Twins stuff from around the Web (Fangraphs, Twitter, Athletic, non-local news sites, etc)

[Mike Sixel]

mike sixel
12:31 The Twins look median at nearly every position ranking so far.....that seems to make it hard to improve, since they have few gaping holes. What would you have done differently this off season?ReactReact
AvatarDan Szymborski
12:32 I really think the Twins should have gone big and been involved in Harper/Machado

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/dan-szymborski-fangraphs-chat-3-25-19/

 

[nytwinsfan]

 

Fangraphs finished its hitter previews today......EDIT: Ooops, they haven't done RF yet?

 

The Twins are pretty much median everywhere buy LF, where they are slightly better than median. While it's great to be median, and not bad......it's really hard to improve a team full of median players. As usual, the writeups vary in tone, as they were written by different authors. As usual, they are interesting reads.

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2019-positional-power-rankings-introduction/

Except there are a lot of places for them to improve from breakouts among the position platers (Buxton, Kepler, Sano, Polanco, Schoop bounce back, Garver, Astudillo, even Rosario (if he sustains his first half of last year for the whole season)).  The place where they could have improved by spending/trade is at starting and relief pitcher, where although they may be at the median overall, for individual pitching positions they could have improved a lot by signing a free agent.

[SomeGuy]

Fangraphs seems more intrigued by our pitching than most opinions I've seen.  Twins scored pretty well at all of their position breakdowns, I like the statement, a team that is average or better everywhere will be a good team.

 

Bullpen is projected as 11th best in MLB in terms of WAR.

"Minnesota’s bullpen is one without big names, but it could be sneaky-good this season. The team doesn’t appear to have a set closer just yet, but they do have options."

 

Rotation is projected as 14th

"This was a surprise entry in the upper half. They’ve actually been in or very near the top half in all of the previews and a team that is average or better everywhere is going to be good. Berrios is the best of the bunch and still holds some ace-level upside."

 

"Pineda and Perez are the injury bounce-back bets who could turn this into a top 10 rotation if things go their way."

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2019-positional-power-rankings-bullpen-no-1-15/

[Mike Sixel]

The Twins are pretty much median in every ranking. Which makes it really hard to improve by adding talent, outside maybe the pitching (since you need 13 of them most of the time).

 

The scary thing about the pitching is that one starter is under control for next year, I believe.

[nicksaviking]

 

The Twins are pretty much median in every ranking. Which makes it really hard to improve by adding talent, outside maybe the pitching (since you need 13 of them most of the time).

 

The scary thing about the pitching is that one starter is under control for next year, I believe.

 

Well if the team is willing to trade from the MLB level, moving median level guys is probably going to help bring back good players more so than a below median player.

 

I'd think if you have a whole team of average players, you could then just go out and seek the best possible bats, position be damned. Rosario and Polanco may be decent enough players, but it shouldn't stop the team from improving those positions if something better is out there.

[Han Joelo]

Castrovinces at MLB.com wrote that he considered the Padres and Twins for "Tenth Best Bullpen" (before picking someone else.)  So, yeah, I'm starting to worry less about this pen.

 

Just one outing, but I'm a little bummed by Alcala's showing in the scrimmage yesterday--Pressly would be a nice piece to have right about now.

[PseudoSABR]

 

The Twins are pretty much median in every ranking. Which makes it really hard to improve by adding talent, outside maybe the pitching (since you need 13 of them most of the time).

 

The scary thing about the pitching is that one starter is under control for next year, I believe.

1) As the article above suggests being average at everything means the team will be pretty good. 2) Improvement will have to come from internally, i.e. Kelper/Polanco/Buxton/Sano and others continue to develop.  

