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Too slow, too many strikeouts, not enough action. I think MLB is trying to tweak things, but they really haven't come away with changes that a) speed up the game b) allow fans to see more outstanding plays and base running and c) encourage the younger generations to follow the sport. A work stoppage might greatly wound my favorite professional sport and it seems likely that it will happen. I am not optimistic about the game's immediate future.

Baseball is in trouble, period. It needs an overhaul immediately. I’m a hardcore fan, obviously, and I’ve watched less baseball this season than I have in years. I still catch most Twins games but don’t watch other teams as often as I normally do. Almost everyone I know has a decreased interest in the game in recent seasons.

Didn't Twins win this series 2-1? Lost 4-1, then won next 2?

You guys think you have apathy? Talk to your average 11 year old about baseball.

During the last week I have attended a couple VFW games, worked, and had a small family reunion. In the last month I have been to an anniversary and had one of my regular coffee visits with an old friend. And during these occasions, I have encountered quite a few people whom I know for a fact are baseball fans of many years. The constant to all of these get together is the complete and total apathy for the Twins. MLB doesn’t fare much better, with the exception of the sticky debate. It’s virtually impossible to discuss the Twins with anyone I know. My son and son in law both coach youth teams. The guy I coffee with was always a Twins and sports fan. I sat at the VFW game with an old classsmate who has attended thousands of baseball games. When I mentioned the Twins his eyes glazed over. This attitude isn’t something that just happened. The lack of interest in Twins baseball seems to have been coming on for some time. Virus short season related? Bomba Ball? Lack of action plays? Whatever something has shifted, and it’s not for the better.

The Twins after going 7-2 in their last 9 games

All depends how you look at it. They split a two game series Thursday-Friday, then they won a one game series Sunday. Or maybe not playing is obviously not winning, so they split the four game series? That has one yet to be made up? Whatever. Confusing, and i certainly didn't help. Just glad we won.

If Sox lose the 2nd game today and the Twins move to 10 1/2 behind...there is this: an improbable sweep of the Sox could get them to within 6 1/2. If that happens, I have to believe the narrative must change. Thats not an insurmountable mountain to climb. If they win 3 of 4, they will be 8 1/2 behind. Still not undoable, but certainly more difficult. Anything else would basically be marching in step, going nowhere. These next 4 games are pretty important for a team trying to find itself. Should be very interesting. Can't give up hope.

Looks like Eddie will finish the series 3-12 with three RBI hits (four total RBI). Not bad.

Speaking of older players

If Cruz is traded, the return is going to look underwhelming, I guarantee it. I would give him the veteran benefit of the doubt. If he wants to chase a ring, by all means accommodate his request. If he doesn’t need to cap off his career chasing a WS title keep him here to keep mashing the ball as long as possible.

I know I am the only one here who feels this way (and thats fine, I can take it). Cruz...17 HR's, 42 RBI and .300. Yeah I know everyone living on planet Earth can't wait to dump him. However I am not convinced Twins will get value for him. Our lineup is fine. Its our pitching that needs help. Do the Twins REALLY have to move Cruz? Does everyone think because he is hitting that somehow some team will 'overpay' us to get him? Is it worth it? We've asked this before....like with Buxton...does he want to go? I think Bux already has bags packed, but who knows about Cruz? If Twins totally tank the next 3 weeks...then I can handle the dump. But his current hitting IMHO is not going to increase his trade value. Twins won't be getting much. The other thing I completely disagree with is playing Celestino over Gordon. Celestino is not ready for prime time and Gordon could be our diamond in the rough. Why are Twins wasting time with Celestino this season? We probably don't have the pitching but what happens if Twins have a successful series against Chisox? is everyone committed to giving up on this season? Just stuff on my mind, thats all. Carry on.

While the game does need fixing, overall I think it's the Twins. Click the link below to watch pure bedlam & joy in SoCal. Seriously, how much fun are they having in San Diego right now? This is a regular season game, in June, against a last place team: https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/bfdd7526-2ec1-4a3d-b0ab-4bb367ef1dc9.mp4

I'll note that in my experience, there wasn't a lot of general Twins discussion going on in the late 1990s either. That's what happens when your team is really bad and out of the race early. It's natural to expect 2021 to still have more interest due to the recent success of 2019-2020, but restrictions on tickets and attendance so far have meant that a lot of preseason ballpark trip planning didn't happen this year either. (I think the down period of the 2010s was buoyed a bit by Target Field, as well as the extended success of 2002-2010.) As for MLB apathy, it's largely a regional sport so that's highly dependent on the local team's performance too.

