Leaderboard

Here are the things I like - seven inning games are quicker, less relievers and very entertaining and also get done at a reasonable time.DH in both leagues - why not? Playing in the Central division (why Pittsburgh in the Central?) but I would also have combined them into one division for the year. The three batter rule - anything that reduces the number of pitcher changes within an inning. Having baseball every day. What i don't like; Manfred - the more he speaks the less I like his attitudeBullpen gamesHaving the 60 man roster without relaxing rules that keep it from a fluid movement between active and reserveEight teams in the playoffs. Too many. I know there are some fun storylines in Baltimore, Miami, and Detroit, but the real storylines should be three teams fighting for the AL central title.

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!

"A few aces up their sleeve." This one put a smile on my face.

While the jury is still out to be sure, I've been very impressed by their drafts thus far, as well as the overall changes in development philosophy. They also seem more aggressive in promotions. I don't want to start yet another debate about who was traded in a bad season, but it does appear they brought in a few guys who have real potential and some high ceilings when they did so. And let's not forget Dobnak came under their watch. Right now, Dobnak, Alcala, Jeffers and Littell are part of this team and Acquired via the FO recent moves. Sure I'm forgetting someone. Maeda was acquired by actually moving a prospect, something we aren't used to seeing. I wish the best for Graterol, I really do. But right now, I can't imagine not having Maeda on this team. And I believe he's here for at least 3 more years. There is another thread concerning Rosario that I don't want to get in to because that discussion should stay where it is. But I would make one point that references that discussion. Teams and rosters DO CHANGE. And they do so for many reasons. While I personally don't feel a championship contending team should be banking on prospects to replace a quality position player, with a wide window of opportunity, especially coming off a no milb season of normal development, how tantalizing is it to reflect and speculate on Rooker, Kirilloff and Larnach...with Celistino just behind...as future fixtures? (Or part of trade possibilities, of course). And not that there aren't other solid prospect behind them. Teams change every year. And while there could be arguments for mostly keeping our current Twins team intact for 2021, changes WILL take place. How about Lewis, Gordon and Blankenhorn for infield additions soon? I do share Dman's concern somewhat about a lack of top selections pitching wise in the draft. I'd like to believe this bas been a result of taking the best player available and a belief in their ideals of draft and development. The Cleveland way of doing things if you will. But then I see what Dobnak and Alcala are doing. (Completely different additions). I see the potential of Duran and Balazovic and maybe Chalmers. I wonder about Colina and Enlow and maybe Sands. I suddenly remember Celistino, recently added to the 60 man. And while I'm sure I'm leaving a few guys out, I'm starting to see the Twins version of a pitching pipeline potentially beginning. Drafting, signing and trading for young talent and developing them IS the lifeblood of a successful organization. Isn't that what Falvey and Levine spoke of when hired? So far, so optimistically good I'd say. Despite some really nice and even key veteran performers on the roster, there are a lot of still young players that make up our beloved Twins. And the window OP opportunity appears wide open to me with a ton of young talent ready to rise up over the next year or two to replace and augment the team. Not everyone will make it or stay with the the organization. But I am really excited for what we have and what is coming up.

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.

I do not mind the 7 inning games for double headers, and would be fine with that move for double headers only in the future as well. Not for non-double-headers though. Pittsburgh is in the central because there are 5 teams in the NL that are more east. Miami, Mets, Nats, Phills, Atlanta. Plus they are the closest to the other NL central teams compared to other NL east teams. So sometimes it would seem it does not make much sense on where teams are, but lines have to be drawn somewhere. I am not fan of the 60 games, but I get it. I get the expanded playoffs, which makes the 60 game season even less of an issue. I do not have an issue with how the playoffs will be though. Having best of 3 is better than a first round single game at least.

