cHawk

Didn’t he have a 4.00 ERA? Also, he had 68 strikeouts over 63.0 innings EDIT: My bad, I thought you were talking about Berrios

Well, what kind of player is Kepler? Is he the guy we saw in 2019? Is he the guy we saw in every other season in his career? Maybe somewhere in between? If Kepler is average again at the plate, maybe platoon the position (w/Rooker)?

They need to beat good teams AND not play down to their competition. The only doormat in the AL Central at this point is probably Detroit. They have Pittsburgh on their schedule again and they will have Baltimore and Texas as well. If they come away with a ~.500 winning percentage against those teams, it will be hard to win the division.

The Mets?

**The Yankees and their fans are totally unafraid of the 2021 Twins. How far would you go to make them squirm?** No team fears us in the playoffs. We’ve lost 18 straight playoff games, so IDK why any team would take us seriously. If we’re being serious though, IDK if the Reds would trade Castillo. They seem to be in a position to compete for a Wild card spot or a division title. Maybe call up the Rockies about German Marquez.

I was mainly referring to 2019 and 2020 with the ~100 wRC+. In which he went 103 (2019) and 110 (2020). Also, yes, I agree it won't take nothing for Kirilloff to replace Rosario offensively (Not the case with defense, given how Rosario has sucked defensively, as long as Kirilloff isn't making boneheaded plays both in LF and on the bases), but I don't think it would be too lofty to expect a 100-110 wRC+ from Kirilloff, which is what Rosario has had the past 2 years.

Kirilloff should definitely be the starting LF. I don’t get the logic that he’s ready to start an elimination game in the postseason, and he ended up getting two very hard hit balls (even though one was an out) and made a great defensive play, but he needs more time in the minors the next year. Even if he isn’t ready, he’s probably better than Cave. About Rosario - The Twins lost a pair of quality players in Eddie Rosario and LaMonte Wade Jr., but still have no shortage of corner-outfield depth. Jake Cave is still around. Brent Rooker stepped in last year and showed his potent ability. Waiver pickup Kyle Garlick and non-roster invite Keon Broxton are making strong early impressions in camp. Top prospects Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner aren't too far off. Eddie is by no means a bad player. But I don’t think he’s as a good as a lot of people think. If you look past his raw “counting” numbers, (where you’ll see a ~.330 wOBA and a ~100 wRC+ the past 2/3 years, which is about average) you’ll see that he’s a slightly above league average hitter, who runs the bases horribly, has a great arm in the outfield but doesn’t use it intelligently. Unless Kirilloff completely sucks, I can’t see how his defense would be a downgrade from Rosario. I also don’t see why his bat would be a significant downgrade, even if at all a downgrade, unless he completely sucks. Now let’s hope that Kirilloff doesn’t end up walking like Eddie...

Let's hope Bevoda is right. I know not to believe computer projections because, as I've said, they mean nothing. I think the guy has the stuff to be a frontline starter on a WS team, will he put it together? That remains to be answered.

About the offense - OPS, while much better than BA and RBI, is a mathematically flawed stat. Because OPS = OBP + SLG, and SLG ranges [0,4.000] and OBP ranges [0,1.000] it overrates power hitters drastically since 1 OBP pt = 4 SLG pts. Simmons has very little power - we all know that - but if you look at wRC+/OPS+, a more inclusive stat, his wRC+ has been hovering around 100 the last four years, which is around average. (With the exception of 2019, where it was 79)

It’s an interesting question who provides the most value at leadoff. Normally you would put a high-on base hitter in that spot. Thus, Arraez or Kirilloff (not Simmons, he hits 9th). However, as you mentioned, Kepler has had a lot of success at leadoff. Although I don’t think Kepler is a leadoff hitter. Mainly because, outside of 2019, he’s been an average hitter throughout the course of his career. I’d go Arraez or Kirilloff. On a side note, please no more La Tortuga. As I and many fans have said, he has no business being on the roster of a contending team. He’s a subpar defender wherever you put him and he can’t hit. I know PECOTA and ZiPS think he can - he can’t. Projections like that mean absolutely nothing. He should be no more than a third-string catcher or third-string infielder or third-string outfielder.

I’m a bit worried about the offense - I know that if it doesn’t improve from last year we are going nowhere.

The main reason IMO that the bullpen got wrecked in the big games last year and in 2019 - it was overtaxed. Used too much. Gassed. Mainly due to starters leaving early. A lot of times Rocco was pulling them too early. Too many bullpen games (last year in particular). I think this bullpen could be very good - IF it isn’t overused.

As ugly as his .222 BA looked last year, one must learn that Batting Average is a highly inaccurate way of rating a hitter. He had a .362 wOBA and a 129 wRC+ (above average).

Let’s all hope you are right. The question is if Garver is fully recovered from said Intercostal Strain.

If he can prove he's a #1 or #2 this year, lock him up, if not, then consider trading him or letting him walk. Let's all hope it's the former.

This team needs another star player or two to go along in the lineup with Nelly and (maybe) JD if they want to go far in October. Buxton has all of the potential in the world to be a star player. He’s been a great fielder who has began to put up above average offensive numbers. (.345 wOBA, 118 wRC+ in 2020) Please do it.

Speaking of deep October runs, what do we think about moves have been made this offseason and whether or not this could/will translate into playoff wins? Berrios remains pivotal, yes. Is he a #1 Starter or a #3 Starter? That remains to be answered. Has the FO done enough or does more need to be done? If they need to go “all-in” at the trade deadline (in July), what do they need most?

Are we certain that Robles is an improvement? We can’t be sure that he is going to bounce back and be like 2019. This bullpen could be very good or very weak. Unfortunately, I have a feeling Rocco will burn it up by July. (I hope I’m wrong)

Is Garver the player we saw in 2019 or in 2020? If it’s the latter our catching rotation will not be pretty.

“When something like that falls in your lap you can really build an avalanche of pain and perfect grief,” said the source. “If They play this right, the agony promises to be even more exquisite than last year’s playoff exit. Play it wrong then, please.

The Twins win this by a country mile. A+ (He's shown no signs of slowing down)

Hopefully Dobby has a good day, unlike Berrios yesterday.