Matthew Lenz

On top of what Mr. Brooks said, you have to understand that teams don't want to be in the middle. They either want to be contending for a World Series or #1 over draft pick. Specifically right now, when there are 3-4 teams that are clearly better than everyone else...do you really want to fight for a wild card spot when you have little chance of winning it all? I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to that question, but something that FO's are considering...

It's no secret, the Twins will be seeking bullpen help as the trade deadline approaches. The current group of relievers has helped get the Twins where they are, but let's face it, there is plenty of evidence that suggests upgrades are required. Who may be available? Today, we'll take a look at Seth Lugo of the Mets.Seth Lugo, RHP, 29-years-old New York Mets (33-34 in NL East) Three more years of team control via arbitration. 2019: 2.51 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 11.69 K/9, 1.59 BB/9 in 32.1 IP 2018: 2.66 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 9.15 K/9, 2.49 BB/9 in 101.1 IP (5 games started) What’s to Like? Lugo is a good, not great, reliever that would fit in nicely as a bridge between the starters and eighth or ninth inning guys and could come at a relatively cheap cost. That said, he has effectively pitched a majority of the games in the eighth inning for the Met, so the potential is there for him to come in during a high leverage situation. He is right around league average in his K rate, hard hit rate and xwOBA, and has been very good at limiting free passes as a reliever. As laid out in this article, he also has reverse splits by dominating lefties this year which is something the Twins bullpen is in need of. Concerns Being eligible for arbitration makes him more valuable, and more expensive, than if he were a half year rental. That said, that could also benefit the Twins if he does well. The biggest area of concern would be Lugo’s strand rate with runners in scoring position. Per FanGraphs, he has a 69.4 percent strand rate overall which includes an 80.0 percent rate in “high leverage” situations and just a 9.4 percent (!!!!) rate with men in scoring position. With men in scoring position, his K/9 stays about the same (11.81) but his BB/9 more than doubles (5.06). This could indicate that, with runners on, Lugo is dancing around the strike zone a little more trying to miss bats and get hitters to chase. Something a simple change in philosophy could cure in a matter of no time. Regardless of the concerns, I do think this is one of the better, cheaper options for the Twins to pursue. See Also Greg Holland, RHP, Diamondbacks Sean Doolittle, LHP, Nationals Kirby Yates, RHP, Padres 10 Relievers Minnesota Could Target Click here to view the article

As the Twins get ready to finish up the four game series against the Blue Jays, Michael Pineda will take the mound for what will be his fourth start of the season. The early returns of his two-year contract have looked good so far as he was another cheap, low-risk signing by the Twins new management during the 2018 offseason. As we’ve seen how shaky our bullpen can be, much of the Twins success this year will rely on their starters and specifically could depend on what version of Pineda they get.Pineda exploded on the scene in 2011 with the Mariners as an All-Star and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. Unfortunately, that success was short lived as he spent all of the 2012 and 2013 seasons recovering and rehabbing from a shoulder injury, which can be a career ending or altering injury for a pitcher. Prior to this injury Pineda featured fastball that sat at 95 miles per hour, used an above average slider as his out pitch, and mixed in a circle change-up about six percent of the time. Brooks Baseball did count 23 “sinkers” in 2011 (and 36 for his career), but that’s not enough data to glean anything meaningful from and is likely a misinterpretation of the pitch that was actually thrown. After two lost seasons and a trade to the New York Yankees, Pineda finally returned to the mound for 509 innings from 2014 to 2017. A partially torn ulnar collateral ligament required Tommy John Surgery, causing him to miss a season and half. In his time with the Yankees, his velocity never completely rebounded, sitting at about 94 miles per hour and his slider didn’t have quite the same bite. Despite this, his K-BB percentage held steady and converted in to a ground ball pitcher, although the added ground balls hurt his ERA a little bit, which is evident by his xFIP being almost a full run better than his ERA. Velocity and movement are the two things that make a pitcher effective, but can also be less effective after a pitcher returns from an arm injury, which has help us set some “norms” for what we we’re looking for from Pineda. To give it to you straight, the small sample we have on Pineda in 2019 looks good up front but the peripherals should leave you a little tentative. First thing that sticks out is that his fastball is sitting at 92 miles per hour, which isn’t too surprising as he is still getting back into things after recovering from Tommy John, but is something to definitely keep an eye on if he starts to get hit. As far as his other pitches go, his slider has much less movement than in years past but his circle change has the same velocity and movement as usual. Consequently, he has reverted back to a fly ball pitcher which has flipped his ERA and xFIP by about half of a run. On the other hand, his K-BB rate is the best of his career and he’s been having success because hitters are making contact on pitches outside of the zone significantly more than usual (71.8 percent in 2019 versus 57.1 percent for his career), which leads to less walks and weaker contact. It’s way too early to jump to any conclusions on these figures, but it something to keep an eye as he gets back into the swing of things after a year and a half hiatus. Over his next few starts, the two big things to look at are his fastball velocity and how much “help” he’s getting from the opposing hitters. These tendencies should give you an idea on how the rest of the season will look for Pineda. Click here to view the article