Yeah Gipson looks like he has pitches that miss bats but his pitch mix could likely use help. Legumina had decent numbers before getting hurt which makes me wonder if he is destined for the pen. I am not sold on Headrick but he is that crafty lefty all teams seem to like in the later rounds. Sean Mooney had some good stats before needing Tommy John so could be a good grab for a 12th round pick. Dylan Thomas looks like he has the strike out stuff to be a closer. Cody Laweyson had an impressive Minor league debut and could be one of those Dobnak type finds. So Yeah I agree with you they took a lot of bites of the apple getting lots of pitching in the lower rounds hoping a few of those guys work out. The Twins also have a couple interesting young arms that came from international signings in Donny Breek and Anthony Escobar. Both of those guys have a ways to go but have shown very good potential and performed well to this point. So again to your point the well is not dry. It just remains to be seen yet if Falvey can duplicate the no name pitcher success that Clevelend has been able to produce to this point. I guess we will all have to wait and see but given that our division looks to have some of the best pitching in baseball for the foreseeable future if these guys don't turn out then our chances for the playoffs are slim to none.

I think it will be really interesting to see if Falvey can repeat the Cleveland success with pitcher drafting and development. One somewhat strange occurrence that should be worth following is that in 2019 the Twins drafted and signed 16 college pitchers in rounds 6-25.

Y'know, you could make this exact same argument about Brian Dozier - team leader and well-respected in the locker room, very good hitter who hit HRs and scored lots of runs as a leadoff man, and had shaky fielding skills. The team abruptly shipped him off in 2018 as his play declined somewhat, and despite losing a player loved by the team and the fans, the 2019 offense turned out to be a historic unit without him. As I've said before, I'm not looking to replace him immediately, but it's worth wondering whether it's better giving him his arbitration money (should be around $10M), or spending that elsewhere to improve the team. It's not impossible to find a free agent or develop one of our several highly touted prospects to replace him. I could understand either retaining him or moving on form him, I think both sides are certainly defensible.

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.

Are we watching the same team? Since the beginning of 2019, Kepler has gotten on base at a higher rate than Rosario and hit for more power than Rosario. I think it's more likely the next few seasons will look much closer to 2019-2020 in terms of their offensive production rather than 2017-2018, when Kepler was still figuring things out at the plate and Rosario outperformed him. And that's not even taking into consideration that Kepler consistently grades as one of the best defensive corner outfielders in the game, while Rosario grades as well below average defensively. There's a good reason why Falvine prioritized locking up Kepler long-term instead of Rosario, and I'm very glad that they did.

Rosario's career tripleslash: .277/.309/.477 (.786 OPS) 2019 Rookie of the Year candidates: Yordan Alvarez .313/.412/.655 (1.067 OPS) Brandon Lowe .270/.336/.514 (.850 OPS) Eloy Jimenez .267/.315/.513 (.828 OPS) Cavan Biggio .234/.364/.429 (.793 OPS) (NL) Pete Alonso .260/.358/.583 (.941 OPS) Fernando Tatis Jr. .317/.379/.590 (.969 OPS) Bryan Reynolds .314/.377/.503 (.880 OPS) With a tripleslash a little below Eddie's, you would be lucky to get a single vote for ROTY. We're in the era of the juiced ball, and a .786 OPS with 32 HRs isn't as rare as it used to be.

While I do like the high K/9 stats, relievers are about more than strikeouts. Yes there are times when a big strike-out is needed, but things like save%, hold%, Inherited Runners Scored, walk%, etc. need to be taken into consideration when decisions are being made about who should be in the 'pen. That is why the 2 at the bottom of the K% list should continue get strong consideration as viable options.

I find it hard to argue with you about May. He is prone to occasionally fall apart and he gets hit HARD when he gets hit. The outs he gets come by strikeout, but opponents are slashing .275/.315/.493 with 2.7 HR/9 against him this year. I like May a lot, but that's not dominance and among this group he isn't standing out the right way. Clippard though? All he does is get outs.