Today's game is boring and takes way too damn long to play. While I certainly appreciate the advances in statistical analysis made over the last 20 years. it doesn't really lend itself to being a watchable product. Personally I still watch from time to time but I find that if I know I can't commit to staying with the game to the end I just don't watch at all. The NHL being played into the summer months has also played a part for me as hockey has always been and will always be my first sport. As a result I also have found myself taking part in this forum on a much rarer basis. Having said that I have no ideas on how to change things for the better but I sure hope someone does.

Continuing from my Top 30 Prospect Rankings in the winter, I have updated my standings in accordance to how well things have gone for the individual players. I'll try to keep this brief, but I can promise nothing! Format #Num - Pos Player (Winter Rating) Current Level - Quick Summary Graduated #1 OF Trevor Larnach #2 C Ryan Jeffers #3 OF Alex Kirilloff DFA'd #18 2B Travis Blankenhorn #35 SP Dakota Chalmers Top 30 Prospects #30 - 2B Edouard Julien (Not Ranked) A - A former 18th round pick, Julien is raking at Fort Myers. Has a long way to go, but he's on my radar now. | | #29 - CF Gabriel Maciel (#24) A+ - Maciel got off to a rough start and has shown zero pop in his bat. He profiles as a Ben Revere type. | | #28 - 3B Seth Gray (#32) A+ - Gray has shown improvement at the plate and has a high .368 OBP. Part of that is because of 9 HBPs (hit by pitches). | | #27 - 2B Will Holland (#26) A - Got a late start and has been a bit shaky in a small sample size. | | #26 - SP Luis Rijo (#23) A+ - Got a late start, pitched in one game, and hit the IL with a forearm strain. This reeks of a lost season. | | #25 - SS Jermaine Palacios (NR) AA - Palacios is quite the story. He was the only prospect in the Odorizzi trade with the Rays, but he completely flopped in AA Montgomery. He signed back with the Twins in free agency and is hitting up a storm (.850 OPS with great OBP and some power) and he already profiles well as a defender. He always had a high ceiling, which earns him a spot in the top 30. | | #24 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (#29) Not playing yet. | | #23 - OF Alerick Soularie (#28) Not playing yet / injured. | | #22 - RP Yennier Cano (NR) AAA - Cano crushed AA with a 13.7 K/9 ratio and doesn't hand out too many walks. The 27 year old Cuban is now pitching at AAA and should debut in August/September for the Twins as a reliever. | | #21 - RP Edwar Colina (#15) On the 60 day IL after having bone spurs removed from his elbow. Still the organization's best reliever prospect, Colina missing a year of development is awful for both him and the Twins. | | #20 - C Ben Rortvedt (#20) MLB - He's filling in as the backup catcher, and as I speculated before, he's a strong defender who can't hit. He'll do better than .140, but he's always going to be a liability at the plate. | | #19 - SS Danny De Andrade (#25) Not playing yet | | #18 - 2B/CF Nick Gordon (#22) MLB - Gordon went from potential DFA candidate to a quality bench player. Even with almost 2 years off, his swing looks good and his speed gives him SB opportunities and can fill in as a CF. This is likely his ceiling, though. | | #17 - SS Wander Javier (#19) AA - Javier is looking better at the plate, but is still only hitting .692 OPS. His future may be as a backup SS who can field better than most, but can't hit. | | #16 - 2B Spencer Steer (#21) A+ - Steer is absolutely raking at Cedar Rapids with a .915 OPS, 10 HRs, and .405 OBP. He may earn a late promotion to AA and has potential to climb higher if he keeps hitting. | | #15 - SP Blayne Enlow (#16) A+ - Looked great in 3 starts, but then needed Tommy John surgery. The first of a bundle of quality starting pitcher prospects, this injury sets him back at least a year. | | #14 - 1B/DH Brent Rooker (#7) AAA - Rooker plummets down the rankings after looking terrible in his short MLB stint and getting passed up by the likes of Garlick, Refsnyder, Gordon (for MLB ABs, not outfield play). He's hit well in St. Paul (.925 OPS 11 HRs), but he turns 27 soon, and if he can't hit MLB pitching, he has no place on any roster. | | #13 - CF Misael Urbina (#14) A - Urbina has struggled at Fort Myers, but he's only 19. It's too early to be concerned. | | #12 - 3B Keoni Cavaco (#13) A - Cavaco is hitting better, though with no power and too many Ks. At just 20, he has a long ways to go. | | #11 - SP Bailey Ober (#33) MLB - Ober takes a massive leap up as I originally projected him as a reliever. He's looked better than expected in the Twins' rotation, and while he has been hittable and given a strict inning limit, he's been able to strike out some of the league's best hitters. If he get more innings under his belt, he could solidify himself as a decent MLB starter. | | #10 - SP Josh Winder (#27) AA - I initially rated Winder too low, as he's now dominating AA with a WHIP under 1.0, 10.7 K/9, and 5.4 innings per start. At this rate he will be able to graduate in 2022 and he profiles as a mid-rotation starter, not just a back-end guy. | | #9 - 1B Aaron Sabato (#9) A - Many thought Sabato might start at A+, but instead he starts at the bottom and he's been bad at the plate. A 33 K% in the minors is a big red flag. It is early, but like Rooker you have to wonder if his power-first approach will sink him at the plate. | | #8 - CF Gilberto Celestino (#10) MLB - Celestino went from AA to MLB in the span of two days, and unsurprisingly looked shaky at the plate. He needs more time to work on his bat, but 2022 will be his final option year (had to be protected from Rule 5 draft). It'd be nice to use Celestino as a Buxton substitute. | | #7 - SP Cole Sands (#12) AA - Like Winder, Sands looked very good at AA, albeit with a few too many walks. Unfortunately, he's on the IL with an undisclosed injury. | | #6 - OF/1B Matt Wallner (#8) A+ - Wallner was hitting at a ridiculous 1.005 OPS (.333/.384) before hitting the IL with a hamate bone injury. He did have a 38% K rate in that small sample size. | | #5 - 3B Jose Miranda (#17) AA - I mentioned last time that Miranda needed to take a big step forward, and that's exactly what he did. With an insane 1.0006 OPS (.348/.415), 12 HRs, and a microscopic 10% K rate, Miranda looks like the real deal despite his struggles in the lower minors. It's fair to debate if he can stay at 3B full-time, but his bat looks like it has MLB staying power. | | #4 - SP Matt Canterino (#11) A+ - Canterino looked flat-out unhittable until hitting the IL with elbow issues. Hope for the best, everyone. | | #3 - SP Jhoan Duran (#5) AAA - Duran has struggled with injuries and command so far, and has now been shut down with an elbow problem. This is looking like a lost season. | | #2 - SP Jordan Balazovic (#6) AA - After missing time with a back problem, Balazovic is ramping up and has been a bit shaky. He has nasty stuff, but needs to get more innings under his belt. | | #1 - SS/CF Royce Lewis (#4) Torn ACL - With my top three graduated, Lewis took over the top spot, but of course blew his ACL in Spring Training. He should be ready for the 2022 season where he will likely start in AAA. Rule 5 Eligible Prospects for Winter 2021: Royce Lewis Jermaine Palacios Jose Miranda Josh Winder Cole Sands Wander Javier Gabriel Maciel Blayne Enlow