As the Twins get ready to finish up the four game series against the Blue Jays, Michael Pineda will take the mound for what will be his 4th start of the season. The early returns of his two-year contract have looked good so far as he was another cheap, low-risk signing by the Twins new management during the 2018 offseason. As we’ve seen how shaky our bullpen can be, much of the Twins success this year will rely on their starters and specifically could depend on what version of Pineda they get. Pineda exploded on the scene in 2011 with the Mariners as an All-Star and finished 5th in Rookie of the Year voting. Unfortunately, that success was short lived as he spent all of the 2012 and 2013 seasons recovering and rehabbing from a shoulder injury, which can be a career ending or altering injury for a pitcher. Prior to this injury he featured fastball that sat at 95 miles per hour, used an above average slider as his out pitch, and mixed in a circle change-up about 6-percent of the time. Brooks Baseball did count 23 “sinkers” in 2011 (and 36 for his career), but that’s not enough data to glean anything meaningful from and is likely a misinterpretation of the pitch that was actually thrown. After two lost seasons and a trade to the New York Yankees, Pineda finally returned to the mound for 509 innings from 2014 to 2017 before a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament required Tommy John Surgery and miss a season and half. In his time with the Yankees, his velocity never completely rebounded sitting at about 94 miles per hour and his slider didn’t have quite the same bite. Despite this his K-BB percentage held steady and converted in to a ground ball pitcher, although the added ground balls hurt his ERA a little bit which is evident by his xFIP being almost a full run better than his ERA. Velocity and movement are the two things that make a pitcher effective, but can also be less effective after a pitcher returns from an arm injury which has help us set some “norms” for what we we’re looking for from Pineda. To give it to you straight, the small sample we have on Pineda in 2019 looks good up front but the peripherals should leave you a little tentative. First thing that sticks out is that his fastball is sitting at 92 miles per hour, which isn’t too surprising as he is still getting back into things after recovering from Tommy John, but is something to definitely keep an eye on if he starts to get hit. As far as his other pitches go, his slider has much less movement than in years past but his circle change has the same velocity and movement as usual. Consequently, he has reverted back to a flyball pitcher which has flipped his ERA and xFIP by about half of a run. On the other hand, his K-BB rate is the best of his career and he’s been having success because hitters are making contact on pitches outside of the zone significantly more than usual (71.8 percent in 2019 versus 57.1 percent for his career) which leads to less walks and weaker contact. It’s way too early to jump to any conclusions on these figures, but it something to keep an eye as he gets back into the swing of things after a year and a half hiatus. Over his next few starts, the two big things to look at are his fastball velocity and how much “help” he’s getting from the opposing hitters. These tendencies should give you an idea on how the rest of the season will look for Pineda.

I'd get to Vegas and take the over on the Twins, Rays, and/or A's then. Nice little parlay would pay out pretty well, I'd think.

