Leaderboard

Although this article is about the farm system, Cody, you only talk about the draft and players acquired via trades. Considering that four of their starting 9 position players are International Free Agents, that source if not most important is certainly as important as the draft. Where would this team be had their International scouts taken a vacation one July back in what was it, 2009, when they signed Sano, Polanco and Kepler? Although others were International players acquired in trades, I am guessing nearly half of this team were originally signed that way.

In terms of position players and relievers the Twins farm system has been a great pipeline of talent. Unfortunately, there has been a distinct lack of starting pitchers being able to establish themselves at the major league level. The only guy since Berrios who has had moderate success has been Dobnak and he an undrafted free agent signed out of an independent league. Way too many former top 100 prospects have flamed out in the last 5 years including Meyer, Stewart, Gonsalves, Jay, and Romero. I'm hoping the next crop of Duran, Balazovic, Enlow, Canterino, Sands, and Chalmers has more success.

It's too bad we don't play more doubleheaders, because Cruz always hits a HR in both games! I hope Alcala is OK; and I'm kinda done with Poppen. I wouldn't mind if he is DFA'd and they claim a waiver wire arm to potentially fix. Though I guess it is getting late in the season to be tinkering with guys like that. Maybe Duran/Colina/Chalmers in the pen then.

OK I'll bite. I like a lot of things this front office has done from day one but I do wish they would have taken more pitching higher in the draft. KC, Detroit and the White Sox all have drafted high quality hurlers in the 1st round and I don't think the Twins have taken one since Tyler Jay which was a huge mistake. Looking at our competitions farm systems they all have a fair bit of top 100 pitching in the pipeline. Granted we have some guys with potential but Balazovic is the only pitcher we have in the top 100 and he is at the bottom end at 90. Yeah, yeah i know that doesn't mean anything as Cleveland can pull pitchers out their hat and the Twins appear to have done the same to some degree with Dobnak but to me the odds favor our rivals at this time. While I get the strategy the Twins have used to try not to make mistakes in the 1st round the fact that they continue to load up on fairly slow footed\postionless hitters doesn't exactly give me confidence that they can put together a winner. The two guys they chose early that have 5 tool potential (Lewis, Cavaco) have the bat as their weak spot which could make them less effective if they ever do make it. It remains to be seen if the Twins stocking up on Left field, 1st baseman type hitters with hard hit rate turns out but IMO with so many of those types of players in the system I would have liked to see them take more chances on pitching. While there are things I feel are weaknesses in their strategy I can say they have maintained a good farm system even while picking later in the draft. As Rdering mentioned I feel like they have been saved by their international signings as a lot drafts came up pretty dry in 2013, 14 and 15 and we really haven't seen much of anyone but Jeffers and Rooker from 2017 on so hard to say how to feel about those drafts just yet. I will say I have enjoyed the Twins new approach to pitching development and have never felt better about that area than I do now. The thing is I believe our competition is a step ahead of us in that department and that might end up being the difference between making the playoffs out of the central or not. Here's hoping the FO has a few aces up their sleeves.

Thanks for this Matt, reading it transported my mind to the ballpark for at least a few fleeting minutes, which is what good writing should do. Now if you'll excuse me, I have the sudden urge to go pick up some brats and onions and throw them on the grill for lunch...

I can't say I'm surprised by Brent Rooker's success at the plate, given his consistent good AB's in the minors. What I'm hoping now is that he works his butt off to become at least average in a corner OF spot. Meanwhile, I'd love to see the team find some excuse to bring up Duran. Another horse? Let's find out, yea or neigh!

Ironic that we have to go to a sports blog to find such beautiful writing. Just marvelous,Matthew. Keep writing, please.

I felt like I was at a September game. Great article!

Both the Tribe and Pale Hose lost so that is good!

I really wish Rocco had a quicker hook when Dobnak was melting down in the third inning, especially since he was pitching on three days of rest. They have two days off after today, so there was no reason for him not to use all of his best bullpen arms. After Pineda's great start yesterday and Dobnak's dud today, I don't think there's any question that the playoff rotation will be Maeda, Pineda, and Berrios (not necessarily in that order).

Pretty simple why Kepler was way better last year as reflected in fWAR. Better hitter - OPS 55 points higher, from more walks and better power. Vastly superior fielder, since he has great range in outfield and poor range from Rosario. Better hitter and way better fielder combine for much better player.