Preface Game thread intros are usually posted 1 hour before first pitch. But due to forecasted forum conditions, today's game thread intro is a little late. Mind you, just like how it wasn't raining during yesterday's weather delay at Target Field, nothing unusual was happening in the forums today, and I probably could have posted through it. But the forum forecast called for a little spam, plus there was a potentially disrespectful thread comparing Falvey and Levine to Skeeter and Scooter of the Muppet Babies. (Disrespectful to whom, I'll leave it to the reader to decide.) So I decided to wait it out, and fortunately, no postponement should be necessary (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective). Each of my two game thread intros thus far have brought results which pleased many Twins fans. The first resulted in a Twins win; the second resulted in Matt Shoemaker's last start as a Twin. (This could be bad news for J.A. Happ?) Minnesota (32-43, 5th place, 12 GB) Starting pitcher: J.A. Happ, LHP, 3-3, 6.09 ERA Lineup: 1. 2B J. Polanco S 2. 3B J. Donaldson R 3. DH N. Cruz R 4. RF T. Larnach L 5. C R. Jeffers R 6. 1B Miguel Sano R 7. LF L. Arraez L 8. CF G. Celestino R 9 SS A. Simmons R Cleveland (41-32, 2nd place, 2 GB) Starting pitcher: Sam Hentges, LHP, 1-1, 6.40 ERA Lineup: 1. DH C. Hernandez S 2. SS Amed Rosario R 3. 3B Jose Ramirez S 4. LF E. Rosario L 5. 1B B. Bradley L 6. CF H. Ramirez R 7. RF Josh Naylor L 8. C Rene Rivera R 9. 2B E. Clement R

And the Padres aren’t even in first place — they are 4.5 games out. If the season ended today, the Padres would have to go to LA for the wild card game.

I was at the game. Great day to take the family to the ball yard, except for Naylor. You could hear the people in the concourse groaning/exclaiming over the replay. Thankfully they did not replay it on the big screens. They were giving away reusable tote bags today. With Happ on the mound I was fully prepared to put the bag on my head. Pleasantly surprised by his outing.

To clarify, if the Twins do take 4 from the Sox the Twins would be 6.5 games behind the Sox, not necessarily 6.5 games out of first. If Cleveland has a synchronous 4 game win streak with the Twins, then the Twins would be 9 games behind Cleveland (9 games is the current deficit between Cleveland and the Twins) and Cleveland would be the division leader (nobody could overtake them). But, your point is spot on; to have any chance the Twins must win the games they play. How many games you must win gets murky when there are multiple teams between you and first place.

This is the part that the "well, baseball is local so apathy is due to poor product" is missing. Yes, Twins fans are probably more checked out than most, but people are willing to check out MUCH faster than they used to be. Even in the 90s people would talk themselves into rooting for Steinbach or Cordova or chucking stuff at Knobby. I went to games to watch Mcguire and Sosa and eat cheap hot dogs. Games had huge kid populations. But now? Kids just don't care about the league. They play the sport to a degree, but couldn't give a rip about MLB itself. That's a major problem. I would just suggest that those underlying things: kids at games, genuine interest in out of market ball players, knowledge of the league....is drying up fast as hell. I have lived and worked with kids in three different markets now and since that started 20 some odd years ago the decline in baseball and the rise in football and basketball is dramatic. NBA video games outsell baseball games (14M to 1M...and the Show is a damn fine product). I won't even tell you what Madden (a crap franchise) is doing. Hits on social media aren't even close. Twitter and other platforms (where younger fans are more likely to invest their eyeballs) are laughably out of balance. Kids don't know their own teams or players, much less the league. It's a lot easier to check out on a sport you aren't all that invested in or entertained by.

This..... the Twins likely need to go at least 10-4

That was a major league fielding play.

I'm not sure the Twins couldn't contend in 2022...if not for 1st but for a WC. They aren't a bad ballclub...really. They are a decent ballclub playing badly. That does happen. Teams trading for Cruz will understand exactly what you said above. He probably has only the rest of this year to be productive. So what would they give up for a 2 month rental? Perhaps some kid in A ball that might someday make it to AAA? Thats where I'm at.

Trust me ... don't watch the replay ... of course, I said that ... you probably will ... big, big, BIG cringe

Oh nooooooo!

That’s a bad one

oh ouch ... that is a replay I don't need to see ... did you see how he landed on that leg?

Our old friend Hector Santiago has been the first to be suspended under the new rules for foreign substances.

Yes, yes it is. His CAR, (call accuracy ratio) is 6.3.

Very early observation, with the exception of the Hernandez LD8, Happ is dotting the edge of the strike zone. Even that double was right where Jeffers called for it.