[PseudoSABR]

The most exciting teams, players and themes of the 2019 MLB season

Filed under Most exciting minor leaguers not including Vladimir Guerrero Jr:

Alex Kirilloff, OF, Minnesota Twins: A first-round pick in 2016, Kirilloff missed all of 2017 with Tommy John surgery but returned in 2018 to hit .348 with 20 home runs and 44 doubles across two levels of Class A ball. Kirilloff has one of the best pure bats in the minors, so don't be surprised if he hits his way into the big league lineup later this summer.

[yarnivek1972]

The Twins are pretty much median in every ranking. Which makes it really hard to improve by adding talent, outside maybe the pitching (since you need 13 of them most of the time).

 

The scary thing about the pitching is that one starter is under control for next year, I believe.

[Mike Sixel]

The twins write up is 18th...

 

https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2019/3/27/18282385/preseason-power-rankings-astros-red-sox-yankees-dodgers-brewers

[Thrylos]

 

The Twins are pretty much median in every ranking. Which makes it really hard to improve by adding talent, outside maybe the pitching (since you need 13 of them most of the time).

 

The scary thing about the pitching is that one starter is under control for next year, I believe.

 

a. If you figure median is about 2.5 WAR for position players plus DH, that's 22.5 WAR from the starting 9.  If you give 2.5 WAR to the bench/injury replacements etc, you got 25 WAR.  That's +10 fWAR from 2018.  I'd take that.

 

b. Nothing scary about getting rid of mediocre pitching.  I would rather have zero mediocre pitches under contract than (let's say) 3.  it is a wonderful thing (but of course they have to invest in better pitching via FA and trades)

[BrianTrottier]

Apparently the team who pays out the least in arbitration salaries in a given year receives a WWE belt as a prize--the deadspin article links to the original story in the Athletic for those who have a subscription:

 

https://deadspin.com/mlb-presents-a-championship-belt-to-the-team-that-keeps-1833663566

 

The part about the Twins is in the last paragraph.

[Mike Sixel]

Ryan
12:30 Your 2019 team pitching WAR leaders are the Blue Jays, Marlins, and Twins.  Which one actually has the best rotation?ReactReact
AvatarDan Szymborski
12:30 Probably the Twins, though the Marlins have more upside

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/dan-szymborski-fangraphs-chat-4-1-19/

[AlwaysinModeration]

Apparently the team who pays out the least in arbitration salaries in a given year receives a WWE belt as a prize--the deadspin article links to the original story in the Athletic for those who have a subscription:

 

https://deadspin.com/mlb-presents-a-championship-belt-to-the-team-that-keeps-1833663566

 

The part about the Twins is in the last paragraph.

Wow, that is pretty astounding that MLB does that. I love this quote from the Deadspin article:

 

“The most striking but also maybe the least surprising thing about all of this is that no one in baseball, at any point, said to themselves, maybe we shouldn’t do this.“

[BrianTrottier]

 

Wow, that is pretty astounding that MLB does that. I love this quote from the Deadspin article:

“The most striking but also maybe the least surprising thing about all of this is that no one in baseball, at any point, said to themselves, maybe we shouldn’t do this.“

 

Yeah, the poor judgment is pretty astounding.

[Mike Sixel]

LFC Mike
1:28 Hi Jay. Thoughts on closer situation in Minnesota and Boston?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:30 Wrote about Boston/Kimbrel here recently https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-separate-paths-of-craig-kimbrel-and-th...

Regarding the Twins: my thought is go sign Kimbrel. because he's there for the taking and they don't have the CBT threshold to worry about.

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/jay-jaffe-fangraphs-chat-4-4-19/

[Mike Sixel]

mike sixel
2:23 CLE OF looks as bad as we thought.....how close is MN to them, do you think? Thanks
Craig Edwards
2:25 I think Cleveland is still ahead by a bit, and we don't want to make too much of the early season, but in a close race, the two games the Twins have early help get things closer. I think there is still a disparity but one major injury to one of about half a dozen Cleveland players would make the division a tossup.

