FormerMinnasotan

I can’t understand why Chalmers and Duran were so underused up to this point in Spring Training. Duran only pitched 2 innings and Chalmers only pitched 1 inning of Spring Training ball. I would have figured the Twins would want to see a little more of Chalmers and Duran before they got sent down to Minor League camp.

Where’s Jhoan Duran? I’ve seen lesser pitchers getting reps, yet Duran a 40 man roster spot guy has yet to throw a spring training inning. Is he destined for Tommy John too?

Why hasn’t Jhoan Duran pitched at all? Is he injured? He’s on the 40 man and I would have thought we’d have seen him pitch by now.

Tell that to the late Marge Schott. As I recall she was forced to give up ownership of the Cincinnati Reds. If Schott can be removed as owner of an MLB team so can Crane.

First off I hope the Vikings let Zimmer’s and Cousins’ contracts play out next year (both are in the final year of their contracts). Secondly since we have a high priced immobile starting QB we need to beef up the o-line because Cousins will never be mobile or move in the pocket that much. There’s going to be some salary cap casualties, but if we draft smart we may find some pieces that might replace what we will lose. Hopefully we draft a QB somewhere between rounds 3-5 because we might not need that QB this year, but he should be ready to replace Cousins next year (2021).

I don’t understand how Balazovic is ranked so low. His stats speak for themselves and his “stuff” is much improved yet he’s overlooked despite jumping 3 levels in 1 year (A, A+, and AA for the playoffs). I mean most would say Balazovic has a top of the rotation potential yet how he’s rated this low is baffling.

I wonder why the low ranking for Balazovic? His numbers are a bit better than solid and his pitching arsenal has been lauded by scouts as well improved from a year ago. And...technically he did go through 3 levels last year (A, A+, AA for playoffs). A rise like that and no love from MLB scouts, what gives?

Well, it’s been reported that the Twins are simply sticking Graterol in the bullpen this year so I’d guess Graterol is seen as a reliever more so than a starter.

I hope it’s the case Berríos can improve to Ace like status this year. Not to sound homerish, but Berríos’ “stuff” is pretty elite IMO. Berríos’ issues come down to can he maintain himself mentally through an entire season. He has enough stamina to make it through the season as evidenced by no dips in his velocity from the beginning of the season to season’s end. What does seem to happen in his mid season “swoon” is his mechanics break down and he often appears flustered and frustrated with his mechanics breaking down. If he can either maintain his mechanics or find a way mentally to work through his struggles quicker and more efficiently then I think we’ve seen a true and legit Ace in Berríos.

I’m feeling good about Sanó as well. His numbers look decent even AFTER his slow start to the season. I think being healthy in the off season coming off of a successful second half of last season will work to Sanó’s benefit.

Hill has to be healthy first and foremost and that’s not even a given. Also at 40 it’s possible he’s due for a regression most baseball players see at the end of their career. He’s more risk than reward IMO.

Waiting won’t sign José Berríos to the type of contract extension he will be seeking. If the FO is going to play this “wait and see” game with Berríos pretty soon he’ll end being too expensive to extend anyway. There’s also the possibility given the tepid nature of the FO that Berríos doesn’t want to sign an extension anyways. If that’s true that would show the FO in a negative light.

I can’t see any silver lining of this off season. Especially since it looks less and less likely that the Twins will agree to an extension with our best starting pitcher in José Berríos. The longer this drags out the higher the cost will be to keep him a Twin. And it might be the case that Berríos doesn’t want to stay a Twin in the future considering the Twins FO’s bungling of free agency and trades. If Berríos leaves that will be a black mark on the Twins organization and any “silver lining” will be non existent if that happens.

Another “outside the box” trade targets I’d look at is the Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks. He was one of the solid rotation pieces of the Cubs WS team and has been very good through out his whole career. I’m not sure the Cubs will be willing to trade Hendricks, then again if they are willing to even explore trading Kris Bryant I’m sure they’d be open to trade Hendricks if the deal was just right.

I think there is room for Thorpe to improve. However he’s got to improve on his command, especially with a less than overpowering fastball. To be successful Thorpe has to be able to pick his spots in the strike zone.