Good observations here. Avid Twins fan here, out of state, pay for the MLB.TV package - in the past I'd have never, ever missed a game. The problem with the 2021 Twins is that they just don't put the ball in play enough. Here's a typical inning: Walk, strikeout, walk, strikeout, strikeout. I just can't watch that #&Q$#$*. It's irritating, frustrating, nails-on-the-chalkboard stuff. They get two guys on base and the next two guys strike out. Every. Damn. Time. What happened to get 'em over, get 'em in? I love watching baseball played right. Leadoff single. Stolen base. Bunt the guy over, sac fly to bring him home. Fun! And by the way, great defensive plays can only be made if a ball is put in play, so today's trend is bad for both offense and defense. Today's game is broken: The Shift. The Strikeouts. The 100MPH fastballs and 95MPH changeups. The HR-or-Nothing offensive mentality....it's unwatchable. I know about all the advanced stats. I follow them, I understand them. I realize why they are important - but they've ruined the game. The Twins are perhaps the most obvious example in MLB, really stinks for us fans.

Just like how the minor leagues were reorganized this year, so too were Twins Daily ranks. By the power vested in me by no one in particular, I now christen you a Rocket City Trash Panda: But seriously, I don't know. @Brock Beauchamp, care to chime in?

The only MLB games that I watch are Twins' games. And because I live in Maine, those are few and far between. And yet, I still record them so I can watch in fast forward mode watching to see if the score changes. Then I go back and see what happened. That way I miss the strikeouts, the adjusting of batting gloves, the changing of the baseballs any time a pitch gets near the dirt, etc. I usually can watch a nine inning game in well under an hour. It's still a little boring but manageable. P..S. I used to have Pensacola Blue Wahoo status but when the website "upgrade," I became a Junior Member. Did that happen to anyone else?

wow that prospect list is depressing to read

Can confirm in my experiences as a coach and an administrator when my son played and also as a scorekeeper/ official scorer in a volunteer role at the top level in the province. Kids may still play ball but they really have little to no interest in MLB.

Just checked the standings, and 6-0 is something! If not for Kyle, Texas would be giving Baltimore a run for its money.

You rang? Add Dave Goltz. And just for fun, tack on Bartolo "Big Sexy" Colon, who may still be taking calls if the injury situation becomes even more severe.

Thanks for this piece, Seth. The biggest surprise for me this year is his power. Never expected to see him hit four home runs in a week like he did. Now he needs to make certain this slump doesn't extend for weeks and get back to consistently getting on base. Although it is taking longer than his friends, hopefully, he can join them at an all-star game four or five years from now.

Buck does not want to stay here. Not only was he pissed about service time manipulation, he was also fed up with his hitting 'instruction' from the club. Remember when he was asked last year about his hitting improvement and he answered that he stopped listening to team instruction and just went with his own ideas?! Does that sound like someone who has bought into the organization or was perhaps frustrated with mixed messages/hitting strategy?! Given our hitting coaches currently, do you blame him? I hate to break it to everyone (again) but he is GONE....the only question now is what we choose to get for him (or just stick our heads in the sand and eventually lose him for nothing

I well remember the season when Twins left Buxton in Rochester. We were surprised and he was VERY vocal about it. His recent comment about Rocco not playing him didn't exactly sound like he is happy in Minnesota. Personally I believe he will be happy to leave and Twins will be extremely fortunate if they could retain him. Sad situation because b I too think we need to keep him. I doubt it's possible

I haven't lost faith in the FO, because I can't lose something I never had. The winning percentage is what it is solely on a 307 home run season that will never be duplicated, and the post season record speaks for itself. They build teams by trading for prospects and signing free agents (not necessarily in that order). They give big money to hitters and skimp on pitchers, which gets you through the regular season, but not beyond. You very likely get my point by now; not a huge fan and never was. I guess it is in large part by the way they treated Molitor, doing everything humanly possible to sell off his better players, then firing him for not winning enough. Or was it because he didn't spend enough time in the computer room? Oh well, never mind. They want a team in their own image, and I am not sure if they believe they have found it yet. I have no faith whatsoever they will handle this trade deadline well, but I am dying to be proven wrong. We all shall see. Wish them good luck.

