nicksaviking

I think you misunderstand. I DO think the young guys up now have the energy and commitment to win. However, they currently are not doing so. I didn't dispute that the talent has improved, but I do want to see results, and if we don't, changes need to be made. I don't want these young guys to waste their enthusiasm for the next year and a half only to then realize that the right leadership is not in place to traslate that talent into wins. Losing seems to be contageous. I don't want to find out that this team's leadership can only manage 70 wins again in 2015 and watch the young guys trasition from "top of the dugout" personalities to "bench slouchers".

I guess Silva gets to be this year's Engelb Vielma.

I think we've said the same thing every off season for 20 yeras. A team can have plenty of talent, either young or old, but we know that doesn't always translate into wins. They Twins do have some young talent up, which I'm sure we're all grateful for, but they aren't learning how to win, unless we are going to SSS the last two games. There's ten games left, if they can win 6-7 of them, maybe we can consider calling this an improvement. It will still be a small sample, but I'd give the idea consideration. I love watching talented baseball players, but I love watching them win more. And for the record, I actually do put some stock into the visual evidence that these guys are "in the dugout standing up, rooting for each other." I see the young guys on the top step of the dugout constantly and appearing as though they are really invested in the game. It may seem silly, but winning teams do seem to do this. The last several years the Twins seem to be disinterested dugout slouchers. The young guys do seem to have the energy I remember from 2000-2007, Santana, Arcia, Escobar and Vargas in particular. I think we have something here, but I want to see the wins or I don't think it will last.

I also doubt we see Meyer before May at the earliest, likely late June to avoid Super 2 status. I still like the idea of keeping a spot open for him, but competition is good for the rotation as there likely will be injuries and/or poor performances. Still, I don't like many of the free agents next year as the good ones look like they will be commanding many more years than I'd like. I'd probably be more interested in a lotto ticket type on a short term deal; a Brett Anderson, Chad Billingsley, Justin Masterson or Brandon Morrow. Or if a guy like Francisco Liriano, Jake Peavey or Edinson Volquez can only snag a 2 or 3 year deal due to age or past reputation concerns. Of course this all comes with the understanding that a new pitching coach is part of the deal.

I would think then we need to re-evaluate FIP stats. The Twins have given up 664 runs this year, this hypothesis would then dictate that the Twins outfielders were directly responsilbe for for every 6.64th run scored. That just doesn't seem logical.

Pretty sure that's a Johnny Cash song.

That's an run ever three games. That seems like a lot. The defense isn't good, but I think a bad defense allows many fewer runs than we actually think as it almost always takes more than just the single poor play to get the runner in, the other team is still going to have to get that guy home from first or second. More baserunners yes, but an equal number of runs, not even close. I'd guess the Twins poor OF defense probably allowed 10-12 runs more than the average team at most.

Well it certainly would encourage the front office to get the top prospects out of AAA before they turn 25! I probably would have been more inclined to go watch Alex Meyer pitch for $10 than I would have been to watch Samual Deduno for $35.

$19 millions for another soft-tossing lefty who needs to rely on his defense to get him 85-90% of his outs? No thanks. I'm sure the Twins front office still loves him though.

Hmmm. I only see one TV and the soda cooler is empty. Very troubling.

It could be. On the otherhand, the early season optimism that fans and players both hang onto may take the focus off of the rookie. When you get called up after three 90 loss seasons and your team is already 15 games back, all the fans and teammates have to embrace is your future upside and you will get most if not all the attention.

Well if May has the kind of improvement that Gibson did in year two, he's going to be pretty good. If Gibson was better at keeping the ball out of play he'd a really nice 2/3 pitcher. May looks to have that ability, even at the MLB level. I hope the club learns from this and lets the next legit pitching prospect try to work out his growing pains at the MLB level early in the year with the hopes that he figures it out by the end of the year. This team doesn't seem able to develop the kind of arms that make an immediate impact. I'm also curious what goes on psychologically when prospects get called up to the MLB level when the team is already out of contention. One might assume that if the team isn't playing for anything, the player would be that much more concerned with his own accomplishments. I'd think bringing these guys up when the games appear to be meaningful would help instill a team-first attitude. Everyone always seems more invested when the team is relevant. Not that any of these guys are selfish, but something the front office could consider.

Well I think the implication is that he gets $30 million per year instead of $22 million and also gets a chance to hit the free agent market when he still has a chance to get another mega contract. Two $90 million deals is larger than one $160 million deal. Guys generally don't go for it, but his suggestion probably was more along the lines of would it be better to make him a short term offer he can't refuse, even if unprecedented.