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. Labor Day also kicks off the very best stretch of any season in which to be at a ballpark. Alas, this year, that only makes it an even more bittersweet milestone than usual.Baseball bills itself as the summer game. It wants to live in your mind as the official sporting sponsor of sunshine, vacations, and the Fourth of July. Owners make most of their money by packing their stadiums on summer weekends, selling not only tickets and jerseys and parking spots, but lemonade and ice cream to kids, and beer and nachos to kids’ parents. Even a bad team can often draw a pretty full house on occasions like those, because the clientele is families of five and six, and the product isn’t really baseball, so much as a memorable and stimulating evening of entertainment for all of them. When the game presents itself to you that way, though, it’s essentially trying to sell you an illusory sense of escape and immortality. Come, baseball says, freeze time with us. Summer will last forever, if you can have enough days and nights like this one, surrounded by noise and excitement and (mostly) friendly, low-stakes confrontation. This food doesn’t count against your diet. These hours don’t drag the countdown clock to the resumption of school or the end of your vacation any closer to zero. Of course, none of that is true. Baseball also wants to sell itself to you as a perpetually credible contest, between teams with real chances to win something they might mark as meaningful. That’s the tremendous virtue of the 162-game season, and is why the recent uptick in aggressive rebuilding projects has raised such a red flag for so many around the game. The game is built on the notion that, for the lion’s share of the season, everyone is in the hunt for the postseason, and every game matters, but that each game matters in only a small, survivable kind of way, because the team will have a chance to make up ground tomorrow if they lose today. Of course, all of that is only partially true even in the best of times, and (in so many ways) these are not the best of times. I love September because, invariably and inexorably, it comes along to dispel and dismantle baseball’s myths. Go to two games in a week this time of year, as the dwindling of our daylight hours accelerates toward the equinox, and you’ll notice the sun dipping through the space between the roof and the upper deck a half-inning earlier. The morning and midday wind picks up, and while the chill of autumn doesn’t really ride on it yet, that chill does start to creep into the heavy, still air of late afternoon. Whatever lies you were told, and whatever lies you told yourself, you’ve been getting older as you’ve watched this summer’s games, and now the year’s supply of baseball (like that of hot days and late sunsets) is running out. With that shiver-inducing return to reality, though, comes a wonderful vulnerability and vividity. What happens on the field in September matters more, to the average fan in the ballpark, as well as to the players. September baseball patrons form families of choice. They’re not there just to get drunk and carouse; that part of the party has changed venues, to football stadiums and tailgate lots. The kids are back in school, so fewer families can attend games, and those who do consist of hardcore fans for whom baseball is a nightly dinner-table topic. Teams in contention still pack the park in September, but the fans’ attention doesn’t need to be called back to the field as frequently. For teams who are out of the running, fans show up to savor the game itself, before it’s beyond their reach again for a while, and to see the young players on whom their hopes of being better next year rest. I’m a son, a friend, and a father. I don’t resent the families killing time or the buddies killing brain cells. I love baseball when it rises up to fill the entire physical and mental space before me, though, and because of that, September ballpark people are my people. This is why baseball will always mean more to Northern cities and their fans. San Diego, Los Angeles, and Atlanta are fine baseball towns, but they don’t live as fully in September, because they don’t have to wonder how far behind the end of baseball will come the beginning of winter. The smells of a ballpark in September are similar to those of a ballpark in July, but in the North, the experience of smelling them is different, because as you draw in that air and catch a whiff of grilled sausage and onions, that olfactory sensation mingles with the visceral, almost tactile sensation of the air—now crisp and cold, or getting there, instead of thick and warm. It’s the same smell, but it’s not the same feeling at all. There’s no better place to feel the fall rushing at you than in a ballpark in the northern part of the United States, and especially in Target Field. No park in baseball saves up and shows off the last lights of summer the way Target Field does, with its limestone accents inside and out, with the nested lights around the roofline preserving the fans’ view of the Southern and Western skies, and with its earth tones throughout, including large amounts of wood and a heavy use of forest green. The way the stone catches the sun, the way the ballpark (with the smallest footprint in the major leagues, with the field set below street level, with the high wall in right field and the soaring triple-deck grandstand beyond left field and the scoreboard above that) wraps itself around you like the collar of a good jacket—it all allows you to embrace and accept the end of one season, the beginning of another, and the promise (or threat) of more to come, in safety and solace. All of this now stands in sharper relief than ever, because we’ve been denied September at Target Field, and at every other ballpark. This fall is settling over Minnesota with only digitized, insubstantial signals. In reality, we can all still step outside to catch the cold air in our noses, but we can’t smell the same symphony of ballpark odors. In our minds and hearts, it feels like the opposite is true: we have the trappings of a season change here, but not the thing that makes it real for us. The fact of autumn is here, but the feeling is muted. Without the ballpark to ground us, it feels like this fleeting baseball season is something less than halfway over, and its end doesn’t feel as perilously close as it really is. Out of necessity and good sense, we’ve retreated from the physical act of attending games, but in doing so, we’ve numbed ourselves to elements of the games (and the very lives of which they’re a part) in a deeper way than we might have realized. I hope we can be back at ballparks in April next season, but even if we are, we will have lost an entire September, and next September seems excruciatingly far away. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Late to the discussion but had to weigh in. Keep in mind, I'm a fan of his, despite some of his flaws. I don't think anyone is saying Rosario is a bad player. Period. It is about the team getting better as well as managing the team/roster going forward. The one area of Rosario debate that amuses me is his production is somehow "expected" or "excused" because he should somehow "easily" produce power and RBI numbers because of where he sits in the lineup most days. Please. I'd like to think Rocco and his staff are smart, and probably smarter than we are. They put him in those lineup spots because he CAN produce runs. He has the power to do it. He has the confidence in himself to do it. And that's not true of everyone. So to dismiss his production...good production...because almost anyone could do it is just wrong. Could he do better? Is he streaky and sometimes maddening? Yes to both. But he is a good and productive ballplayer and to dismiss him, even if you aren't a big fan/believer is a disservice. All that being said, I think it makes complete sense to realize he may not fit in long term. Now, ANY thought of phasing him out during a playoff season is ludicrous. IMO, it's also really hard to believe he won't be back as an important piece in 2021. No matter how the work is coming along in St Paul, or what any AFL or EST may happen or look like, it seems a bit short-sighted to just audition prospects, top prospects, who have some to no experience above AA ball with no actual milb season this season and is also without a normal September call up scenario. Additionally, there are 40 man implications and no real fluff remaining that you just feel OK to dump to make room for someone until you have to. I feel Rooker has a chance to be pretty good. (Though I remain frustrated that such a good overall athlete still has some defensive questions). I feel really good about both Kirilloff and Larnach both and love their potential. And yes, I also feel either or both may indeed be even better than Rosario. But I'm not ready to bank on any of them being able to replace Rosario at the start of 2021. While Eddie could be moved in a deal, auditions and possible platoons could happen to replace him, I believe he will be back in 2021, his last arbitration season. At some point next year, certainly before 2022 hopefully takes place, I believe Rooker, Kirilloff and Larnach will be ready. Celestino hopefully close behind. Finances are a part of the game. And there are other guys I would choose to extend and keep that I believe are far less easy to replace.