Which other teams have successfully replicated Tampa's success? I think that's the point some are making....it is hubris to assume the Twins can, when no one else has. Sure, use a lot of what Tampa uses, but to assume you can replicate it when no one else can seems like a bad idea. I mean, why can't every golfer just use the same process as Phil Mickelson and win as much as him? Process alone is not enough to be successful. But then, you know that. At least I think that is what people are trying to say, at least that's how I read what they are saying.

lol made my day. Yes it feels like that when it comes to Buxton.

Cesar Tovar. All 5'9" 155lbs. Roamed center field '66-'72. Just saying his name is fun. 1970 was perhaps his best year. If you don't know who his is, check him out!

While any player is certainly tradable for the right deal, I would keep Arraez unless we are blown away by some offer. I do see the upcoming middle infield backlog what effectively three second baseman - Polanco, Gordon and Arraez - None of whom appear to be a high-quality starting every day shortstop. I would like to create a way for Arraez to play basically every day to keep his bat in the lineup. I think the answer is simple - trade Donaldson. I don’t think you do that because of the great haul we’re going to get for him, I don’t think it’s there, but we dump his contract and that of Cruz and maybe Kepler so that we can use the money to sign Berrios, Rogers and/or Buxton long-term. If we trade Donaldson, Arraez and Polanco man second and third with Gordon as the infield/outfield utility guy. What about Miranda, you say? Well, he’s been in the minors for a while, wasn’t added to the 40 man roster last winter, and didn’t get drafted by anybody. He’s having a great year this year in AA, so let’s bring him up and see where he is on the development path. He may be ready in a year or two and we will have to find a spot for him on the 40 man roster, another good reason to trade Donaldson. If Miranda comes up and beats out Arraez for the third base job, we can always trade Arraez at that point. The bottom line is that we do have a bit of an infield crunch with a lot of guys who can’t play shortstop. I don’t think the way to solve that is to trade a productive, very cost controlled player like Arraez. I do think the idea that we’re going to get a top 100 prospect, or even a organizations’s top 20 prospect in return is a bit of a fantasy. I think the better move is to trade the under productive, more expensive player like Donaldson even if the trade is effectively a salary dump. I think it does two great things, (1) Keeps the younger player whose timeline is with the developing guys around, and (2) frees up money to try to sign Berrios, Buxton and/or Rogers.

I could understand the lack of promotions earlier in the season, but not at this point. Not having a season last year plus a late start, I can see why they'd want to see where these guys are at before throwing them into the fray. We're in late June now though, so they should have a pretty good idea of what they've got. At some point, they've got to start reshuffling the prospects. And, I agree, they should be aggressive with it. Especially after the trade deadline.

Part of this conversation has to revolve around all of the injuries and bad luck this team had early on. While I would have liked to see more adjustments, I honestly don't know that they would have made a difference. Making a change just to make a change doesn't make sense either, so perhaps trying to ride it out was the proper course. I don't know, I don't have an answer to that. Neither did they unfortunately. That said, some of this mess is also self inflicted. The bullpen and back end of the rotation were a complete disaster. Their signings may have made sense for a team that was a year or two away, but this team was expected to actually compete, and compete for more than the division. A team serious about competing needs to be more serious about its pitching staff. This is what I'm having the most difficulty with. There was a notion here before the season touting the organizational depth. I laughed at it at the time, and unfortunately was proven correct. There isn't a lot in the upper minors. I like what they've done in the draft, generally speaking. Though, I find the obsession with hitting corner outfield types interesting. I can't decide if I'm bent out of shape about the lack of high picks spent on pitching, but I lean towards yes. There are lot of things that I do like about what they've done. A change in philosophy at the top was needed, in my view. I'm not really sold one way or another at this point though. I want to see how they handle this setback. That will go a long way towards my opinion of this front office.

While I am more old school, I am not ready to give up on the team. I would hope they might make some adjustments in their thinking, like raising the bar from bad to mediocre dumpster diving in the BP to getting the pitching machine in the minors pumping SP into the rotation. I am not sold on Rocco so I do not know if he is their reflection or if there is another tweak in the managers office. I know that measuring the FO is really difficult. Terry Ryan had some good qualities, but got stuck in linear thinking instead of adjusting. But who do we bring in? What do they do or accomplish?