Twins

Catcher Framing has been the statistic that has been all the rage -- it is the sooper popular thing right now among stat nerds.

Catchers who previously were undervalued, like Rene Rivera or Jose Molina, are suddenly highly sought after when studies showed that some catchers could coax extra strikes from out of the zone. Meanwhile, backstops like Ryan Doumit have become dinosaurs.

How difficult is it to corral a 100 mile per hour pitch?

The Twins face a tough decision with Ricky Nolasco set to return from the disabled list by next week. The right-hander, who's been sidelined with elbow inflammation, made a rehab start in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, tossing five scoreless frames with no issues.

He might make one more start in the minors, but Nolasco will be back soon. And that means the Twins will have to make room for him.

This game had almost everything a Twins fan would want and a lot they would not. The Twins beat up White Sox ace Chris Sale, blew that lead, tied it up again on Miguel Sano's 176th home run of the year, padded their lead with Piranha-ball - and then damn near blew it again in the ninth inning. Here are three observations about players and events in the game.

The Good

It’s no secret that Eduardo Escobar has been ridiculously hot this last week, and that continued with three hits, two of which were doubles, last night. But “hot” might not do him justice, because “hot” implies his improvement is temporary. He’ll undoubtedly cool down – entering yesterday he had a 1.000 OPS since August 5^th – but there are indication that we’re seeing Escobar turn a serious corner.

The Twins finished 12 games behind the Royals in the standings last year – a larger deficit than any other second-place team in the majors.

Rising to the top of the division means closing that gap. Can Minnesota surpass the defending champs in 2016?

The Twins won't be putting their best twenty five players on the Opening Day roster. That's never quite how it happens. Instead, much of how the final few roster spots are decided comes down to how the players fit into specific roles or whether or not a guy can be sent down to the minors without risk of losing him.

The Rule 5 Draft, one of the most obscure and convoluted things in all of sports, can give players what equates to a golden ticket into the big leagues. The Twins ended up with Justin Haley once the dust settled on this year's draft (it's a long story), meaning they get to keep him just so long as he's on the 25-man roster (or the DL). Haley comes over from the Red Sox, where he put up very similar 2016 numbers to another recent Twins acquisition.

Player A: 3.14 ERA, 1.121 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, opponents hit .241/.286/.366

Player B: 3.01 ERA, 1.118 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, opponents hit .225/.291/.345

Player A is Adalberto Mejia, Player B is Haley. Mejia is the better prospect because he's two years younger, but Haley's probably a better bet to be of use to the Twins in 2017. Also, one big advantage to a Rule 5 draftee is development gets tossed out the window. The Twins wouldn't want to use Mejia as a long reliever because it would derail his development as a starting pitcher. With Haley, they can't send him to the minors for further seasoning as a starter. It's now or never.

Our Twins are in Oakland tonight for a 3-game series against the A’s. Things can sure change quickly in a mere week of time. Last Friday the Twins were chasing the Indians and this Friday the Twins are chasing the A’s. The Twins went 1-5 while the Indians won 7 in a row and the Royals have won 8 in a row. This turns things around from .5 back to 6 games back; the exit velocity required a helmet.

When you consider that Jaime Garcia trade rumors are in full force before he has even thrown a single pitch for the Twins… you can’t help but realize that Falvey/Levine have become the baseball equivalent of day traders. Stocks falling on predictions of speculation of rumors of negative indicators became reality. The Brooks Bollinger Band has been broken and we got us a trend reversal. Was Jaime Garcia purchased with a trailing stop?

Here are some things to think about:

Last week, I considered what a potential long-term extension might look like for All Star Brian Dozier. Today, I want to do a little digging on what a potential long-term deal might be for Byron Buxton.

Buxton will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2018 season. He will have three years of arbitration before becoming a free agent (both sentences assuming that he is done with the minor leagues). While the Twins certainly should not feel like they have to sign him now, this might be the best time to get him at a reasonable cost.

According to multiple reports, the Twins have acquired RHP Jake Odorizzi from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for shortstop prospect Jermaine Palacios.

Michael Pineda moved to 60-Day Disabled List to make room on the 40-man roster to make room for Odorizzi.

Today, three of the four Minnesota Twins affiliates took to the field for early games. With just the Cedar Rapids Kernels playing in the evening, there was plenty to digest over the lunch hour. For both the Miracle and the Lookouts, the story was the longball.

I've never cared much about the Home Run Derby. In the past I might have watched it in passing, with Chris Berman's grating 'back-back-back' calls muted, but it's never been destination viewing for me.

Last year, that changed. After running a baseball practice on a Monday evening in July, I raced home to catch the majority of the event. Following his breakout first half for the Twins, I needed to see Miguel Sano's majestic power on the national stage.

Boy did he deliver. And boy, does that night – somehow less than one year ago – now feel like a distant memory, as Sano's ensuing regression has led him back-back-back to Single-A.