bean5302

I have a season ticket package and I've been disappointed with attendance as well. Attendance across MLB has been pretty poor this year, and I'm sure that has been fueled by season ticket holders letting their tickets go. The Twins actually have an automatic renewal system for season tickets now. The weather in April really was horrible. I mean that. Horrible. It was one of the coldest and windiest Aprils in Minnesota history. That's a fact. What's also true is it was universally terrible. Almost every single day in April was cold and windy and that is really unusual. Normally, "coldest April in <insert span of time>" has to do with 2 weeks of brutal cold and snow followed by two weeks of normal to above. That wasn't the case this year. It's been just a nasty experience. That said, my seasons have seen multiple days where the weather was good and attendance has been universally awful regardless of whether or not it was nice out or even a weekend. MLB attendance looks to be down about 10-20% from 2019 so far. Concessions... I don't think this is really a big issue. A (big) burger and fries basket from Hennepin Grill is $15. $13.50 with the season ticket holder discount. Not sure if anybody has been to a restaurant lately, but that's not terrible. A burger and fries at Five Guys is more. Is Five Guys better? Sure, but the Hennepin Grill burger is solid. For real. I've had a lot of other food items as well. It's just not that much more than other places. Big Dog with chips? $7.50 ($6.75 for season ticket holders). A craft draft beer like Bent Paddle's Cold Press Black Ale is $13 ($11.80 for season ticket holders). In a pub, near Target Field, expect it to set you back $9-10+. Concessions have always been more at games than in breweries. I think prices for concessions this year are closer to other establishments than they have been. Side note, Twins Pay was a colossal failure out of the gate. The menu system and scanners were largely non-functional, though things have gotten much better. That said, lots of people were severely PO'ed. There are special discounts like the family 4 pack as well. Transportation/Parking... I think it's actually cheaper than it used to be? $12 for the ABC ramps. Unfortunately, there are fewer good mass transit options than there used to be. Some of that has to do with the delayed/questionable season start and honestly, a lot of people don't want to wear masks, etc so no metro transit for them for the first 3 weeks of the season. There is NO Northstar this year. There is NO MTC Twins Express Bus this year. I remember taking packed Twins express busses in years past and I think the Northstar was pretty packed as well for Twins games? Ticket prices. I didn't look around at prices too much because I knew what seats I wanted. Ticket prices are up about 20% since 2012 or so (2.2% annually). I think it would have been smart for MLB clubs (like the Twins) to make tickets cheaper in general considering the fanbase's cold feelings at the moment, but I've noticed a lot of spam regarding steeply discounted tickets for games in my email. Honestly, I don't think ticket prices themselves are exclusionary to attendance this year... but I expect the fees on top of fees on top of fees from service partners like Ticketmaster and Stubhub might be pushing people away. The fees are the biggest reason which pushed me into seasons for sure. After all, even if my tickets were like 20% under face, I'd pay more after checkout anyway. I see above 4 "Lower Level" seats cost $300. Single game tickets in lower level seats can be picked up below $40, even for premium games. Next game vs. Detroit? $19/ea+ fees for lower level seats in the Left Field Bleachers through Ticketmaster, $13/ea+ fees (row 2). Location. Yes. I do think this matters. People don't want to get shot. Minneapolis' reputation is utter and complete TRASH. People are scared of Minneapolis, and for good reason. I've been friends with people who've been event and service industry workers for many years and even they don't want to be in Minneapolis for work, including close to Target Field. They've been harassed, their co-workers held up at gunpoint, they've watched police presence vanish, it's much worse than it used to be. I have not personally witnessed anything untoward at Target Field or the immediate area, but the reputation and fallout from the last couple years is real. Apathy. I believe this is real. I think the season ticket holders and long time fans are the ones who are truly apathetic at this point. I think the lockout, the initial announcement of lost games, etc, had a powerful impact on the core fanbase. Maybe stronger than I thought it would. Furthermore, young adults DGAF about baseball and while MLB markets heavily, oh so heavily at children trying to grow the fanbase from a young age, children do not pay the bills. MLB has failed to turn those 5 year old fans getting a ball tossed to them or running the bases into a 15 or 25 year old fan willing to pay for a game. I see Cowboy Jack's rooftop spilling over before,, during, and after every single game and yet at least 1/2 the stadium remains totally empty... even on nice days... even on the weekends. I must admit... even I haven't been "following" the Twins or MLB as closely this year even though I'm a season ticket holder. There isn't a lot of excitement with my friends. There isn't any buzz around the sport. Somehow, that ramp up of Spring Training, etc, was probably far more important than I figured it would be. it all adds up to empty seats and a real issue for MLB. Saw somebody comment on "why does it matter?" No fans in the seats = dead sport at or away from the stadium with no team salary budget leading to uncompetitive or even no play. There were a group of Astros fans behind me at one of the Astros series games. I was a little embarrassed at how poor attendance was despite it being a beautiful night. The game day experience is impacted greatly based on attendance. For the opening few weeks, at least 1/2 of the vendors were closed. There are still quite a few stalls with metal doors down. It looks bad and feels gloomy which contributes to people being less enthusiastic to come back. A big crowd provides a lot of energy to the event and excites itself. My friend shared a photo of the Coliseum during the 7th inning out in Oakland the other night. It was seriously deflating. You could literally count the fans. If you want the best seat for the plays, watch it on TV. If you want the best seat for the game along with a memorable experience and excitement, you need to go to the stadium.

