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Twins Daily

The Reality Of Escobar

It's become a point of contention in some circles that the Minnesota Twins may not have a level of certainty at the shortstop position. Unfortunately, that notion couldn't be further from the truth, at least for the time being. Going into 2016, there's no doubt Eduardo Escobar has earned the right to start every day, and the expectation should be that he'll succeed.   Way back when, I touched on the Twins continuing to benefit from the trade that sent Francisco Liriano to the Chicago White Sox.

Flirting With an Old Addiction

I did something recently that I hadn’t done in probably 15 years.   It used to be a habit. In fact, in retrospect, it may have actually become my very first true habit – something I came to feel I needed. Whether it was a good habit or a bad habit is probably open to debate, depending on one’s perspective.   (This article was originally published at Knuckleballsblog.com)   http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/carlinquote-2-600x400.jpg   The habit had its roots in my youth.

On The Twins Creativity, Or Lack Thereof

Taking cues from another Twitter conversation, seriously you're missing out if you aren't following along (find me at @tlschwerz), the creativity surrounding baseball moves has been a hot topic of late. When looking at how the Twins have handled player acquisition in recent years, there's something to be said about what has been done well, and well, what hasn't.   I first got to thinking about this after reading a very well thought out piece over on Twins Daily. In it, Bill Parker sparks the con

MIDWEST SWING PODCAST - EP 8.o - Paul Sporer of Fangraphs

Joined by Paul Sporer in the latest episode:   Sporer joins the program to discuss Texas, MLB The Show, and of course, pitching and fantasy baseball. Oh, and there's a little dachshund talk as well.   Listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/midwestswing2/MWS_-_Paul_Sporer.mp3   Subscribe/Review: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/facemidwestswing2s-podcast/id1073026341?mt=2

What Happens To Eddie Rosario?

If you follow me on Twitter (and if you aren't you should: @tlschwerz), you know that going into a new Twins season, there's generally a good bit of optimism. While toeing the line far away from being a homer, I generally try to place a good deal of scrutiny on regression candidates going into any given season. A year ago, it was Danny Santana and Kurt Suzuki that could be seen from a mile away. This season, my point of contention has been Eddie Rosario.   The talking point that has been Eddie R

The Twins' cheapness isn't the problem; it's the symptom

On Monday, Bill Parker wrote on this very site about the Twins’ payroll, and about how complaints about the Twins’ relatively low payroll never seem to get past the surface, saying, He demands that we “show our work” and implies, essentially, that the Pohlads opening up their wallets wouldn’t have made enough of a difference to save the Twins from their awful finishes, and thus probably were right to hold onto their money.   On the one hand, I agree and sympathize with that point. After all, no

Hammond Update 2/23/16

A rainy day in Ft. Myers, but the boys still got their work done. The first 4 hitters on field 4 were the same as Monday; Buxton, Park, Arcia, and D. Santana. The second group was Benson, Escobar, Rosario and Mr. Joe Mauer. Buxton, Santana, Rosario, and Escobar were hitting line drives consistently. Tony Oliva was working with Arcia between at bats. Mauer looked very rusty at first, but during his last round hit the ball hard to right field. His last pitch one hopped the fence in right cent

Hammund Update 2/22/16

I got to Hammond about 9:30 (temp was 73). The back infield was busy with pitchers (minor league guys I think) taking fielding practice. Field 4 had Tony Oliva watching over the guys doing warmup drills. Then they started hitting. Brunansky was pitching; the first 4 were Buxton, Park, Arcia (Bruno called him Archie) and Danny Santana. They all hit the ball fairly well; Arcia seemed to be trying to hit liners to left-center. The second 4 were Escobar, Sano, Rosario, and Joe Benson (He looked

Twins Setting The Table

As February quickly comes to a close, the Twins are ready to get fully underway with spring training activities down in Fort Myers. Pitchers and catchers have reported, with most of the roster following suit. With Paul Molitor eyeing an improvement on a strong first season, he knows that his club has some areas to work on.   Minnesota found themselves in a good deal of beneficial situations a season ago. The club, more often than not, excelled in clutch or high leverage situations. Despite havin

Park Set as Twins' Opening Day DH - Or Is He?

The pitchers and catchers for the Minnesota Twins have finally reported to Spring Training and position players are already filtering into the Fort Myers camp in advance of their mandatory reporting day later this week. The Twins will open their season in Baltimore on April 4, but from all that’s being written about the Twins, it appears there are only minor questions about the composition of the Opening Day roster and even less question about the Opening Day lineup.   Manager Paul Molitor has s

Who's Got The Over In The Central?