As I am anxiously waiting to head Downtown and enjoy the pregame atmosphere at Brothers Bar & Grill, I decided to write about my Twins predictions for this season. Record: 84 - 78, 2nd in division At one point, it looked like the Indians were in a sell mode, but they were able to keep the core of Lindor, Ramirez, Kluber, and Bauer together while replacing Edwin Encarcion with Carlos Santana. I think this team is still a high 80's win team. Postseason: Loses Wild-Card Play-In Game to NYY (again) I hate to say it, but I don't see the Twins surviving the Wild Card game against the Yankees or Red Sox. Even if they were to surprise people and win the division they would be pitted against a 100 win Houston Astros team. Lets just be happy with a playoff appearance this season. MVP: Nelson Cruz I was a big fan of the big stick signing and think it will pay off big time, especially with Sano out for the first two month or so. Cy Young: Jose Berrios Improving each of the last three seasons and coming off of his best year at the Major League level, this is the year Berrios takes off. Most Improved: Byron Buxton IF he can stay healthy, his floor for 2019 will be 2017. I think this is, and has to be, the year that Buxton figures it out at the plate. Reliever of the Year: Trevor May May was one of the best relievers in baseball at the end of the last season and that will continue this season. He'll solidify himself as, not only the Twins closer, but also one of the top closers in baseball. Rookie of the Year: Stephen Gonsalves Fernando Romero pitched 55 innnings (limit is 50) in 2018, which no longer makes him a "rookie" by MLB's definition. Otherwise, he'd be the easy selection. If all goes well this year (the baseball gods owe us after last year), then there shouldn't be a need for any significants contributions from a rookie this season. That said, after Romero, I think Gonsalves is the next pitcher in line to receive some big league innings for a spot start or to fill-in during an injury. What are your predictions for the season?

Thanks, John. I will definitely look into your methodology. Already have a couple ideas for a "part 2" this year or how to attack this next year.

Totally agree, that stretch after the All Star Break could have pretty big implications on how the Twins handle the trade deadline.

I wish I would have thought to add little tid bits like this. Good call!