In regard to this front office, previous front offices are obviously having an impact still, though it's waning quickly as we've now entered year 6 of the Falvey regime. We're starting to enter into the phase where previous regime draft picks have either made it to the big show or won't ever make it and contracts signed under previous regimes have long played out.

Terrible free agent signings? Smith did a good job with a limited budget. A budget he elevated through the retention of key players who didn't make it to free agency like Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer and Nathan. Smith brought in Orlando Hudson, Joe Crede, Jim Thome and Carl Pavano and all wound up being good free agent signings. The waterfall of trades wound up being pretty poor as Smith continued to lose ground with each step. It's not like all his trades were bad, though, or super impactful. Smith brought in Orlando Cabrera in 2009 which was a good move. Gomez for Hardy was a good trade. It was the Hardy for Hoey trade which was terrible, but as I recall, Gardy was a driving force on getting rid of Hardy. Capps for Ramos got the most vitriol, but Ramos never really amounted to anything due to injuries and Capps was very good down the stretch for the Twins in 2010 who were relying on the very shaky Jon Rauch to close games at the time. Honestly, the Capps for Ramos trade and the singular bad season in 2011 seemed to cement Twins fans' opinions on Smith who became the scapegoat for poor decisions by Ryan in 2012 and later.

27 plate appearances this season at MLB. Only 35 plate appearances at AAA and 258 plate appearances in his entire MLB career. I don't see Kirilloff as any more of a question mark now than he was at the beginning of last year. It is pretty clear he's struggling (pressing?). I feel like it would be worthwhile for him to spend a couple months in AAA to get things ironed out and build some confidence and the Twins certainly have the depth to move him there.

I think it's unfair to make the assessment based on the "80+" grade power and annual 40-50 HR expectations baseball fans had of Sano in 2015. It's obvious he's a huge bust from that standpoint. Sano made it to MLB and posted a little positive value as an every day starter and even made an All Star Game in 2017. I certainly won't call that a bust. Apart from his rookie breakout in 2015, he's never posted better than scrub level WPA's though. I'd stand by Sano being an easy out when a team needs to get that out and I wouldn't consider Sano to be a boom, either. He's just a fringey MLB caliber guy.

Celestino reminds me a bit of the veteran version of Denard Span after he lost a step. Quite frankly, I believe Celestino will be good enough to start every day and he may be able to cover center field more adequately than Kepler at this point. All that said, sample sizes this year are way too small to draw conclusions on whether or not Celestino and Larnach have adapted.

Ryan wasn't hitting his spots and the Astros were patient enough at the plate. It was obvious to me (in attendance) the Astros had Ryan's number well enough. Verlander just seemed to know what the batter would struggle against all night. In the end, the Twins lost by 5 runs and didn't put a single hit on the board until the 8th inning. A handful of ball/strikes calls had little or nothing to do with the Twins losing.

Gordon has 51 plate appearances this year and he's slumped a bit in the last few. His batted ball data shows his average exit velocity is solid and he's been very unlucky overall. Honestly, he just needs a much bigger sample size to judge. Gordon's ceiling at this point is probably MLB average hitter with a more likely expectation of well below average, but he provides the aforementioned defensive versatility. He's the prototypical utility player. A guy you can play every day for a couple weeks if you need to while another player is on the 10 day IL, but not somebody you'd want as a starter. There's a lot of value in those kinds of players because they're inexpensive, but don't come with the risk of an untested AAA replacement player. With Lewis off to such an inspiring start and the addition of Correa and Urshela this offseason, it's awfully crowded, but Gordon is a better fit in the traditional utility role than pretty much anybody else because of what he does (and doesn't) bring to the table.

I'd have to think Cavaco will be released by mid year at this point.

Yes. It's exactly the same general concept as fans cheering for fights in hockey, which I dislike... yet it's extremely popular. Though there is an enormous difference between a physical fist fight which can end careers and cause serious injury or death and a manager kicking dirt over a plate or offering to buy an umpire a lifetime subscription to Lens Crafters. A manager arguing balls and strikes amps up the crowd and the team. It's a fact and it's often considered an endearing trait for a manager. Fan and crowd engagement is important. Regardless of what a few people on this board like, the manager getting tossed or the crowd commiserating together over a bad call is fan engagement and baseball desperately needs more fan engagement.