Now with every Major League Baseball team having hit their pitcher and catcher report dates, the upcoming season feels as close as ever. Despite snow being on the ground yet in some parts of the country, baseball is ready to bring back the feelings of summer. Prior to the action kicking off however, we have to take a look at how things are expected to play out.   Back in January, I outlined how I saw the AL Central taking shape. With the World Champion Kansas City Royals again pacing the group,

On the Twins' Cheapness and Showing Your Work

I want to talk about the Twins and payroll, and how we talk about the Twins’ payroll.   It’s been about a month since Jack Moore wrote the excellent and scathing The Minnesota Small-Market Con over at Baseball Prospectus Milwaukee. The points it makes are numerous and wide-ranging -- the most important, I think, is “f the billionaire Pohlads had been willing to take a short-term loss, they could have made their way out of the Metronome years earlier without taking the public for such a ride” --

Through the Fence: A Sano Day 2/19/16

With camp officially starting in just a couple of days, more and more players are arriving (Milone, Rosario, Benson just to name a few) thus more and more is going on in the backfields. Infielders/Pitchers could be seen fielding grounders on the half field while pitchers were throwing under Hammond Stadium, this day however I was not pulling myself away from the Sano and Arcia outfield drills and workouts on Field Four. It was a definitely a sight to see, defensive outfield drills followed by ba

Bold Predictions For The 2016 Twins

Going into the 2016 Major League Baseball season, the Minnesota Twins have plenty on their plate when it comes to expectations. After having a winning season for the first time since 2010, and making a push for the playoffs, second year manager Paul Molitor will have his hands full when trying to fight off taking a step backwards.   In 2015, the Twins did some things really well, but maybe more importantly than anything, they were handed a good deal of luck. Playing well above average in high le

The Last Leaf

The signing of Brian Duensing with the Kansas City Royals closes the book on a story that was started in 1989. In the first round of that year's draft, the Twins selected Texas A&M shortstop Chuck Knoblauch who would go on to spawn the trade that would put Twins GM Terry Ryan on the map and the fruits of that trade would be felt until 2015.   After seven seasons of what looked to be the beginning of a HOF career, Chuck Knoblauch and his 37.9 WAR wanted out of Minnesota and to a contender. We

The End Of Minnesota's Mauer

Joe Mauer has been a living embodiment of what the Minnesota Twins represent for nearly his entire career. He's the milk-drinking, Minnesota-nice, head-down, hard working ballplayer that has been the face of the franchise for the better part of the last 10 years. After trending downwards for the past few seasons, it's fair to wonder when Mauer's reign comes to an end.   The immediate and shortest response is that the time has not yet come.   Sure, each of the past two seasons, Mauer's numbers ha

MIDWEST SWING PODCAST - EP 7.o - Bryan Grosnick of Baseball Prospectus

http://traffic.libsyn.com/midwestswing2/MWS_0007_-_Bryan_Grosnick_of_Baseball_Prospectus.mp3   Brandon is joined by Bryan Grosnick of Baseball Prospectus and BP Boston to talk projections, the Mets and an American League that is completely bananas. A Cold Omaha Podcast Network Production Follow Brandon on Twitter (@Brandon_Warne) https://twitter.com/Brandon_Warne Visit the Website: http://www.brandonwarne.com/ Subscribe to Podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/midwestswing2s-pod

Sano Problem, He's Already One Of The Best

This offseason, the Minnesota Twins and Terry Ryan announced that they'd be moving their hulking slugger to right field. Despite having DH'd for the majority of 2015 and having played in the infield thus far, Miguel Sano was moving on to greener pastures. The changes has been met with skepticism, but it actually makes a lot of sense.   Let's start off internally. Minnesota employed Torii Hunter in right last year. He gave Paul Molitor a .240/.293/.409 slash line on offense, while making six erro

What Breaks The Twins In Florida?

Recently Off The Baggy took a look at what needs to play out for the Twins down in Fort Myers to start 2016 off on the right foot. Coming off a season of exceeded expectations, it's important to keep the momentum moving forward. It's hard to be optimistic without looking at what also could end up being detractors however.   While the AL Central is far from a juggernaut in the year ahead, their should be a good deal of parity. Expecting the Twins to be in the thick of things is probably a good be

A few rays of hope in PECOTA's depressing 2016 Twins projection

If you’re a pessimist like me, you look at the PECOTA projections released by Baseball Prospectus yesterday and you see a confirmation in everything you’ve suspected this offseason. You see a team who has done nothing to build on its surprising run in 2015 and, in turn, has slipped to the bottom of a competitive AL Central division.   You think about a thoroughly mediocre starting rotation led by Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes, and Kyle Gibson and you resign yourself to falling behind early. You thi

Hammond Update 2/16/16

Monday was a busier day at Hammond. A few more players and a lot more fans (school holiday). To explain this day to those who have not been to Ft. Myers I will give a little geography lesson. As I understand it Hammond Stadium is the ball park used by the Miracle and Twins during spring training. The rest of the facility is called Century Link Sports Complex. Hammond is in the northeast corner; to the south is parking lot; and to the west is where the spring training action takes place. To th

What Must Happen For Twins In Florida?

Baseball fans, you've made it. At this point in the winter, the offseason is nearing its conclusion, and you are about to be rewarded with the month long grind that is spring training. For the Minnesota Twins, a team coming off of a breakout season a year ago, there's some key steps to be taken in the month ahead however.   As pitchers and catchers embark on sunny Fort Myers, the Twins will soon be in full swing over at the CenturyLink Sports Complex. Now in his second season as manager, Paul Mo

Rod Carew

I see where MLB Network is showing a Bob Costas tribute to Rod Carew next Tuesday at 8 p.m. This reminded me of a spring training game about 2 years ago. For those of you not familiar with Hammond Stadium the stands run along the 3rd base side to just past the infield. Then comes the Twins bullpen area and outside of that is a picnic area with concrete tables. Above this area is a concrete ceiling and above that is a big bar area with railings all around. As you stand in this bar area and f

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