Giles Ferrell

I feel attacked. 🤣

Hard to disagree with the original four chosen, but I think I would swap in Tony O for Mauer (sorry Joe!). No player/person has been a better ambassador for the Twins organization than Tony O and he deserves to be on the mountain. -Killebrew -Carew -Puckett -Oliva

Feels like the pitch clock got massive blowback this past week because the first game we saw in the spring had the clock directly behind home plate. Now watching more games, most stadiums in ST don't have it directly in the line of sight so it seems less distracting now. It will be an after-thought by midseason and no one will complain about games being on average 2 hours and 40 minutes.

It’s one thing if he signs with the Giants or Cubs. But the Yankees?! Anyone but the g-d Yankees!

I would rather see Maeda get a look in the back end of the rotation unless serious upgrades are made there (Maeda instead of the bargain bin starters the Twins typically sign) to start the season. If he fails then shift him to the bullpen.

Miranda swinging the bat much better last couple of weeks. But, need like 10 more insurance runs with the pitching staff.

If I missed this already, I apologize, but it would be fascinating to hear what adjustments Buxton has made to get him out of that prolonged slump and back on fire. His slash line in the past week and change is just absurd.

Evergreen

If one thing has been right for the Twins, it's been their starting pitching (can't believe that is the one positive right now). Hopefully the starters can buzzsaw the southsiders' lineup over the weekend and give us a decent chance to win the first series of the year.

Anyone else think of Nick Blackburn when this mentioned hitters hammer the sinker ball? I hope he steers away from that pitch more this season.

You don't have to ask me twice. (I'm in)

Not great for the last two games of the Brewers series without a DH (Cruz).

Hoping Arrarez can make the most of his chance in left/leading off. Would be great for the lineup if he can.

One of the best days on the calendar! Opening day!

This is not just a Twins problem. It's an MLB and even NBA and NHL problem. As Brock mentions, the Twins have their hands tied pretty good here. While we might be suffering right now, there will be long-term ramifications of this stalemate which will certainly benefit the consumers.