We are inching closer to Opening Day 2019 and, don’t look now but, current forecasts make it seem plausible that the Twins will be hosting the defending American League (AL) Central Division Champions Cleveland Indians on March 28th at 3:10pm. The Thursday, Saturday, Sunday series will be the only three games of the homestand before they start their first road trip traveling to Kansas City, the new look Phillies, and the Mets of New York. April (12 home, 13 away, 5 off) Outside of three games versus the Phillies and five games versus the Houston Astros, the Twins have the opportunity to take advantage of an easy schedule in the first full month of the season. This includes a seven-game homestand versus the Tigers and Blue Jays in mid-April and six total games versus the Baltimore Orioles. May (13 home, 15 away, 3 off) Things get a little tougher in May as their first five games are versus Houston at home (2) and New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium (3). They will face a solid, but not great Angels (6) and Rays (2) team eight times throughout the month and will host the Brewers for two games towards the end of the month. The Blue Jays, Tigers, Mariners, and White Sox are also on the docket and will all be series the Twins really need to win. June (12 home, 15 away, 3 off) The third month of the year could be a pivotal month for the Twins as 16 of their 27 games come against division foes, and only three of those games are versus the Indians in Cleveland. That said, five games against the Rays and three games against the Red Sox at Target Field will be a challenge and, specifically with the Rays, could have Wild Card tiebreaker implications down the road. July (12 home, 12 away, 7 off) July will be another important month for the Twins as 13 of their games will be against teams who will likely be in the thick of the developing playoff race. Ten of those aforementioned games will be immediately following the All-Star Break in Cleveland for three games and hosting the A’s and Yankees for seven games. If they struggle during that stretch, then they have the opportunity of playing the White Sox and Marlins to end the month. August (16 home, 12 away, 3 off) The “dog days of summer” will be something the Twins look forward to this season...kind of (see below). They have a tough 10 game homestand where they will face the Braves (3) and Indians (4) followed by two games in Milwaukee. Outside of those nine games, the other 19 will be against teams who are currently projected for 74 wins or less according to Vegas. September (13 home, 14 away, 3 off) Uf-dah (why does my Grammarly recognize this as a word?). In the months final season, the Twins will have twelve consecutive games against teams who will likely be battling for a playoff spot, including six critical games against the Indians. The other six will be at Fenway and versus the Nationals at home. Unfortunately, these games occur earlier in the month which makes it less likely these teams have clinched anything at that point. This is by far the toughest stretch of the season and it comes during the most important time of the season. I should mention that they end the season with 13 games versus the bottom three teams in the division. Notes of Interest The longest homestand of the season is ten games versus August 2nd through August 11th versus the Royals, Braves, and Indians. The longest road trip of the season is 10 games and 12 days, including a day of travel, starting May 29th and going through June 9th versus the Rays, Indians, and Tigers. There must be some labor law I’m unaware of that teams will have at least one off day in a two-week period as the Twins play on 13 consecutive games at a few different points throughout the season. That said, the Twins do have three different stretches of 26 games in 27 days including two such stretches that occur at the beginning and very end of August. The most difficult stretch of the season was mentioned above, but what should be the easiest stretch of the seasons occurs in the 17 games leading up to the trip to Fenway. Those 17 games will be against the Rangers, White Sox, and Tigers. Notable Promotions - follow the link for full list March 28th (Opening Day) v. Cleveland - Twins Puffer Vest April 27th v. Orioles - Twins Plaid Flap Cap May 24th v. White Sox - Joe Mauer Bobblehead #1 June 15th v. Royals - Joe Mauer Day & No. 7 Baseball Cap July 19th v. Athletics - Joe Mauer Bobblehead #2 August 3rd v. Royals - Joe Nathan Hall of Fame Bobblehead August 4th v. Royals - Joe Nathan and Jerry Bell Hall of Fame Pins August 24th v. Tigers - Joe Mauer Bobblehead #3 September 7th v. Indians - Joe Mauer Bobblehead #4 Breaking down a schedule is an interesting exercise. Not that you’re ever going to feel bad for someone making millions of dollars, but you can definitely appreciate how grueling the Major League Baseball season is. What are you looking forward to this upcoming Twins season? Any games or series you have your eye on right away? Let me know if the comments!

