record on July 1 was 25-54. Can they win one more game this week, and be a full month ahead of last year? And they have been playing for what, 7 weeks. Good times.

I just read that the Twins are one of three teams that have not been shut out so far in 2017. I took a look to see how many times they were shut out at this point last year; three times. That wasn't particularly stunning. But being reminded how truly terrible they were last year was. May 13, 2016 Twins Record - 8-26 May 13, 2017 Twins Record - 18-14 The 2016 Twins didn't win 18 games until June 8, and were 18-40. I hope that can brighten everyone's day just a little bit.

"Mauer will still be homerless on May 25th - guaranteed." I don't get it, am I missing something? What is the significance of May 25th? The Twins don't have a game scheduled for that day. And what if he does hit one before that - do I get my money back?

Yes, we have the knights, and it is a nice new stadium, we go to the games whenever the Redwings are in town, but I find it hard to root for a White Sox team. I'll probably take a trip up there then this spring/summer.

I just looked it up, and had no idea how close the team is to me - only about 3 hour drive from Charlotte NC. I feel like I am in baseball wasteland with Atlanta the closest team 4 hours drive, and National League at that. Perhaps I should make a trip this year while they are still there. Anyone ever been to a game there? Is it worth the trip? Any interesting prospects expected to be there this year?

I understand hyperbole as a form of rhetoric, but I'm not sure anyone is insinuating borderline nefariousness on anyone's behalf. I simply see the Dodgers as the one's wearing the "fortunate" or "enviable" hat at the negotiating table. Based on the little information I have, it seems to me the Dodgers have the upper hand. And as a Twins fan observing all this, it is somewhat disappointing to watch unfold, and makes me less excited about the trade in general - again, about the return, not the idea or necessity of the trade. The actual trade is for the people actually making the decisions, the Twins/Dodgers Front Offices. As an upper deck observer, my expressed hopes and opinions on the situation can't really cloud the Twin's FO decision-making. In retrospect, I can see how stating the obvious, that the Dodgers are in an enviable position, is superfluous to the conversation. Being a fan can involve a lot of emotion, and I enjoy reading others comments and occasionally sharing an opinion of my own. Regardless, if my comments have caused issue for you or anyone else, I apologize.

Yes, I agree you have a valid point of view, it just isn't mine at the moment. Not sure that means other view points are invalid. Also, I would not characterize the Dodgers as trolling or dumping or lemon swapping. Perhaps I was not clear enough describing my perspective. However, I am pretty confident in saying that my perspective doesn't mean much (it doesn't) since I am not the one sitting at the negotiating table. I am just the type of personality who would generally prefer to be on the side of recieving what I consider the more known commodity, than the potential for bigger reward. I envy the Dodgers in this particular situation.

I get that, I think my concern is not that it is paralyzing, I definitely think it should happen. However, since it is JDL that seems to be the piece they are willing to offer to everyone, I don't have a problem being suspicious. I find the Dodgers position the much more enviable one, regardless of whether JDL or others are "highly regarded." The Dodgers are a winner who have a good idea in what they are getting in Dozier, and have a pretty good idea in what they are willing to give up. We are a losing team who know very well what we are giving up, and not as great of an idea of what we are getting back. But what can you do? Hope for the best that things turn out all right.

Yes, this is exactly how I feel, you just put it much more succinctly

I was originally quite excited by the idea of getting a few of the Dodgers top names, but the more I read about the success rate of 'prospects', the less thrilled I am, especially after this article: http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/77004/odds-are-selling-the-farm-is-worth-the-risk While the Eaton trade certainly seems lopsided - the fact that he makes a somewhat defensible case for Washington - makes the Dozier for JDL+whatever seem even less defensible. The list of "top" prospects over the years that have been traded, versus those that have been kept really makes it seem like teams are pretty good at evaluating their own talent. If a team is willing to trade a prospect or not might be quite telling - and the Dodgers seem quite willing to trade JDL... And I don't need to be reminded that Dozier's value will never be higher, he'll be gone in two years, we need ML ready pitching etc, etc. Of course that is all true. But I wonder what teams out there are really willing to trade prospects they actually believe will be impact players. Do I think that should that stop us from making a trade? Absolutely not. But it stinks to be in the position of a big time losing team banking on prospects another team is willing to trade away. All that is to say, I am probably not excited about this trade anymore. Not sure if I was coherent.

