Monkeypaws

I had a mutant Robin nest in my back yard this year that had a white head - looked like a mini bald eagle.

Gotta hand it to the Yankees - ROY last year in Judge, and 2nd and 3rd place this year in Torres and Andujar. Got their homegrown ace in Severino. They do a nice job of developing players: Sanchez, Betances, Holder, etc. Their trade record is also pretty good. There's more than just deep pockets in the Bronx.

Could Joe Mauer and Tony Oliva be more similar? Some dumbfounding similarities in their career numbers: •15 year careers with the Twins and only the Twins. •3 batting titles each. •Surefire HOF careers derailed by devastating injuries. .306 career BA for Mauer, .304 for Oliva. •923 career RBI for Mauer, 947 for Oliva. •.830 career OPS for Oliva, .827 for Mauer. •Oliva wins on HR, 220-143, and All Stars, 8-6. •Mauer wins on hits, 2123 to 1917, and WAR, 55 to 43 •I mean, really, one wore 6, the other 7. Entirely different stories, but two of the best to wear the uni, regardless of what Cooperstown may think: and top-class acts to boot. Hope Joe will still be getting in on the act the way Tony does at 80, 40 years from now.

Haha - good one Nick.

Totally agree Doc - Mike Pagliarulo, Chili Davis, Don Baylor, all examples of this. I guess what I meant to say, while completely forgetting trades as another option, is that I don't believe you can build a team foundation through free-agency, although I'm sure someone could prove me wrong. Seems like most teams need a foundation of home grown talent, as we have seen with the last 2 Series winners. Then add through trades, and free agency as needed. But if you fail on the development side, you won't have the chips to get a Sale or a Verlander.

IMHO, free agency is a method to put your home grown team over the top, not a foundation, especially for a team like the Twins. I think history would agree. You hit and miss on draft and develop, but when you hit, you know it. Next season will tell us all we need to know, but buying a World Series will never be a Twins outcome.

Gonna miss that scowl....

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?y=2018&t=t_ibp&cid=534&stn=true&sid=t534 Rochester Red Wings 2018 stats. Take out Buxton, Grossman, Cave Lemarre, Field, i.e. the usual suspects, not much to be excited about. LeMarre is gone, hopefully Field and Grossman as well, although the latter has some small value as a proven commodity. Buxton is ??? Wade took a step backwards, then who is left? Granite? Hazelbaker.? Yikes. In Rosario, Buxton, & Kepler we hope, with Cave as 4th. But you gotta have better options in AAA. Reed is fast and hit well last season, and has had several sniffs of the majors as a 25 year old. He also appears to have a good eye at the plate as well. He's at least the prospect Wade is if not more.

Was always a fan of Chuck Nagy on the hill - he was a battler, got hit around a lot, but dug in his heels the found success more often than not. Kind of Cleveland's version of Brad Radke.

If the Falvine do something like this plan, and Sanó and Buxton flail away again this year, torches and pitchforks. You gotta have a plan B, C, etc. This coming from the eternal optimist.

Hey Vanimal, I think your bang on the buck for Jones and McCutchen would be limited. Guys on the wrong side of 30, used to commanding salaries of 14-18 million per, and in steady statistical decline. Jones was only 0.2 WAR last season. Rosario, a healthy reinvigorated BB, and around the corner Max is my wish list. Reed falls in after Cave, maybe alongside Wade in the pecking order. Depth is good.

I'd like to see the games spread out over a greater number of guys - looking at the 2018 AL leaders in appearances: Pressly was #1 with 77; Hildenberger was 7th with 73; Zach Duke was tied for 10th with 72 along with Taylor Rogers; Even Rodney hits 21st with 68. That 4 of your relievers, (albeit some of those appearances were with other teams) make the top 10 league-wide in appearances, no bueno. The only team that had more than 1 was Seattle, and one of theirs was Duke. No more LOOGY/ROOGY Rule 5 passengers in the bullpen....

I'm not a fan of any proposal that cuts Mejía loose. Not sure what a nerve traction injury is, or what the expected recovery might be, but I've enjoyed watching Adalberto pitch when he is healthy.

http://static.wixstatic.com/media/f99526_7968175bd221cf361a1a73e0aebb1816.jpg

Mimicking another's recipe for success sounds like a recipe for failure to me. The Twins need to find their own recipe that matches their situation and personnel.

Disagree strongly sir. Verlander to Houston last year - one player away. Dodgers and Machado this year looking the same. Blyleven back to theTwins, or Chili Davis, or Jack Morris, for local context. One player can make all the difference.

Mr. Hyde. Umpires would hate arguing with that guy.

Goodness gracious, I didn't realize the Tomahawk Chop still existed. Go Dodgers!

I'd watch a game at their stadium. http://www.tripensacola.com/site/1462279463cmpa-3_original.jpg

Poor Dozier: Hernandez is just killing it, offense, defense, personality, the media lauds him. Dozier is a passenger. It is the playoffs, but still.

Last night brought. Rosario v. Butera. Tonight it’s Hendriks v. Hicks.

Appreciate the effort and analysis in the OP.

This umpiring crew is awful: balls and strikes, and seroiusly, Butera safe by a mile.

And so go Rosario and Butera head to head! Butera wins with a walk