With the release of the new Twins alternate jerseys and the Super Bowl Blog Blowout, I felt like it was a perfect time to create a comprehensive ranking of every uniform (top and pants) a Twins player has donned since they moved to Minnesota in 1961. Obviously, this is a highly subjective topic and I look forward to hearing what you think of my list and what your list looks like.From what I could gather, the Twins have worn 17 unique jersey combinations where I have grouped together jerseys that shared a lot of the same characteristics. The list of 17 includes all home, road, alternate, and players weekend jerseys I could find. So without further ado… Tier One #1 1961 - 1971 Home / 2010 - 2018 Home Alternative Download attachment: TwinsJersey1.jpg You’ll gather quickly that I am a sucker for pinstripes. That, mixed with the off-white/creme color of the jerseys is a solid combination. I also loved the nostalgia of throwing it back to the Twins original jerseys. Needless to say, I’m disappointed that these jerseys have been retired. Tier Two #2 1987 - 2009 Road Download attachment: TwinsJersey2.jpg #3 1987 - 2009 Home / 2010 - 2014 Home Download attachment: TwinsJersey3.jpg Again, with the pinstripes. I’m not a huge fan of a plain white jersey so the road version of this uniform gets the nod over the home uniform. I may also be prejudiced as these were the jerseys I grew up with and I own a Denard Span road jersey that is my go-to jersey for Twins games. The only noticeable difference between the two home jerseys in this group is the patch on the left sleeve went from the “TC” logo to the “Minnie and Paul” logo. Tier Three #4 1973 - 1986 Road Download attachment: TwinsJersey4.jpg #5 1972 Road Download attachment: TwinsJersey5.jpg #6 1972 Home / 1973 - 1986 Home / 2009 Home Alternate Download attachment: TwinsJersey6.jpg #7 1961 - 1971 Road Download attachment: TwinsJersey7.jpg These Twins jerseys are the absolute classics of the franchise. The powder blues come in fourth overall but at the top of the list within this group. The red, white, and blue trim at the waist, the end of the sleeves, and down the side of the pants take the cake over the more simple look of the 1961-71 Road jerseys. Tier Four #8 2016 - Present Home Alternate Download attachment: TwinsJersey8.jpg I like the simplistic nature of this jersey. The solid red top with the “TC” logo on the left breast and the Kasota Gold outline is a clean look. The red, gold, and blue stripe down the side of the pant leg is again subtle and clean. They are stilled listed as alternates with the newly released jersey. Tier Five #9 2019 Home Alternate Download attachment: TwinsJersey9.png #10 2011 - Present Road Alternate (Buxton & Dozier) / 2010 Present Road (Mauer) Download attachment: TwinsJersey10.jpg The cursive script gives the edge over the grouping you’ll see below. In general, these jerseys don’t do much for me and could be spiced up a little bit with the addition of pinstripes but I will take the blue over the grey. The Kasota Gold gives a slight edge over the two road jerseys. Tier Six #11 2015 - Present Home Download attachment: TwinsJersey11.jpg #12 2010 - 2013 Home Alternate / 1997 Home Alternate Download attachment: TwinsJersey12.jpg #13 1997 Road Alternate (Molitor) #14 1997 Red Alternate (Knoblauch) Download attachment: TwinsJersey13n14.jpg Only real significance between these jerseys is the font and lettering on the front. I like the “Twins” across the chest versus “Minnesota” and the Kasota Gold outlining moves the present day home jerseys to the top of this listing. Tier Seven #15 2018 Players Weekend Download attachment: TwinsJeresy15.jpg #16 2006 - 2010 Home Alternate Download attachment: TwinsJeresy16.jpg #17 2017 Players Weekend Download attachment: TwinsJersey17.jpg I don’t really like any of the jerseys in this grouping. You might be surprised to see a pinstriped jersey so far down my list, but it’s those blue sleeves that ruin it for me. Too much going on for a baseball jersey. The players weekend jerseys have been “meh” so far ... are they even baseball jerseys if you can’t button them? My answer: no. So there you have it. As you can tell, I like a classic, clean, and subtle look in jerseys. The touch of Kasota Gold on the current jerseys is a favorite of mine but ultimately I hope they bring back the off-white/creme pin stripe jerseys! What does your list look like? Click here to view the article

Thanks! I spent a long time trying to find some fun photos. The hardest one to find as the 2006 - 2010 Home Alternate which is why I had to settle on Rondell White.

Yea, I would say after #8 I am ranking the jerseys more than actually liking them. Do you know the reason for the gold trim? I think the story of it adds to the liking of it...for me anyway.