The front office does seem more comfortable trading for minor league pitching prospects than drafting them. Duran, Alcala, Chalmers, Smeltzer and Valimont are decent acquisitions. As far as drafting Balazovic and Canterino look like their top selections. I do think they have added much needed depth to the farm system. This off season is critical in my opinion. A few of these prospects are reaching the play them or trade them time.

point taken...im sorry i just love Rosario...despite his faults. lol

What are we all on here for, if not to complain about the team? I understand, the negativity can be a bit much sometimes, but I, for one, really enjoy discussing and debating what the Twins could/should do to improve and win another g*damn World Series. I think this site would be incredibly boring if everyone was just a Twins cheerleader and never questioned what the team was doing or offered suggestions for improvement.

A lot of the focus on Rosario has to do with his contract situation. He was set to make $7.75 million this season (before the adjustment for the shortened season), and next year is his last year of arbitration, where he will likely be owed $8 million or more. Mitch Garver was only due $620,000 this season, and will enter arbitration for the first time next season. I don't know all that much about how arbitration works, but I don't think he'll be owed nearly as much as Eddie. Berrios was set to make just over $4 million this season, which was his first year of arbitration, and Sano is locked up under contract through 2023. Like it or not, this stuff is a part of the equation around whether or not a player should be kept around or sent packing. He is most likely a better player than Rooker, Kiriloff, or Larnach right now, but he's also making over 10 times what those guys would be making next season. If the Twins decide that really like Rosario and want to keep him around, then they'll pay him that money, but you have to weigh the cost against his benefits and decide whether or not that money would be better spent making upgrades elsewhere on the roster. Like I said before, I don't hate Rosario, and he can be fun to watch. But I want the Twins to spend wisely (since we've seen that they don't always spend as much as they should), and if the team would be improved by spending that money elsewhere, then I hope that's what they do.

