Hosken Bombo Disco

Seems like Target Field should throw open the doors to one of their bars during road ballgames, for the diehards like me, cost/benefit be damned. I mean, a guy can still get kicked out of certain bars around here for asking to put the Twins game on, though it's not as bad as it was a few years ago

Play ball!

Looks amazing - is Target Field open for away games or just the exhibits maybe? Was that announced in a podcast or something?

Thank you - that explains it

Absolutely valid concern. I wanted to see him get the complete game shutout, but as we saw, it got a little chaotic and the Twins were a batter or two away from losing control and making a pitching change anyway.

I heard the play on the radio but didn't realize there was a shift. Still should have been swinging away, imo. Also, did it sound like a "let's go home!" chant after that bunt?

Yah they pretty much have no choice but to play those games, too, even though it's supposed to be cold all the way through next weekend because their first two home opponents do not make second trips to Target Field all season (great foresight by teh mlb schedulers)

It's unusual and exciting how Kepler can generate those 400-foot bombs on such low pitches without the upper cut swing, just using his regular level swing, it's a gift.

Can I still show up at Target Field and buy $14 dollar craft beers while I look out longingly at the empty expanse of ballfield?

Congrats to him!

Congrats! I saw Riverbrian just used a comma, so looks like you've hit the ground running!

Busenitz is better than those guys, but whatever.

Maybe if you see the ads enough times you will start to come around?

because prices on free agents are dropping right now

I'm on board, but that is another conversation, given that the Twins play in Puerto Rico (Berrios's home) in mid April but the Opening Day starter would not be lined up to pitch in that series... hey lets start a new thread

Who is this Falvey, and what is he doing to my beloved Twins

True, but I would submit that that pitch is too nasty to adjust to. McCullors can mix that pitch with his straight two-seam (his old grip and less roll off the middle finger) and batters won't know which one is coming. Nobody ever really adjusts to the best pitchers, and McCullors might be poised to be one. The best AL hitters can hope for is he loses his feel for it when they are facing him.

The spin and speed of a fastball, the break of a curve. Hitters have no chance. That pitch to Adrianza was Maddux-ian.

The Twins look like they are strong up the middle, but they will miss Dozier when he is gone. I hope he gets all the money in the world.

Not sure what the obsession is with his 2017 season, if anything it made for a great buy-low opportunity.

You had me at "purist" (but then you lost me at some point To develop one of your ideas. I think just training umpires to keep the game moving would be best. This could be happening at lower levels where actually games can move pretty quickly already, but umpires could be empowered to call automatic balls or strikes against players who take too much time. I remember an at bat late last season (might have been the playoffs) where Aaron Hicks took the first pitch, then called time, stepped out of the box, and got down on the ground to re-tie his shoe. The umpire should be empowered -- encouraged -- to motion to the pitcher to pitch, instead of tolerating an unnecessary delay like that. As for the changes for 2018, I never liked the pitch clock but I would trade the whole lot of these recent changes for the pitch clock. I hate the idea of limiting mound visits, though I don't think it will be that noticeable. I came to like the 2;35 minute break between half innings. I watch a lot of games at the bars and I need that extra thirty seconds to "finish my job" sometimes. They could make it 2:00 minutes at the end of innings at keep it 2:30 at half innings. Also, replay? Manfred? Anyone? Most of all, I want MLB to stop modeling itself after the NFL. Five hour games are ridiculous and we saw a couple of those last postseason. But mostly I'm not too upset by games regularly going 3:20 or so.

You could be right. I went back to look at Mejia's lines, and he wasn't as bad as I remember, especially in June and July last year he was pretty good. My impression is of Mejia's later starts, always running into trouble and Molitor getting itchy already by the 2nd or 3rd inning. ..still a #5-6 starter, imo, but maybe worth a start or two early when Santana is rehabbing

If only we had additional data on Odorizzi besides his 2017 season

I like and share your optimism on Berrios, but even with Odorizzi the rotation is still looking at too many #5 types getting too many starts.

I think Odorizzi kicks Mejia back to Rochester (hey, somebody had to do it). I would like to see Mejia pitch into the 8th inning a few times in AAA to show he has the stamina to even get through the 4th or 5th in the bigs. He seems to unravel pretty quickly. I wonder if spin rates remain steady or if they drop off with fatigue or who his swinging strikes were collected from or if he can maintain his release point deep into a game, or, name your question. Lots of great data in this article and still lots of important questions surrounding him. Mejia is a good player to have, just not ready to trust him with a rotation spot. Maybe a spot start against a favorable matchup.