With the release of the new Twins alternate jerseys and the Super Bowl Blog Blowout, I felt like it was a perfect time to create a comprehensive ranking of every uniform (top and pants) a Twins player has donned since they moved to Minnesota in 1961. Obviously, this is a highly subjective topic and I look forward to hearing what you think of my list and what your list looks like. From what I could gather, the Twins have worn 17 unique jersey combinations where I have grouped together jerseys that were shared a lot of the same characteristics. Within the list of 17 includes all home, road, alternate, and players weekend jerseys I could find. So without further ado… Tier One #1 1961 - 1971 Home / 2010 - 2018 Home Alternative You’ll gather quickly that I am a sucker for pinstripes. That, mixed with the off white/creme color of the jerseys is a solid combination. I also loved the nostalgia of throwing it back to the Twins original jerseys. Needless to say, I’m disappointed that these jerseys have been retired. Tier Two #2 1987 - 2009 Road #3 1987 - 2009 Home / 2010 - 2014 Home http://web.chessdailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/Johan-Santana.jpg Again, with the pinstripes. I’m not a huge fan of a plain white jersey so the road version of this uniform gets the nod over the home uniform. I may also be influenced as these were the jerseys I grew up with and I own a Denard Span road jersey that is my go-to jersey for Twins games. The only noticeable difference between the two home jerseys in this group is the patch on the left sleeve went from the “TC” logo to the “Minne and Paul” logo. Tier Three #4 1973 - 1986 Road http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KE4bs77tRGQ/TvfDjjOrcfI/AAAAAAAABpQ/LGCXL4Xn2MQ/s1600/1985+Donruss.jpg #5 1972 Road #6 1972 Home / 1973 - 1986 Home / 2009 Home Alternate #7 1961 - 1971 Road http://a4.pbase.com/o3/29/805529/1/87929516.wa1ifleS.bb22.jpg These Twins jerseys are the absolute classics of the franchise. The powder blues come in 4th overall but at the top of the list within this group. The red, white, and blue trim at the waist, the end of the sleeves, and down the side of the pants take the cake over the more simple look of the 1961 - 1971 Road jerseys. Tier Four #8 2016 - Present Home Alternate I like the simplistic nature of this jersey. The solid red top with the “TC” logo on the left breast and the Kasota Gold outline is a clean look. The red, gold, and blue stripe down the side of the pant leg is again subtle and clean. They are stilled listed as alternates with the newly released jersey. Tier Five #9 2019 Home Alternate #10 2011 - Present Road Alternate (Buxton & Dozier) / 2010 Present Road (Mauer) http://jetsportsmanagement.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/TWINS_ROYALS_BASEBALL_447796231.jpg The cursive script gives the edge over the grouping you’ll see below. In general, these jerseys don’t do much for me and could be spiced up a little bit with the addition of pinstripes but I will take the blue over the grey. The Kasota gold gives a slight edge over the two road jerseys. Tier Six #11 2015 - Present Home #12 2010 - 2013 Home Alternate / 1997 Home Alternate #13 1997 Road Alternate (Molitor) #14 1997 Red Alternate (Knoblauch) Only real significance between these jerseys is the font and lettering on the front. I like the “Twins” across the chest versus “Minnesota” and the Kasota Gold outlining moves the present day home jerseys to the top of this listing. Tier Seven #15 2018 Players Weekend #16 2006 - 2010 Home Alternate #17 2017 Players Weekend I don’t really like any of the jerseys in this grouping. You might be surprised to see a pinstriped jersey so far down my list, but it’s those blue sleeves that ruin it for me. Too much going on for a baseball jersey. The players weekend jerseys have been “meh” so far...are they even baseball jerseys if you can’t button them? My answer: no. So there you have it. As you can tell, I like a classic, clean, and subtle look in jerseys. The touch of Kasota Gold on the current jerseys is a favorite of mine but ultimately I hope they bring back the off-white/creme pin stripe jerseys! What does your list look like?

This is exactly what I think too.

I don't think Baines is a hall of famer. I don't think Hrbek is a hall of famer. I like the idea of the "Today's Game Era" committee, but think they really missed the boat on Baines. That said, if Baines is in I don't think Hrbek automatically gets in mainly because of the tenure (only playing 14 years) hurts his counting stats compared to Baines. I do think Oliva should be in though.