Thanks, Nick, enjoyed the article and agree with almost everything you have written. I suspect many of you younger guys and gals still have a life and are out and about while being careful. But for us old farts, we had really nothing as we are locked in our homes/jail cells. Having nightly baseball has been a god send, at least for me. Unfortunately, it will end too soon and hockey won't get going until I don't know when. And like you, I am more than thankful for baseball's return. As for all the changes, I can live with them. And yes, even that bloody runner on second rule in extra innings. Actually, I would like to see a few more double headers in the future and could live with the 7-inning rule. As for the 3 batter rule, that's here to stay and it is growing on me. As for player health, I am pleasantly surprised how most teams have gotten thru the season with zero cases. Congrats to those organizations for both having a good plan in place and the courage of all involved to live with it. Now can the Twins extend this season all the way to the end of October? And is it true, Nick, that Mr. Bonnes ordered a mature crow from Omaha Steaks to be delivered to your home for your dinner this evening?

I had really mixed feelings about sports starting again back in April when there was so much uncertainty about the pandemic. Frankly I didn't have much hope that baseball would start at all when they were arguing about money up until the very last minute. It's been nice to have the option to watch baseball every day, even if I don't take advantage of it.

I'm not paid to make this decision, thankfully.

I hate to say this - it will cause a lot of angst among my fellow commentors - I would drop Trevor May - his performance has been too erratic. Then it would be Clippard based on recent outings. So there is the answer cut off the top and the bottom!

I was in the same boat, Nick. And, I too, can admit that I was wrong. However, I'm not really enjoying the quirkiness of the season. And I don't really care about fans in the seats because I watch most games without sound on anyway. While I have my complaints, I'm happy for those that are engrossed in it and for the relatively few that were able to return to their related jobs. And, when I do actually have the chance to watch, it is nice to at least have the option.

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.

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.

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

As we all know, the Twins have fallen out of first place this season and are struggling to get back up there. This isn’t only happening to the Twins, as two other American League powerhouse teams have fallen off a bit.2020 has been a wild year and it has been no different in baseball. For example, the Orioles and the Marlins seem likely to sneak into the playoffs at this point. Who saw that coming? We have seen the Twins, a team thought to be the favorite for first place, fall to third in their division. We have also seen two other elite teams, the Yankees and Astros, fall much further than the Twins. What happened? New York Yankees: 21-21, third in ALE, lost 5 in a row The Yankees missing the playoffs could be the best thing to ever happen to the Minnesota Twins franchise. After losing 5 in a row and not looking very competitive lately they find themselves with a .500 record and just a 0.5 game lead over Baltimore for the final playoff spot. Their offense has the 17th highest WAR and 14th highest OPS. The pitching has the 20th highest WAR and the 13th worst ERA. Just like last season, this is largely due to an insane amount of injuries. Out of the 42 games played, Judge has missed 24, Stanton has missed 28, Torres has missed 12, LeMahieu has been hurt, and it just doesn’t get better. On the pitching side they have been without Luis Severino, Cole has a FIP of 4.64 and Paxton has an ERA of 6.64 so things aren’t going great there either. The Twins have certainly had their share of injuries, but what the Yankees are going through is unbelievable. Judge and Stanton are always hurt and the rest of the team just hasn’t performed and yet I do not feel bad at all. I really hope they miss the playoffs to the Baltimore Orioles. Houston Astros: 22-21, 2nd in ALW, lost 7 of their last 10 I think everyone in America is happy to see the Astros struggle this season. After coming off an offseason where the organization was exposed for cheating and very little punishment was given out, no one is an Astros fan outside of Houston. Like the Yankees, Houston has had a couple of their star players hit the IL with Alex Bregman on the 10 day and Yordan Alvarez out for the season. Besides that, the offense hasn’t performed well with only three players having an OPS over .800 and Altuve not doing well at all. He has fallen to a .606 OPS and a 69 wRC+ this season. George Springer and Carlos Correa haven’t been as bad, but they are definitely below expectations. They lost both Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander so their starting pitching was doomed from the start. We like to look at the Twins “fall” out of first place but they’re still a very good team behind two teams who are red hot. At least we aren’t watching the Yankees or Astros 2020 implosions because that seems painful. As we always say, thank goodness we’re Twins fans and not Yankees fans! It’s so much easier. 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

I'll echo Baseball > No Baseball. I like the 7 inning double headers when I thought I wouldn't. I'll always be a proponent of the DH in both leagues. Hopefully everything will continue through the next 6 weeks.