It's not Eddie Rosario. He's in a six-way tie for 4th place in outfield assists in 2020 with 4 (Alex Verdugo leads MLB with 7). In 2019, he was in a seven-way tie for 12th place in MLB with 8. In terms of UZR/150, which is a (admittedly imperfect) stat that uses data related to a fielder's range and arm, adjusted for external factors, Rosario graded out as the 7th worst outfielder in MLB in 2019 and 13th worst so far in 2020. This stat doesn't necessarily tell the whole story, as defensive ability is notoriously difficult to quantify, but it provides a more complete picture than simply looking at assists. The "eye test" of Rosario as a fielder differs wildly depending on who you ask, but by the numbers, Rosario has been well below average defensively for the past two seasons. I don't think most Twins fans "hate" Rosario, I certainly don't. He's incredibly fun to watch, but he's just as often incredibly frustrating. Setting all emotions aside, the statistics say that he's around a league average hitter, and below average defender, and guys like that just aren't that hard to replace at a much lower cost than what Rosario will be making next year.

We will not know how well the team does in terms of building a good system for a few more years. The key is being able to keep reloading talent as they age and leave via FA or we trade them. Look at Cleveland on how they keep producing pitchers over and over to trade away. Now, they have failed to get good hitting over and over, and they have tried to using pitching depth in trades to load up hitting, but overall has not been all to great lately. Twins have seemed to find some diamonds in the rough lately for some good stints and that is also key to success. Not every top pick will be a MLB player, but finding some late picks to make up for that is always key. We also will not know for another year or two on how great the picks were. So far Jeffers looks MLB level ready and Rooker has had hot start. The rest will come next year or two.

This was the first year of my life with no Red Wing baseball to attend. It was terrible. Whats worse is we have no way of knowing if it will even return in April. Minor league sports must have fans....and that is a huge problem at the moment.

Buxton is so key to Twins success. Its very clear they are babying him...the guy is SO fragile, he is just one play away from the injured list. But he is SO good. We need him to play. Marwin is gassed and Adrianza isn't much of a hitter. Wade OTOH isn't bad. I don't mind seeing him in there. And with a lineup that features several k-men, I would like to see Astudillo play more. He is a contact hitter extraordinaire. I know most here don't like him because of his 'd'..but right now our catchers aren't producing much offense. Plus he is just plain fun to watch. But I do see both sides of the argument. The division will probably come into sharp focus after the Twins play 3 against the Tribe followed by 4 against the WhiteSox. Those 7 games are going to be intense. all 3 teams will be in the playoffs, so only the seeding and 'home field' is at stake as to whether they finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Of course there is always bragging rights. Also fun to watch: the Yankees losing 15 of 20 (including 3 straight to the charging Orioles...who just might unseat the Payroll for the 8th playoff spot. What a story that would be. O's are 1/2 game back and have 4 to play with the Yanks coming up.

i guess we just dont understand why you would go to all the trouble to smash on one dude that has been a loyal Twin his whole career. I understand you think you have valid evidence to back up your claims. My point is this, Why? Why now? What is motivating you? Sometimes my friend you have to take into account all the other factors that cannot be found in the analytical numbers. What may happen to people like Sano, Polanco, Adrianza, Buxton, and Kepler if Eddie is dissed out of the organization? What message would THAT send? I am all for the value of analytics. Now that we can all embrace it and recognize its importance let us not forget the human elements of the game of Baseball. I guarantee you Baldelli understands it. For those of us that have played the game we understand. The players are not robots they are people too. Eddie Rosario will not be easy to replace. Maybe his numbers will, but Eddie, the teammate, the Twin will be missed a great deal.

Now that the season is in the middle(or lower half) I knew somebody at Twins daily would have to break out their "Rosario Hater" file and say something. I wonder who leads the MLB in outfield assists? I guarantee you Merrifield will never try to test Rosario's arm again. The other night Sano hit a homerun as i watched the game and I swear I heard Bremer say "He has just tied Rosario for second on the team with homerun number 9. Yeah ....dang I wish we could get someone to take him off our hands. Whenever they win, they have a sort of team celebration in the clubhouse and whoever is deemed de-facto star of that game gets a game ball. (a la a winning football locker room) Im not sure but I believe it was started by Torii Hunter. Remember him? A lot of us do. The torch was passed to Escobar, then Mauer(who, if you dig deep did an incredible job at it), and then guess who? Not Cruz. Not Sano. Not Kepler, and not Polanco. It IS Rosario. One of my earlier posts i said he was a team leader. Somebody pushed back ...Eddie Rosario IS a leader on this team and he will be here at least until after 2021 trust me. And we will miss him when he is gone. I have seen all i need to see of Brent Rooker in the outfield. Lets leave Eddie alone because he is what he is. A vital member of a damn good team. Nobody in St.Paul, Rochester, or Pensacola can carry his bat bag.