As the hot stove is as cold as ever, I started putting a lot of thought into the hall of fame debate and who I think deserves to be in the hall come July 21st, 2019. If you're a baseball fan who has never been to the Cooperstown, then do yourself a favor a book a trip this summer. It's been about a decade since I was there so I'm sure things have a changed a little, but Cooperstown is a little quaint town on Otsego Lake in upstate New York. The Hall of Fame itself is right on Main Street - which cuts through downtown Cooperstown - and is full of ma and pop shops where you can buy almost anything you'd want with the Hall's emblem on it. Of course, don't forget to also check out Doubleday Field while you're there. My theory on the Hall of Fame - for any sport - is that it should honor the best players of the sport while also telling the biggest stories of the sport. You'll see this reflected in my ballot, but I believe that the best players from the steroid era should be enshrined in Cooperstown as they had a massive impact - for better or for worse - on the game and what it has developed into today. I believe that how they impacted the game should be stated on their plaque, but leaving them out is leaving out part of baseball's history. Another belief that I hold is that the designation of being a "first-ballot Hall of Famer" has much more meaning behind it than being elected in year two, three, etc. This will be reflected in the players who I would vote for. With that said and without further ado, here is my 2019 ballot. Barry Bonds Arguably, Bonds is the greatest hitter of all time. Him not being part of the Hall of Fame is a complete oversight by the voters. Edgar Martinez earned 70.4 percent of the vote last year and very well could hit the 75 percent mark this year. If that happens, then that could open the floodgate for other steroid era hitters with Bonds being the headliner. Roger Clemens The most recent pitcher to enter the 300 win club needs to be in the Hall. Keeping him out is almost as bad as keeping Bonds out, although Clemens isn't the greatest pitcher of all time he is one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Edgar Martinez Say what you want about the DH position, but when you are the greatest player at your position all time you deserve to be in the Hall. As I stated before, he was only a few percentage points away from getting the call in 2018 so maybe 2019 will be his year. Mariano Rivera In lieu of sounding like a broken record, just reread what I said about Edgar Martinez except put it in the context of the closer and saves. In my opinion, he's the first ballot hall of famer in the 2019 class. Manny Ramirez He's one of 27 who is part of the 500 home run club. His career OPS is four points shy of 1.0000. He was the World Series MVP in 2004 which snapped the Curse of the Bambino, and for 10 years he was one of the most feared hitters in baseball. Forget about your last memory of Manny (remember, he was with the Rays??) and remember him for what he was with the Red Sox from 1998 - 2008. Gary Sheffield Another member of the 500 home run club who could do more than just swing for the fences. He won the NL batting title in 1992 and won five silver sluggers throughout his career. He also helped the then Florida Marlins win their first world series in 1997. Sammy Sosa If Manny and Sheffield get in, then Sammy Sosa assuredly deserves a plaque of his own. One of nine players in the 600 home run club. On top of his offensive game, he was actually a decent defender before he bulked up in the late 90's. Larry Walker I'm not of the mindset that we should discredit anyone because of where they played. If we are really worried about Walker benefitting from the thin Colorado air, then are we going to start discrediting players who will play most of their career at the little league field known as New Yankee Stadium? No, we're not although I would kind of enjoy that. Due to injuries, Walkers career numbers don't look great as a whole but when he was healthy he was lethal with the bat and was actually a good outfielder and baserunner. According to Baseball Reference, his WAR7 - that is the sum of the seven best WAR seasons - is higher than Sosa, Sheffield, Rivera, and Ramirez who all made my ballot. I went back and forth on this one, but ultimately believe he deserves a spot in Cooperstown. Plus it would be cool if we could get his plaque to have a picture of him with a backward batting helmet. Other players who I would vote for if it were not their first ballot are Todd Helton and Roy Halladay. I wouldn't be surprised to see Halladay get in the Hall on his first ballot as an empathetic vote. Don't get me wrong, I think he deserves to be there but I can't do it on his first ballot. What do you think about my ballot? Would you vote differently if it was the players first ballot compared to the second or third ballot? What does your ballot look like?

Thanks, MN_ExPat for the kind words. It's great to have a place where I can share my thoughts with others who are passionate about the Twins.