As it sits right now, the first round will be played entirely at the home park of the higher seed. The Twins are 18-5 at home and 9-13 on the road.

I am now officially an Orioles fan. Boo Yankees!

There will be a lot of suitors for him next year if DH is across the board. However, I think he has been happy here and Twins will try to keep him. I think it would take a strong push from a team that is similarly set to win now to get him to move on to them. He is not from U.S. so no I always wanted to play for home town team at end of career like some U.S. born guys do. I bet he is back with Twins unless some other team just pays a ton for him and Twins not willing to match.

Thoughts on the Dozier comp: Baseball Reference Stats: Dozier OPS+ 2015-2017: 104, 134, 126 traded in 2018 Rosario OPS+ 2017-2019: 119, 116, 108 and now people talking about shipping him out in 2020 (or non-tender him after) His level of hitting has never been as high as Dozier's and has been declining for 3 years. (He's at 107 right now this year) Dozier WAR 2015-2017: 2.8, 5.8, 4.6 Rosario WAR 2017-2019: 1.5, 4.1, 1.7 (only 2 seasons over 2 WAR in his career) His overall play had 1 spike year 2 years ago, but otherwise hasn't been close to peak Dozier. Fangraphs Stats: Dozier WRC+ 2015-2017: 102, 132, 126 Rosario WRC+ 2017-2019: 117, 114, 103 (101 this year) Dozier WAR 2015-2017: 3.1, 6.3, 5.1 Rosario WAR 2017-2019: 2.6, 3.5, 1.2 Rosario's peak has never reached Dozier's peak and he has been declining for 3 years now. I think Dozier is a very accurate comp, and was trade-able because he was drastically better the 2 seasons before his trade than Rosario is. When we step back and actually look at the player Rosario is we can see why they weren't able to swing a trade this off season. He's incredibly replaceable. Response to the article and thread as a whole: Corner outfielders with similar WRC+ to Rosario last year (plus peak career year): Whit Merrifield (utility so bit of stretch on the Corner OF thing) 110/119 Franmil Reyes 109/129 (141 this year) Marcel Ozuna 109/143 (158 this year) Kole Calhoun 108/127 (over 120 twice) Adam Eaton 107/124 (over 120 3 times) Domingo Santana 107/127 Eddie Rosario 103/117 Dexter Fowler 103/129 (over 120 5 times including this year) Jason Heyward 101/134 (over 120 5 times including this year) Yasiel Puig 101/160 (over 120 3 times and currently unemployed) Andrew Benintendi 100/122 (over 120 twice) Alex Gordon 96/140 (over 120 4 times) Josh Reddick 94/127 Randal Grichuk 90/138 Eddie has the lowest peak year out of that entire group and basically all of them have beat his best year multiple times. This is just offense so it doesn't even take into account his terrible defense where many on this list are drastically better. Are these guys all worthy of major league jobs? For sure. But I don't think many fighting for Eddie to stick around would be thrilled to have him replaced by Kole Calhoun, but the reality is Kole Calhoun has had a better career than Eddie. Eddie is simply a league average corner outfielder offensively, and, as discussed in the article and thread, a well below average defender. Does that mean one of the prospects are guaranteed to perform better? No. But unless you're wanting to go out and spend close to $10 mil on Kole Calhoun instead of give a young guy a shot next year you shouldn't be fighting for Eddie who adds terrible defense and much more frequent than you'd like base running gaffes.

Totally agree. I like that they are promoting before players run out of options which seemed to happen more than I liked with the last administration.

The guy who has impressed me of late is Alcala. For one thing, you can count on him for two innings (not sure I would say the same about most of our bullpen), and there are times where that is at least desirable and maybe necessary. He's also young and on the upswing, sort of like Dobnak was last year. With the caveat that they all have done well this year and all are excellent component parts, I would probably drop Stashak and Wisler. Stashak is mostly injury concerns - if there are none, then I'd keep him and drop Clippard. With Wisler, I just don't trust a one pitch pony. Granted, you might say the same about Romo, but Romo has proven it in high leverage situations for a longer period of time. Clippard has done fine, but he is at the bottom of this strikeout list.