Meh, I'm ok with Dick'n'Bert. When it comes to watching the games on TV, I am not really looking for a lot of statistical depth and analysis from the booth. I usually get my fill of that here on TD before the game. I am guessing it is probably intentional, and the broadcast is targeted at the casual fans, I get it. For me, an important part of the commentary is to make the game seem more exciting. In a losing season like the past years, I find them hard to listen to because there is usually not much to be excited about. I know some dislike the homer-ism, but I actually appreciate it. I want to listen to someone that is passionate about their home team (which is hard to do at 59-103). I definitely like the sideline reporter team of Marny and Audra. Audra's accent takes me back to Minnesota every time. What I don't care for is the repetitive phrases and themes. I don't need to hear any more about "downward plane" or "my birthday." Over 162 games, yeah there will be a lot of repetition, but still, it is the same thing every year. If I had to listen to Hawk say "Can o corn" or "He gone!" every game, I might lose it. When the Twins aren't terrible, I don't mind, and even enjoy listening to the Twins broadcast team. But I do understand the desire for a more modern approach to the game, and would not be opposed to someone with a fresher approach.

Brian Dozier, and Max Keplers streak there a couple months back have been the bright spots for me. I think of those White Sox teams a few years back that lived and died off the Home Run. Power hitting is really fun to watch, and certainly a great tool. But it can't be the only thing, and is most effective with runners on. I want to see more of that. The thing that stood out most on that last list for me was Joe Mauer. Wow, it is so easy to forget how good he was.

With this years team, it always seems like it can't get any worse... even when I try to be optimistic about some of the bright spots, it seems like a constant barrage of bad news, bad play, and bad luck. I want so badly to be able to enjoy the fun stuff - like Dozier's amazing run/milestones, Buxton showing signs of life, good stories like Beresford, and flashes of the future from prospects like Kepler and Sano. Yet, as a Twins fan, 2016 has been a series of punches to the gut that just overwhelm anything positive. Dozier hits 3 home runs in a game, and it's darkened by the Twins still finding a way to lose. He reaches 40 milestone, and two days later a future rotation hopeful goes down for the season. Ugh. I understand the importance of "the big picture," and the importance of trading Dozier (if the package is right). But it sucks that the best case scenario is that we trade our most exciting player (at least for me). I want to enjoy his success beyond it just increasing his trade value - hard to do when I am expecting him to be wearing another uniform next year. As for Trevor May, now where are we? Health issues becoming a problem. I didn't think I could be less optimistic about the rotation next year. Even if he recovers by next spring, it is hard to expect that he will be in great shape to be starting, or at least effective. He spent the last two years primarily in the bullpen, and not battling back issues. If I were a good GM candidate (or even an ok one), I am not sure I would want to take on the Twins. The present stinks, and I no longer feel 2017 holds anything better (I did as recently as July/August). I guess I am being a huge downer this morning. I need some baseball-zoloft.

Great article. Arizona's situation has been nagging at me all year. I am generally optimistic when it comes to the twins, but even going out and dumping a bunch of money on top rotation arms doesn't guarantee success. Furthermore, it makes me skeptical that even the best GM, new manager, or "ace" pitchers can fix the Twins. I fall more in the camp that a majority of blame for a bad team falls on the players. Zack Greinke is playing poorly. Even individual players actually playing well doesn't always translate to wins. I think what I am trying to say, I am not sure I believe changing all the coaches, FO, etc, is going to suddenly make the Twins better short or even long term. I think winning is much more complex than any collection of coaches, managers, or players. Starting out with a good product helps, players with a good track record, FO with new ideas, etc. But a team starts winning when a bunch of players are playing well at the same time. Is winning actually something one can plan or organize? I don't know.

I will pick the Twins to win the division. I'm a priest - does taht qualify? But I don't need any fake money or flowers While it may not be likely, seems plausible enough for them to win - I can imagine a scenario where they win the division.

So I have been reading Twins Daily for years, almost daily, and this was the article that inspired me to create an account and finally post something. I love MLB.TV because now that I have moved to Charlotte NC from Bemidji, I can still watch all the games (except against Baltimore, Reds, and Braves). I always got the audio, but was offered half price in May, so I got it. At the end of the season, I made sure to turn off the auto renew option in my account. About a month before spring training that year, i got a message saying that my subscription would renew soon, I went to my account and found the settings had changed back to auto renew. I turned it off. The next month my card was charged, and subscription was renewed. I was furious. I was able to get it cancelled after dealing with the terrible customer service. But I could not delete my card from the account. I later cancelled that card (for a different reason), so they could no longer use that card to take money from me. Ok, so long story short, I found a solution. Every May, when they offer me the half price package, I go buy a $100 Visa gift card and use that to pay for the subscription. I spend the remainder on the card, and then next spring when they try to use that card to renew the subscription at full price, it is empty. This way I get to see my Twins for $50 for most of the season, and don't have to worry about the auto renew.