As the season comes to an end I wanted to reflect on some of what I wrote in my first Twins season at Twins Daily and Zone Coverage. Below you will find a review of my preseason predictions as well as some of my early articles. My Preseason Predictions https://twitter.com/Lenzy2108/status/979415769036607488https://twitter.com/Lenzy2108/status/979415769036607488 The Record The Twins finished the year with only 7 fewer wins than I had originally predicted at 78-84. What you may not realize is that outside of the month of April the Twins played .493 baseball with a 69-70 record. What killed them this year, outside of the month of Aprill, was their record in 1 run games (14-21), which was the 8th worst winning percentage in all of baseball. Offensive PoY/Most Homeruns Brian Dozier was part of the laundry list of Twins player who had disappointing seasons, although he might be the biggest bust. Many of the players that underperformed for the Twins this year (Sano, Buxton, Morrison, etc.) were guys that had questions going into the season anyway, but I think many people assumed that Dozier was a lock for at least 30 home runs while slashing somewhere around .250/.340/.500. Your actual winner, in both categories, has to be Eddie Rosario. Although he was a little inconsistent he was the most reliable hitter the Twins had from start to finish. Starting Pitcher of the Year According to FanGraphs WAR and backed up by the eye test, Berrios was the Twins best overall pitcher this year. He improved in almost every metric and at only 24 years old, I think Twins fans should be excited for the pitcher Berrios is becoming. That said, I think an argument could be made for Gibson who was probably the most consistent Twins pitcher this year and is coming off a career year. Relief Pitcher of the Year Nobody could have possibly foreseen the disaster that was Addison Reed this year. He is #2 on my list biggest busts this year behind the aforementioned Brian Dozier. According to FanGraphs WAR, this season was the worst season of his career. We have another year with him, so lets hope the law of averages applies and he kills it next season. The actual Relief Pitcher of the Year would Taylor Rogers who lead all reliever with a WAR of 1.8. A note to make here is that Trevor May looked really good coming out of the pen...something to keep in mind for 2019. Rookie of the Year Gonsalves had his shot to make an impact and his minor league numbers made it seem like he could succeed at the big league level. Unfortunately, those numbers didn't translate at he really struggled with his fastball command and overall control...something he is going to need to figure out when he only throws 90 miles per hour. Again using FanGraphs WAR as my barometer, Mitch Garver and Jake Cave tied as the top rookies with a WAR of 1.3, and I am okay with naming Co-RoY's as I think they were both deserving. Despite having one year left with Jason Castro, I think Garver cemented himself as the primary catcher heading into 2019. In the case of Cave, I think he provides a viable option to compete with Kepler for the RF job entering 2019 spring training while also providing a good "plan B" if Buxton never figures it out. My Articles 2018 Breakout Candidate: Stephen Gonsalves My prediction was somewhat accurate as he did have a pretty good 2018 in the minor league system and never did look back once he was called up, but that was more because of the September 1st roster expansion and (much) less because of how he was performing. I've already addressed what went wrong above and will do a more in-depth dive soon. Season Preview: Kyle Gibson My prediction had Gibson giving us about 180 innings with an ERA around 5 and I had estimated that he wouldn't be able to keep up his 2017 second half K/9 and BB/9 rates. He ended the year with 196.2 innings, an ERA of 3.62 (xFIP of 3.91), and did maintain his K/9 while walking an additional batter per nine innings in 2018. Needleess to say, I think the Twins were impressed with what they got from their sinkerballer as he put together the best season of his career. The guy who I had pegged as our #5 pretty quickly established himself as our #2 or #3, which might say more about our pitching staff than about him. Season Preview: Felix Jorge and Felix Jorge Update Felix Jorge was my "adopt-a-prospect" pick who had an injury-riddled 2018. I had predicted we would see him in 2018 and still think we would have had he stayed healthy. Although 2018 was a loss, he is still young with the potential to make an impact with the Twins in 2019. The Art of the Swing: Logan Morrison This is all you need to know about my prediction with the LoMo signing..."I think this is why Twins fans can be confident in the deal they got with Morrison. His 2017 wasn’t a random fluke. It was a purposeful change in approach and mechanics that lead to some great results. Personally, I am expecting much of the same in 2018." Ouch, man, ouch. So there you have it...my 2018 season in review. Hopefully, 2019 will see better predictions from myself and better performances from the Twins. Any feedback you readers have for me would be greatly appreciated in the comments!

I was hoping for the same, especially since he was the #17 prospect entering the season. I don't have any insider information, but I would like to see the Twins bring him back on another minor league deal with a spring training invite.