Very impressive! A few are ahead of Rogers, our main closer. Figure

Eddie is top 5 in all major categories on the Twins. Most of his stats are in the top 3. Eddie is a gamer, a good player, and a leader. I don't see how you phase him out right now. Offseason may be a different animal, but right now the team is better with Eddie.

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.

Bam! Kaboom! Pow! Sound of door slamming...

Yeah prospecting is becoming much more of an art than a science. National writers are going to struggle rating the 50th best prospect vs the 150th best prospect moving forward. Local writers will have to rely on word of mouth, and scouting grades more than ever. I'm gonna miss the minor league box scores.

You may very well be right. Bust as the Al Davis mantra goes... "Just Win Baby!" If the Twins make the right moves that lead to a culture of winning and competing for championships (NOT just division titles) consistently, then I don't think they'll have any issues attracting and retaining talent. In my personal opinion, I would put much higher priority on locking up Buxton and Berrios in the next year rather than Rosario.

"2020 Midseason Farm System Rankings"? Good one, MLB. What with 0 minor league games played.

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.

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'm tired of Baldelli's decision making. So in the 2nd game of a doubleheader we need to rest Arraez, Buxton and Polonco and play the 3 duds of Marwin, Wade and Adrianza? Don't get me wrong, in a long 162 game season you want to keep your guys fresh and well rested, I get it. But this is far from a 162 game schedule and with 2 off days in front of you there is NO REASON NOT to put your best lineup on the field every game. Has Buxton played so many games already that he needed to rest? Is Polonco not going into the games on Tuesday as one of your hottest hitters? Is Arraez so exhausted he cannot play 14 innings in 1 day? Yes Dobnak layed an egg, but Baldelli's decision to constantly give at bats to guys that are not performing and producing runs very well cost us the game as well. With those 3 in the lineup maybe we score another 3 or 4 runs and win instead of lose.

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.

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.

The Twins tried to trade him last winter and got no bites. He has minimal trade value because other teams can see all the numbers and indicators I've shared above, and no one wants to give up prospects for the right to pay $8M for that.

This is not a reaction to yesterday's game, or the last week, which is why much broader statistics were used to make the case that Rosario has been a sub par contributor dating back to last year. And no, if Kepler would've done the same the article would not have been published since, A: Kepler is under contract for several years, not a non-tender candidate in the offseason; and B: Kepler was arguably the team's most valuable player last year, Rosario probably not in the top ten. For your talk about "cherry-picking categories" (I literally shared his entire Statcast profile, which is almost all below average, and fWAR which is an all-consuming performance metric) you sure seem to be zeroing in on non-existent argument here and ignoring the one that was actually made. This ain't about the "eye test." Look at the numbers. They speak for themselves.

Buxton only has 62 ABs in the past 30 days but his OPS is 65 points higher. Having said this I would not phase him out right now either. However, I would give Rooker an opportunity to earn the job.

Eddie's BABIP is lower this year because he is making a lot of weak contact even when he is ahead in the count. He isn't swing at balls 16" off the plate this year. Consequently, he is striking out less. He also isnt getting anything to hit because pitchers know they can get him to swing on borderline pitchers or even pitches off the plate when they are behind in the count.

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.

Kevin Pillar is a free agent this upcoming winter, and would love to see the Twins sign him to a 1 year deal around 6-8 million dollars to serve as CF insurance, as well as a platoon for LF

You don't start testing unproven prospects in the middle of a pennant race when you have a proven producer who's healthy. Yes, Eddie makes stupid outs on the basepaths - though from what I saw and heard about the one today, it helped secure the run by drawing the throw to third instead of home. He also delivered with the bat. Is his OBP worse this year, despite the improved walk rate? Yes. Kepler, Garver, and Polanco are also down - you want to dump them too? No, you don't. And Eddie IS heating up. After the season, if you're convinced Kiriloff or Larnach will step up - maybe. But don't forget how long it took Buxton to figure out hitting at the MLB-level. Be careful what you wish for.