The 2020 baseball season felt like a dream. It was short and because no one was allowed at the games, you barely remember it. If you had to check who won the World Series last year and you don’t live in Southern California, you are not alone. It was the Dodgers, by the way. If you are a fan of Clayton Kershaw, that’s great news, because you never have to hear about his postseason success - or lack thereof - ever again. He has a ring, and now he can take his place among the all-time greats. But anyway, that was 2020. Now time for 2021, and a full 162 game season. Also happening in 2021: A return to the ballpark for fans. Kansas City Royals @RoyalsWe actually enjoy watching paint dry. March 30th 202132 Retweets498 Likes I don’t know about you, but sunshine, baseball, and a beer sound delightful. It has been too long and that day is nigh. Something else that is long overdue: A Minnesota Twins playoff victory. They have not won a playoff game since Johan Santana toed the mound in Yankee Stadium on October 1, 2004. For those counting, that was 18 playoff games and over 6,000 days ago. If you are running for your favorite adult beverage after reading that, I don’t blame you. The Twins are set to be in the thick of things in the American League Central once again this season, and they are expected to be joined by the Chicago White Sox who dazzled prognosticators over the offseasons with their signings. Minnesota has won the past two Central Division titles and will look to make it three straight since 2002-04, the only other time in team history they have accomplished that feat. Since it is that time of year, the time has come to open up the prognostications for this baseball season. We will go over division winners, playoff winners, and some award winners. Please feel free to jump in the comments and say how wrong these are. National League West - Los Angeles Dodgers (-300 to win the division) Somehow, the best team in baseball got better with the addition of Trevor Bauer this offseason. Just an embarrassment of riches on this team. Padres will give the Dodgers a run for their money this summer, but Los Angeles will pull away in September. National League Central - St. Louis Cardinals (+105) This division was the most difficult to pick, but somehow the Cardinals will just nudge out the Brewers and Reds for the crown. Should be a fun race all summer. National League East - Atlanta Braves (+140) Sorry, just can’t get behind the Mets yet. They have some great pitching, but just team to team the Braves are deeper. Good value bet here as the Braves are not the favorites to win this division. The Braves have won the East in three straight years and you have to like the odds to make it four straight. American League West - Houston Astros (+120) I’d like to throw this pick in the garbage can, but something in my head keeps banging on the fact Houston is still to beat here. George Springer is gone to Toronto, and Justin Verlander is out for the year. But somehow, someway, this team will get the division title. If I was going to pick an upset, this would have been the division to do it with Oakland and Anaheim to be in the mix. American League Central - Minnesota Twins (+110) Chicago White Sox were the champions but they won’t be the champions of the Central this year. The Twins depth gives them a third straight division title and a shot at winning one lousy playoff game again this fall. Somehow, the White Sox are still favored to win the division by Las Vegas. American League East - New York Yankees (-220) The Evil Empire will steamroll to another AL East crown. Even if they can’t get healthy seasons from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, they still have all the rest to cover the absences. Look out for Stanton though, as all indications this spring are that he is looking incredibly sharp and ready to mash in the hitter friendly Yankee Stadium. National League Wild Card Teams - San Diego Padres (-850 to make playoffs) & Washington Nationals (+160 to make playoffs) If you can stomach the late nights, the Padres are going to be so much fun to watch this summer. As mentioned above, they will give the Dodgers a run for their money in the West this season before losing out. Still can put them down for a Wild Card spot though. Washington is a sleeper pick here. They have a good rotation and should have a decent bullpen. The lineup is questionable, but they could easily make an addition later in the year if they need some added offense. A healthy year from Juan Soto will do wonders for them as well. American League Wild Card Teams - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (+160 to make the playoffs) & Chicago White Sox (-260 to make the playoffs) The White Sox will be good enough this year to get in the playoffs as a Wild Card, but not enough to win the Central. Losing Eloy Jimenez in Spring Training for 5-6 months was a big loss, but they still have the firepower to get in the backdoor. Honestly, the Angels are a pick of hope and desperation. Baseball needs Mike Trout in the playoffs. Also, how fun would it be to have Shohei Ohtani pitching and hitting in the playoffs? Like the kid in Disney’s Angels in the Outfield, we may need some divine intervention to help get them in the playoffs. Postseason Results: American League Winner: New York Yankees (+230 to win the AL) National League Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers (+175 to win the NL) World Series Winner: New York Yankees (+550 to win the WS) This feels wrong in so many ways, but I just can’t see these clubs not in the Fall Classic should they remain moderately healthy this season. Should be a good dog fight though between these two juggernauts. Award Winners: AL MVP: Giancarlo Stanton - NYY (+3500) NL MVP: Juan Soto - WSH (+700) AL Cy Young: Gerrit Cole - NYY (+330) NL Cy Young: Yu Darvish - SD (+1000) Other Best Bets: Minnesota Twins over 89.5 wins (-110) New York Mets under 91 wins (-110) Washington Nationals over 84 wins (-110) Atlanta Braves over 91.5 wins (+100) PLAY BALL! Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook ***This post was originally posted to my Substack, which you can find here***

Still worried about the bullpen. Hopefully they can be effective from the get go this year.

*nervous grin* I sure do hope they are right and we don't remember 2021 as the year that got away because of a faulty bullpen.

This is exactly why no one remembers Dave Kingman hitting a ball up into the Dome that never came down.

(kidding)

Stick to hockey!

John should try mixing in a water during these podcasts...

Tip of the cap to Cuddy. Good ballplayer, great human being.

Nothing would warm my heart more than seeing #33 put on the Twins uniform again. But given his history with concussions, I would just rather see him hang it up and enjoy life beyond baseball with his family. The thought of him having one more concussion is just downright frightening at this point.