Thanks, Matt. Hopefully next spring, summer, September and October will be somewhat back to normal.

Beautiful, beautiful!

I don't see Rosario as being part of the future, but other than making the people pulling their hair out over his baserunning mistakes, not really sure what we accomplish by trying to phase him out now, considering the injury status we have and this goofy short season. Rooker, Wade, and Cave are all contributing, but none of them are setting the world on fire. (Rooker is the only one out-hitting Rosario, and it's too small a sample to rely on yet and his defense is also...poor. Cave & Wade are better defensively than Rosario (better range, poorer arm) but neither is hitting well.) So there's no one that clearly deserves to take Rosario's place when Kepler gets back. Next season? I've always thought he was gone. The hitting has declined this year, the defense is just as bad as last year and he's going to get more expensive because MLB arbitration rewards experience over production. He's a great guy, been fun to watch, and is clearly MLB-calibre, but he's now at that point where his salary probably outstrips his skills. Cron is a fair comp in a lot of ways. TB made the decision previously on him that a) he wasn't worth the $5M he was gonna get, and they could replace his production with a younger, cheaper player. They weren't entirely wrong. Cron was a below average starter last year...is that worth $5M? maybe? Were they able to replace his production? Sure did. Choi was slightly better and made just under $1M. (I'm using bWAR btw) I think the run is over for the Twins for Eddie, because they're not going to want to pay him $8M+ next year for a guy that's going to project as a 2 bWAR player when they have a bunch of top hitting talent in the wings. There's no point to moving on now, but when the season ends, the Twins will reasonably move on.

Well, that's not what happened. The author said he made a stupid mistake--here's the quotation lifted directly from yesterday's game wrap. "For the second consecutive day, Eddie Rosario made a stupid base running mistake that likely cost the Twins runs early in the game" No where is he called stupid. I'll also work on naming a current white player with Rosario's stats when you name a white player with your collection of old-school platitudes. Your middle paragraph, wherein you state you don't accept anyone's argument that Rosario is a bad player, is also problematic, for a couple of reasons. Number one, it suggests you are not open to changing your mind, even if evidence suggests it; head-in-the-sand thinking is dangerous. Second, no one is saying Rosario is a bad player; the whole point of the article is that Rosario costs the team runs, and potentially wins, due to his continued overaggression, and eroding skills everywhere except homers, RBI's, and throwing. If he was inexpensive, or at a position with little depth, it's not necessarily grounds for moving on, but neither of those two conditions are true. Rosario is more expensive than the average player. He also plays at the Twins greatest position of strength, where much, if not all of his production could conceivably be replaced by players making less than 10% of what Rosario does. That money can be used to extend Berrios, re-sign Cruz/Odo, lock in a young player to a Kepler/Polanco type deal, or try and obtain additional talent on the free agent market.

If you're going to insinuate what you're trying to insinuate, you should at least get your facts straight. The author of the game wrap said that he made a "stupid mistake", which I think is totally accurate. This is the second game in a row where he partially stunted a rally with his bad baserunning. Do you understand the point of the advanced statistics that a lot of us have cited? Have you ever tried digging just a bit deeper than batting average, home runs, and RBI. It's been decades since most MLB teams have relied primarily on those stats, and for good reason. You're using cherry-picked, circumstantial evidence to insinuate that the reason a lot of us want to move on from Rosario is because of his race. I find that insinuation incredibly disgusting. Either provide some actual, solid evidence or stop trotting out this BS.