Robo umps are bad for the game. They remove controversy and fan engagement. Umpires get things wrong occasionally, but hating the ump is part of the game which gets the fans excited. How many times have the fans been engaged watching an angry manager trot out of the dugout arguing balls and strikes? How many times have cheers rained down on the field watching a manager get ejected for arguing those calls?

The Petty trade could definitely end Falvey's tenure with the Twins. The reports on him made me feel he was just soooooo far ahead of what people were expecting.

2020 = $6.7MM 2021 = $21.0MM Total = $27.7MM

Buxton might as well get his 1/2 a year on the IL taken care of now. At least he'll be more likely available if the Twins surprise the league and make the playoffs then.

Petty would have made the list, though Graterol is no longer a prospect as he lost his rookie status. MLB grades Chase Petty's fastball as a 70. They put his slider at 55 and his changeup at 50 while Baseball America was even more bullish with a 70, 70, 55 ratings on those pitches, respectively. The MLB world will know far more about him once he starts pitching against professional competition this year.

Velocity isn't the only thing with fastballs. Jim Hoey is the perfect example. A 100mph straightball is easy for an MLB hitter to knock out of the park. Deception on delivery and movement are key to fastball value. Velocity matters, but the type of fastball matters too. Sinking fastballs generate weak ground ball contact with late break downwards (Jordan Hicks) and four seamers generate strikeouts (Chris Sale) while cutters can generate both on unpredictable movement (Mariano Rivera). Other pitches wind up playing into the fastball as well. A pitcher with a great changeup automatically makes the fastball better because it adds to the deception if the hitter can't figure out which pitch is coming their way. Great control adds to it again since results do kind of find their way into the grades of the pitches themselves as well.

As a season ticket holder, I'm excited for the pitch clock. So many 7pm games going until well after 10pm makes it hard for me to stay and watch the full games when I have many friends along next to me. They have to be up for work the next morning and leaving at 10:30pm, either taking an express shuttle to a park and ride or an uber/drive back to my house gets them home and in bed close to midnight. Then there are the extra innings games... forget it. I've been to many games which don't end until after 11pm. Considering there are already rules in place governing pace of play like the pitch delivery time rules and batters constantly stepping out of the box, it's clear the players won't follow the rules unless they're enforced in a consistent and obvious manner. Just like the "sticky stuff" pitchers were warned and warned about. The extremely slow pace of play adds to the perception of baseball being boring and hurts the game's marketability as well.

I don't think you understand the phrase you're using... "Let him eat" comes from the same line as "Let him feed" or "Feed him" which means to give him something to eat on or an opportunity to excel. Like "feed him the ball" in football would mean give him the ball because he's going to excel with it. Throwing pitches isn't feeding Duran... Perhaps if you re-phrased your statement as "give him space to throw the baseball and let it eat!" the subject and verb would properly align with your apparent usage of the phrase. The reality is the all bold furious response means I was probably all too close to the truth to begin with.

This is their year!!!!

No, it's an arrogant statement about how Duran is going to chew up MLB caliber hitters after being unable to get AAA hitters out last year.

Rooker's exit velocity, hard hit, barrel rate were better than average last year and xwOBA were far higher than his actual results. Not to mention Rooker runs faster than the MLB average player. If he's on the team, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was traded, I expect Rooker will probably be a starting corner outfielder. Sano going to be on the team. He makes a better DH than he does a 1B. Sanchez is going to be the starting catcher. Not sure why he's in the discussion as a likely common DH. He might have a handful of games at DH, but unless he's hitting far better than he has recently, I don't expect him to come out from behind the plate much.

I would say it's actually fairly likely the Twins won't start Miranda on the 26 man. After all, keeping him off the roster for a couple weeks is still going to be the tried and true way of manipulating service time. The only way it comes back to bite the Twins is if Miranda has a great season, and if he has a great season, they get an extra year of All Star performance instead of a low percentage draft pick.

IMHO, it absolutely came out of the blue. Correa didn't signal his willingness to sign a short term deal until just a couple days ago. This was a desperation signing by Correa. He needed to get into camp and have a full Spring Training.

Correa is highly likely to opt out if he's healthy this year. He'll still be going in to his age 28 season after this year. I think the Twins expect that to happen as well, but they got their bridge to Lewis, provided the Twins don't deal Lewis.

I don't think Urshela is a given as the starter over Miranda at 3B. He's probably better as a fielder than Miranda and would probably make the better of the two when it comes to utility. Urshela had a pretty awful year at the plate (by his standards) in his age 29 season last year. I also don't think the Twins are done. With Polanco, Miranda, Urshela, Arraez and Gordon, there's too much redundancy. If the Twins are looking to move Gordon to full time utility outfielder, it still leaves at least one too many valuable every day worthy guys at 4-5-6.