Maybe not, but considering they only had four 90 loss seasons combined tells me either they were better at raising a sinking ship or would not have gotten the same leash that Gardenhire has gotten.

It would have been less of a crapshoot had the team regularly filled the holes in the rotation and the lineup at the deadline like most of the other contenders were doing.

There is some defensive hope here, but long term, heck short term ideally, I don't think any of us actually want Plouffe, Nunez, Escobar or Schafer in the starting lineup, and we don't want Santana in CF. The guys we hope will replace them seem to all be worse defenders with the exception of CF.

I agree they won't be able to, I'm not arguing that they can or should get these pitchers this offseason, I'm just arguing that they won't be relevant until they do. Hopefully enough of the young arms come up, can average 8.0 K/9 and keep runners off the bases. But if they can't they will need to get those players through free agency or trade and as unlikely as this front office is to target those types of arms, it's still a more reasonable way to build a winning team than it is to get contact heavy pitchers with steller defenders who also happen to be able to hit.

What about finding good OF, a good 3B, SS, 2B, 1B and C? Because if we're going for plus defense to accomodate the pitch-to-contact arms, I'm not willing to sacrafice the offense. It would see to me that getting 8 solid defenders that also can hit would be quite difficult.

Clearly platooning Schafer and Fuld is the right move, let's get to that ASAP. Anyone notice Parmelee's splits? They're backwards, he's hitting lefties much better. He hit them better in 2012 also. Interesting.

Very true, but logistically speaking, it should be easier to replace the five players that make up the rotation than it is to replace the 8 players behind them. It seems to me it's like the difference between treating a disease versus actually curing it.

The solution is clear and you touched on it at the end. A strikeout takes all chance and randomness off the table and leaves no question as to the outcome of the at bat, unlike a ball put in play. The inexcusable disregard for strikeout pitchers at the MLB level and all the problems that become entangled in the archaic pitching philosophy they prefer is the biggest reason this team isn't winning.

I don't see any of those guys as fits. Both Lester and Scherzer are already on the wrong side of 30 and especially with Scherzer, there is a ton of wear on those arms. I don't like pitch counts, but man, you'd think the Tigers would be a little weary of letting Scherzer throw 120 pitches every five days after seeing what's become of Verlander. Free agent money usually gets silly, but at some point, 29 GM's are going wise up. It could finally be this year...but probably not. Still, not interested in either for a 6-7 year commitment, regardless of the money. I'd like long term commitments for our younger pitchers if any become worth it, or if they could trade for another youthful arm but I don't want one with 1,200 innings already under their belt. I've always been a Shields fan, but he'll be 33 next year and his K numbers have dropped significantly the last two years which worries me. At the pace he's at, his K% will be at traditional Twins levels next year and do any of us really want to see another arm that comes to Target Field and sees a significant reduction in swings and misses? I also have little interest in Santana except on a short term deal. He's just the opposite of Shields as his K numbers have increase significantly. However his BB% has also jumped as has his H/9. One would have to expect the K numbers to strongly dip again once back in the AL while there is no reason to assume the BB and hit numbers would decrease. Oh, plus there's the fact that he's going on about year five with a partially torn UCL. Maybe he will never have an issue with that, but it seems to me at some point some team's going to be holding that bomb when it finally detonates.

It's not that they aren't good candidates, it's that they still are just branches from the same tree. This organization needs new stratagy and that's unlikely by promoting from within. They've done a lot right, but it's not working now. I want guys in here who believe that strikeouts are the best option for getting outs, that walks are NOT as bad or worse than giving up a hit, that Bill James is largely correct and that platoons can come in handy. Let's try those philosophies for a change.

I didn't want him fired for it, but I didn't like the double standard. This was the same organization that was at the same time benching and publicly chastising Miguel Sano for show boating a HR. Mientkiewicz got suspended, but there didn't seem to be any kind of front office frustration to what amounted to be a simliar display of immaturity. I do kind of like the fire he displays, but I'm getting tired of the old boys club. I think Mientkiewicz, Molitor and Glynn could all be fine managers, but I think a fresh perspective is in order once every 25 years or so. New blood in the front office and new blood on the field please. Not pointing any fingers, just saying it's time to start again.

My bold prediction is that Kyle Gibson will not be in the 2015 rotation. He's young(ish), he's controlable and he could be the Twins version of Rick Porcello, where he has value due to these factors along with his former top prospect status. My prediction is that the Twins will move Gibson as part of a package to get Gio Gonzalez who Washington will be willing to move so they can free up some money in an attempt to go after one of the top bats or an even bigger named pitcher like Scherzer or Lester in free agency this off season.