I would explain 2019 by pointing out that Rosario had ONE more RBI than Cruz despite 69 more PA's. I would also point out that Rosario had 285 PA's with at least one runner on, and 173 with at least one runner in scoring position--Cruz had 248 and 135. So despite having more total PA's, PA's with runners on, and PA's with runners in scoring, Eddie only managed one more RBI--this proves Cruz is a much better hitter, which is borne out by pretty much every stat. The story is largely the same this year. Rosario again has exactly ONE more RBI than Cruz, but has 3 more PA's. Although that is small, as is the number of PA's with runners on (72 for Rosario, 68 for Cruz), the big difference is in PA's with runners in scoring position--44 for Rosario, and only 31 for Cruz. Rosario has more RBI's, both this year and last, because he not only has more opportunities to drive in runs, he has better opportunities as well. As for the clutch argument--this year, Rosario has had 14 PA's labelled high leverage by fangraphs. He is slashing .154/.214/.462/.676, with only 2 xbh, a wOBA of .279, a wRC+ of 72, with only 30.8% hard contact (that is, he's not getting hurt by at 'em balls). Cruz has had 9 high leverage PA's, and is slashing .286/.444/.286/.730 with no xbh, a wOBA of .355, a wRC+ of 123, and 66.7% hard contact. For a bigger sample size, here's high leverage stats for 2019. Rosario--49 PA's, .364/.408/.636/1.045, 8 xbh, .421 wOBA, 166 wRC+, 37.2% hard hit Cruz--42 PA's, .323/.500/.484/.984, 5 xbh, .402 wOBA, 153 wRC+, 40.9% hard hit So a little bit of an advantage to Rosario, but not hugely so, and one that has not repeated itself this year. It's also worth noting Cruz only had 53.5% strikes in high leverage, while Rosario had 62.8%. Given that Rosario only walked 8.2% of the time, whereas Cruz walked 26.2% of the time, I think we can fairly assume that Cruz was getting far fewer pitches to hit than Rosario, which can explain some differences as well. Overall, Rosario's HR and RBI numbers look great, but are largely situationally driven, and paper over the other holes in Rosario's game. You know, kinda the point Nick was trying to make.

I'm ready for a new left fielder in 2021. Definitely. But not now.

Rosie's gonna go on an insane hot streak now It does feel like he's venturing into that C.J. Cron/Jonathan Schoop zone of definite MLB starter, but probably not a guy who's "worth" his projected arbitration salary. Given the Twins have so many outfielders and so many that hit left-handed definitely contributes to the equation, as highlighted in the article. But, one thing I expect to be in Eddie's favor is he's among the leaders in the clubhouse. At this time, Cruz is set to depart at season's end, leaving a hole both in the lineup and the clubhouse. I imagine the Twins will want to keep at least one of those two guys around for 2021.

Rosario has been the best hitting Twins OF for the past 30 days, at a time the team has struggled to score runs. And you want to phase him out now?

I agree in concept, Nick. However, I am not so sure his poor performance is a product of "diminished skills". He still stings the ball when he gets a hit to pitch. Of course, thats not too often. While he has quit swinging at pitches 16 inches off the plate but he still swings at anything close even when he is ahead in the count. Therefore, pitchers have no reason to give him anything to hit even when they are behind. He ends up with a lot of weak contact. Most of the time when he is ahead it's because the first two pitches are no where near the zone. Then, he swings at anything close instead of getting a good pitch to hit. I think he would be significantly above league average if he had average plate discipline. He has demonstrated he is either unwilling or unable to apply an approach that gets him decent pitches to hit. My guess is Rooker and Cave take his playing time next year until Kirilloff or Larnach show they are ready. At least we have Rooker for LH pitching the rest of this year.

All of that may be true, but "phasing out" a core veteran team member in the middle of a pennant race seems like an awful idea. I would like to see the prospects live though too. Wish they still expanded the rosters.

