Monkeypaws

If you were the GM of another team, would you trade for Nolasco? Malone? Suzuki? These guys are trying to make their teams better, not worse.

Watching what the Twins have done in July vs. Boston, Cleveland, Texas, Detroit leads me to believe they have some game. They aren't gonna tank intentionally. Growing pains are the best way to go about this - give your youth a chance to play, let them learn at the major league level. They hopefully improve, and set the stage for future winning ways, but quite possibly deliver the coveted top 5 draft pick along the way. Win-win, with a lot of losses along the way edit: I will acknowledge tho, that the oposition, some of the best in the AL, probably isn't really taking the Twins seriously, if quotes in the media are to be believed.

Kirilloff looks like a kid that will be on the fast track. Seeing that power is his calling card, love to see the high batting average on top of that.

Rochester?

two of your more awesome names in the organization....I'm torn.

like Oswaldo, but recognize the flaws in his game. He may end up as good as a Valencia, good ML ball player, but not a future HOF dude like Papi. Ortiz is well and truly the one that got away, much like Ruth was to the Red Sox: love the symmetry of that story.

Let's not forget the Saints. The St, Paul baseball experience is on a par with that of the Twins, if not better in some ways. Their crowds are about 1/3 of what MN United expects, but far more often. I plan to go to once to each park this season, and am likely not alone.

Right on Doc - I would like to see what Vargas could do given the chance. He has great power, and while he has some of that K problem, it's nowhere near as bad as some of our other power prospects, and he has shown the ability to take a walk as well. He has a pretty good approach, and the switch hitting is a nice add.

Seems like batting second would make good use of his OBP, and perhaps advancing runners. Problem is, nobody really is hitting like a #3 right now except Nunez, and he's leading off.

They should eat the bad salaries - there are so many tax loopholes out there, I'm sure they could find a way to write it off. Give the new GM a clean slate, manager aside.

Molly, really? 11 for 19? Nunez is 22 for 27. Buxton is 7 for 7. Fail to see what makes him best there.

Hmm. Sounds more administrative than baseball related, like a directive from someone who is looking for system-wide accountability.

Wow, when is the last time the Twins didn't have an OF in their top 10?

If true, the Twins better rethink the whole "pitch to contact" philosophy. That aside, I would think more reps would make you better at something, not worse.

KG was a bit undone by his D in the sixth there. Such is the elemant of chance in the game of baseball. The stats say otherwise, but I liked what I saw from our starter today.

Gibson looking pretty on today - he needs to assume the role of veteran innings eater on this club, assuming Ervin is dealt. I think he is fully capable of doing so.

Go Felix!

Did anybody ever fill Arcia's underwear with peanut butter? That is the crux of this comparison.

I'm just glad after the recent cuts that Vargas is still here. Yeah, he's been hitting a ton since his recall, but he has always been a productive hitter on up the chain. Still only 25, and big time power. Park is hurt, so it is good to have a guy like this step in as DH/1B alt. Palka waiting in the wings. Joe is the one who doesn't fit the bill as a power corner infielder. Maybe with his arm he could move to the pen?

I'm kind of glad to see Vargas take the spot of power bench bat. With Park out, he makes sense as a DH backup 1b. Oswaldo didn't really have a future in ths Twins outfield.

He's also shrinking his pitch count. Last 2 starts, 7 and 9 innings pitched, 1 earned run, 3BB, 13K, less than 100 pitches each outing. Like that efficiency, and the K rate is still pretty dang good.

Lamonte Wade is hitting .391 with a .966 OPS since his promotion to Fort Myers. Just 7 games, but he's done nothing to to disprove that he can flat out hit.

He has been the best leadoff guy we've seen in a long while - hits stolen bases, the whole works.

Last game he was 2 for 3 with no Ks and a walk. His outs haven't been putrid either. Progress.

2 observations: 1. Santana hasn't been totally sucky, unlike RN. He is a fully competent ML starter, capable of success in either league. 2. Throwing a 2 hit shutout in front of oppnents' scouts shows he knows how to ramp it up. Surely some pitching poor "contender" would take a flyer on him, with no salary retention from the Twins. Nolasco, not so much.