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/craig-edwards-fangraphs-chat-4-4-19/

[bighat]

Looks like rain in Philly tomorrow. Possible PPD unfortunately looming for the Twins/Phillies.

[Mike Frasier Law]

Fun article about the most enigmatic player:

 

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/willians-astudillo-is-a-baseball-enigma/

[Monkeypaws]

Article on Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson pops up in the NY Times of all places:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/06/sports/mlb-pitching-coaches-wes-johnson.html

[glunn]

This time from fivethirtyeight.com

 

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/willians-astudillo-is-a-baseball-enigma/

 

A few highlights:

 

"He was such an outlier that Minnesota’s own projection system struggled to find comps when the Twins were scouring minor league free agents after the 2017 season."

 

"Astudillo’s grandfather and father were obsessed with baseball. His father had played professionally in Venezuela. Astudillo remembers a drill in which his father would kneel a few feet away and flick corn kernels toward him in their backyard in the coastal city of Barcelona, Venezuela. Astudillo’s objective was to hit the knuckling projectiles with a broomstick. He thinks his rare contact ability is part nature and part nurture."

 

"During their organizational meetings last spring, Twins officials went through the scouting reports on players in their camp. As they looked at Astudillo, they thought he could play second, third, left field and catcher — important versatility in a sport that increasingly requires roster flexibility. A Twins evaluator in the room then spoke up.

 

“‘He can play center, too, just ask him,’” Falvey recalled.

 

The club officials were amused. Center field didn’t seem like a natural fit for the stout player. But Astudillo showed them the proof: video of himself robbing a home run in a 2014 Venezuelan winter league playoff game."

[Platoon]

The 538 piece is well worth the ready. If for no other reason other than to see the CF catch.

[Dman]

That was fantastic article really well done.  He looks like a player you want to start every game.  Hope the Twins find room.  Also just goes to show projection systems can only take you so far.

[amjgt]

Someone needs to start a “K pool”

 

I’ll take April 23

[AlwaysinModeration]

Someone needs to start a “K pool”

 

I’ll take April 23

I don’t want it to happen, so I will take tonight, April 9 versus deGrom, who has 24Ks in 13IP this season. (Willians needs to be in the starting lineup tonight...can’t bring a knife to a gunfight!). On his career, he has 3BB and 3Ks.

 

By the way, that home run he robbed in CF was from Jesus Aguilar.

[NapoleonComplex]

 

The 538 piece is well worth the ready. If for no other reason other than to see the CF catch.

 

Burger King advertisement on the wall at the point of the catch was so perfect in so many ways.

[Mike Sixel]

So fresh I haven't even read it....

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/with-wes-johnson-twins-pitching-appears-to-be-embracing-change/

 

It's such an obvious plan, but the dang myth of "establish your fastball" dies as hard as "establish the run to set up the pass" does in football....

[yarnivek1972]

I don’t want it to happen, so I will take tonight, April 9 versus deGrom, who has 24Ks in 13IP this season. (Willians needs to be in the starting lineup tonight...can’t bring a knife to a gunfight!). On his career, he has 3BB and 3Ks.

 

By the way, that home run he robbed in CF was from Jesus Aguilar.

In the lineup.

 

Batting third.

[Mike Sixel]

Newt

1:55 I don’t know if he’ll ever hit consistently, but man, watching Byron Buxton break the sound barrier rounding second en route to his triple last night was jaw-dropping.

Keith Law

1:55 And at the plate, he looks like he did for most of 2017, too. I'm optimistic.

 

https://www.jotcast.com/chat/klawchat-4-11-19-5061.html

[Mike Sixel]

Reid
12:36 Hi Eric, thanks for the chat. How would you go about grading Astudillo's hit tool? The feel for contact is obviously incredible, but how do you evaluate "plate discipline" for someone who swings at everything?
Eric A Longenhagen
12:37 he'll be on next week's Twins list and we're dropping an 8 on the bat

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/eric-longenhagen-chat-4-12-2019/