I was a major skeptic of Major League Baseball's ability to carry out a 2020 season of record. I won't run away from it. As I stared down the immense challenges ahead in early April, my conclusion was that we needed to give up the ghost. Six months later, I can officially say: I was wrong. And I couldn't be more pleased.The concerns were valid, and the sailing has not always been smooth. But one by one, MLB has managed to navigate every foreboding obstacle. Overwhelming logistical barriers. The league's exhaustive protocols have been sound. There were a couple of early outbreaks, affecting the Marlins and Cardinals, but the virus seemingly never spread between clubhouses, and for the most part cases have been minimized. The traveling restrictions, the in-game considerations, the testing cadences ... they all seem to be working. Player and public health implications. Some players and personnel have gotten sick, yes. But can anyone realistically argue that the number would not be far higher if all these individuals were left to their own devices? The latest testing results yielded a new positive rate of 0.008%. I suppose the resource drain could be criticized, but to my knowledge, shortage of testing supplies is not a nation-wide issue. There doesn't appear to be much if any collateral damage from baseball being played. Playing in empty stadiums under altered rules. It's been strange, yes, but I still find myself enjoying the product. The league and its broadcasters have all-in-all done a tremendous job of delivering a familiar experience. Caliber of play has been high, and as a fan I've been looking forward to each night's game. Many of the new twists, like extra-inning men-on-second and an extended 60-man player pool, are intriguing and fun in their own ways. Validity of a shortened and contorted season. This is the one thing I'm still a bit stuck on. Should a 60-game season, with warped schedules and an expanded playoff format, really be counted the same as a typical one in the game's annals? At this point last year, the World Series Champion Washington Nationals were 16-25, and would've been outside the playoff picture. Presently, they are ... 16-25, and all but certain to miss the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Yankees are in real danger of missing out. And while this gives me great joy as a Twins fan, it gives me pause as a baseball fan. This is clearly one of the best teams in the league, eliminated from October because of some injuries and slumping in what would've normally been the first third of the schedule? How am I gonna feel if the Twins get ousted by the White Sox 2-1 in a first-round playoff series? It's all a little tough to come to grips with, but you know what? I can deal with it all. As a fan who cherishes the sport's legacy and tradition, I can accept it. Despite my reservations coming in, I just find myself happy to have baseball. It has proven an invaluable distraction from the state of the world, and the dynamic of a concentrated 60-game sprint only plays up this benefit. There's rarely a night off or a moment to take a breath, which is why – during the current odd two-day break – I find myself struck by a sense of sadness in the Twins' absence, and a looming dread at the spectre of an approaching finish line. I'll be honest, when I listened to Rob Manfred and Co. wax poetic about the game's power to heal and restore normalcy – while at the same time embroiled in a highly publicized money dispute – I almost gagged at the schmaltzy sentimentality. But for me personally, the return of baseball has been a very wonderful thing, more than I ever expected. I'm extremely grateful for it. MLB's successful experiment even gives me hope that the NFL can pull off its season, set to get underway on Thursday night. If not for baseball successfully paving the way, I would have minimal confidence. To the players, coaches, trainers, umpires, media, staffers, executives and – yes, even owners and commissioner – who have come together to make this season happen under extraordinary difficulty: thank you. So much. And to Mr. John Bonnes ... Yes, I am loving watching baseball this year. You were right, I was wrong. Yeah yeah. Luckily, I'm sure you won't get a big head about it. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/twins/ 9 of the current top 30 twins prospects on MLB.com were acquired by the previous regime. When you consider how long it typically takes a player to develop in the minor leagues that they have been able to keep supplementing the big league roster with talent and develop another wave of talent to follow so quickly speaks well to the farm system development over the last few years. It's not just the development of players in the minors but also how they keep improving once they reach The Show that determines the quality of a MLB organization. Just look at Shane Bieber's growth this year and all of their other pitchers over there in Cleveland that we are starting to develop here in Minnesota now. The whole reason they brought Falvey over from Cleveland was because of how he helped them develop their pitchers. So far so good with Canterino, Balazovic, Enlow, Duran all looking very promising and all the other relief pitchers and starting pitchers that have/are coming up in the system. When you factor in the explosive growth in the Twins' offense and pitching last year and now their defensive improvements this year when they were able to put in place the coaching staff they wanted as opposed to inherited it is mind boggling to me that people don't realize how lucky we are to have them leading the organization. For some examples to remind everyone: Duffey and Littel became relief aces last year when our pitching coach (more like pitching whisperer) Wes Johnson advised them on things to work on when they went down to Rochester. This year Thielbar and Wisler have become two more set up quality pitchers that Falvine got off waivers and near retirement for Wes to work with. Maeda has gone from a very good pitcher to an actual capital A - Ace pitcher after they changed his pitch mix. Dobnak was an undrafted free agent that has a 60+ GB% and his slider has become a real weapon this year. Cody has illustrated well with his examples how well Falvine have done with the early returns from their drafts and trades so far. I've never been more excited as a Twins fan regarding the direction of the organization. Cheers!

and i understand your point. At some juncture everyone has to make a decision on how to allocate the budget. Its Pohlads money not mine. Assuming they don't pocket every dime that is a profit, I just dont see how not keeping Rosario is going to help us. We will muss him a lot. The future is bright for sure but I will tell you this. We can kiss Buxton's A$$ goodbye and Berrios too. They aren't signing extensions. Treating loyal guys like Rosario right might seem not sensible to you. If you look at it another way, guys like Donaldson, will not want to come around if we continually screw players over that have paid their dues here through thick and thin. Another example is Trevor May. How are we going to deal with him. MLB has another problem now and it's because nobody stays on one team long enough for young fans to know and grow with the stars. Its sad. It didnt used to be that way

i just read the article again and i cant stop laughing. His gaudy numbers (36 hr, 109 rbi) in 2019 obscure the facts hahaahaahaaa . How can you obscure those facts? The fact is he played half the year on one leg as well!

That not 19 pitch at bat was not Dobnak's. Right? It was Thielbar's.

"Rooked on a Feeling The sky is blue, the grass is green, Brent Rooker is very strong….and Dick Bremer can see into the future. Bremer used his crystal ball in the 2nd inning to predict Rooker’s first MLB home run, which he piped to the left field bullpen off a 2-2 Daniel Ponce de Leon fastball to put the Twins up 2-0." Uh... So Did Cory Provis on Twins Radio. Must have been in the media guide, lol.

Yeah, being a DH who didn't didn't become dominant offensively until age ~33 is a hard recipe for the hall of fame! But I'd certainly like to see the Twins enhance his case with some postseason heroics this year.

I really thought the Umpire was squeezing Dobnak's strike zone in that inning. Dob did not help himself, but the electronic strike zone would not have had him walk some of the batters. Sorry that we did not get the second win, but very pleased with Rooker. And Cruz is the most dominate DH since the days of Ortiz. So great to see. I was even thinking - is Cruz entering HOF territory? I know he did not produce as much when he was younger and 400 HRs is no longer the automatic mark for power consideration- now it is 500. So I went on Baseball Reference and checked all the HOF projections - I am afraid he is not close. Still a favorite of mine.

I agree with those that have argued that the time has come for the Twins to part ways with Rosario at the conclusion of this season. I've been saying this for a long time, but today's 2nd game was a perfect microcosm of why Rosario needs to go. 0 for 4, not a shock, but I know in his final 3 AB's he saw a GRAND TOTAL of 7 pitches. Leading 2-0 after Rooker HR, a Donaldson double and 4 pitch walk brought Rosario to the plate in a key spot. What does Eddie do? Takes 1 pitch for a ball and then can't help himself in 1-0 count and swings at a ball high and inside and pops out. BAD AB. Next time up, I think, same situation----swings at 1st pitch and hits a weak groundball turned into an out, but it did advance runners to 2nd and 3rd. Final AB, saw--oh boy--four pitches and AGAIN---swinging to hit the Arch, he lofted another weak flyball out. I posted the other day, but Eddie is first and foremost--ALL ABOUT EDDIE. Thats his sole concern and focus. His continued refusal to work a count in his favor in key spots to get a good pitch to hit is enough of a reason to cut bait with him.

Defending Rosario with thinly veiled accusations of racism is hilarious. Nick posted the screenshot from MLB savant. The only thing Rosario is above average at is striking out. These are no longer just numbers but actually physical measureables. He isn’t making hard contact, swings at pitches outside the zone, isn’t a great fielder and makes idiotic mistakes.

Cool racism accusation bro! Can you name any current white Twins player with mediocre to bad stats that continues to get playing time AND praise for hustle/hard-nosed play/leaving it all on the field? If not, maybe we can accept the author's argument on it's merits, rather than conduct a search for implicit bias in an owner of a site that has been quite progressive in the current climate.

This. I can’t imagine the clubhouse would love dumping Rosario at this time, I do hope behind the scenes Baldelli is somewhat vocal about the sloppy play.

I see what you're alleging here, but if you're going to make that point, you had better come with some better receipts than that. You accuse people of cherry picking stats, to make Rosario look bad, but then you use a 6 game sample to back up your point? Also, let's go ahead and compare him to Kepler: Kepler doesn't run himself into outs on the basepaths consistently like Rosario does, he doesn't throw to the wrong base nearly as often as Rosario does, and he has much better range (when healthy) than Rosario does. And Kepler's fWAR in 2019 was more than three times higher than Rosario's! Sure, Rosario had more RBI than Kepler, but that's very much a function of Rosario always hitting in the heart of a great lineup where he had a ton of RBI opportunities vs. Kepler most often hitting leadoff. That's precisely why we tend to look at things like WAR instead of RBI when we're trying to predict future performance. I can understand the argument that he's a "glue guy" in the clubhouse, but it seems to me that the author provided plenty of solid numbers to show why the Twins should part with Eddie, and you're the one that's basing your argument on emotion.

Maybe the Twins could resign Nick Punto to fill this role...

Wait.... What? Has he specifically discussed retiring at the end of this season?

That Cleveland front office can reach into their pockets for spare change and pull out a pitching prospect that ends up being a stud. This is getting ridiculous!