DocBauer

Not afraid of the Twins playing anyone and I'm sure they aren't either. But this re-alignment proposal makes absolutely no sense to me. Unless they propose to only play the teams within your division?? No trips to the coasts, if you're the Twins, no playing any team within the other divisions is the only way you save money here. Even in an abbreviated season, you think the Twins, and other teams, don't want to see the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, etc, come to town? Now if there are no fans at any point, then the hoopla of different teams goes away, and you might as well just play your own division. Then, yes, you save expenses. If you want something at least resembling a normal, though abbreviated season, you avoid such things as a quick 6 game trip out of town. You have slightly longer road trips where you "sneak in" 2 game series against different division or league opponents. Example: Twins head out west to play the A's and Angels, maybe finishing with the Mariners, before you come home. While out west, you play a couple 2 games with the Giants and Dodgers mixed in. How about going old school and for one year there are no league cross over games? Eliminates any DH controversy like this proposal inherits. We're going to have a shorter season that will always have an asterisk beside it. But why make it even stranger and harder of a season with an even larger asterisk? Just keep things the way they are aligned, play fewer games, mix in a few double headers, play a few 2 game series, and organize road trips to be more efficient. And again, you could just eliminate cross-league games for a season if it makes sense. Doesn't that just make a lot more sense? *and yeah, the Atlanta thing just boggles the mind.

I think there is an easy arguement between Nathan and Aggie. It's not just numbers, but also relative to the quality of the teams they pitched for. In that context, not sure Perkins doesn't make the list and bump someone else. Glad to see mention of Corbett. As well as Rincon and Gurrier at the end. For a short time, let's not forget what Berenguer meant. He only pitched for the Twins, in reality, for 2 full seasons. But for those 2 seasons he was OUTSTANDING. Mike Marshall has to have an honorary mention.

Football is far away, especially for us Twins fans waiting and hoping for some kind of season. But the draft and the 2020 Viking season is still in my forefront thoughts at the moment. And while I may be a bit old school at times in my thinking, I believe fully 100% that one thing has never changed: the game still comes down to the DL and OL. Couple things I don't get: 1] How can Hill actually look pretty good when he comes off the bench, and seems to have everything you want and need in an OT, but never perform in extended opportunity? Is that all be is? Is he a slow learner? Is he strong enough to play G and maybe that's where he should be, less isolated? 2] Why can't Collins, who looked a potential UDFA steal just stay healthy for once and show what he can do? (Oh yeah...Vikings curse). I actually believed he was ready to challenge Elflein for the LG spot last season. 3] How can Elflein go from such a promising young interior OL to paper tiger so quickly? I absolve him from year 2 due to dual surgeries. But to play so poorly at G, a position he has played before and seems to have the skill set for in year 3 is just amazing to me. 4] The Vikings traded for Jones, keep re-signing him, and he plays well when inserted, or in the preseason, but they won't play him when other G stink up the joint. The Vikings have enough $ room to bring back the solid Kline if bridges aren't burned. They have enough draft capital already built up for next year to make a trade. They have a couple big, talented young guys to "audition" for G as they've stated it's open season. I find myself very intrigued by Brandel, Hinton and Lacina as projectable prospects a year from now. Stronger, more polish, Brandel comes from a lower power 5 conference with vast experience. He COULD be a legit swing tackle. Hinton and Lacina could be easily dismissed. And then you look at size, speed, strength and accolades and realize a year of development could see them as legitimate contenders for at least viable backup options. But none of their potential speaks to 2020. Kubiak is in charge of the offense, clearly. His boy, Dennison, is well respected, and in charge of the OL. Reiff should be solid for one more year while Cleveland develops. RT is fine. Bradbury shows real potential. But with all the draft options presented to us, and nobody brought in early, that either means the FO and coaching staff are idiots, or they actually believe Udoh, Samoa and others really have the ability to step forward. If they're wrong, it could be a long and brutal season.

Anything that allows for baseball in 2020 is fine by me. But divisional re-alingment like this is ridiculous! I get a shorter season. I get holding down travel costs due to revenue shortfalls. But for the most part, divisional opponents are already in relatively close proximity. Just skip some of the crazy 6 game series on a coast. You can even keep cross league games...or go old school and not do it for a year...by having slightly longer on the road trips. Twins can go play Oakland, Angels, hit Dodgers and Giants for even a 2 game series, finish with the Mariners, and then return home. You might have some longer road trips, but you would probably have some longer home stands as well. Not appreciably longer, but a little longer. Braves in the same division with the Twins is nuts. Similarly, they make a Midwestern run, they can slide over to KC, Minnesota, play the Dirty Sox right after they play the Cubs, etc. Come on MLB! Use your brain or find someone who has a better one!

Been trying to keep up but been busy. Really appreciate your efforts! Couple things that have surprised me...and I've bad a hard time believing...is that in all the various simulations Donaldson and Berrios all seem to have under performed.

Very sad news to come home to today. No BS. He should be placed in the Twins HOF. He was a special part of all these teams and all those players and staff for decades. We've all heard stories over the years. He is a big part of the history of our beloved team.

I'm not a big fan of Bauer, though I clearly don't know him, only because I've heard different whispers and innuendo that he's really not that nice of a guy. Then there are incidents like the launched ball. Now, maybe he's a swell guy and all his teammates have love him. I could care less about his politics or anything of that nature as long as he is good in the clubhouse and not disruptive in it or out of it affecting the team. Period. As a ballplayer, my one concern is his determination to only sign year to year deals. Does that work for the Twins? You get one year, hopefully a great one, but then you're back to bidding again or looking to fill. That is my concern.

Which I still don't get. The guy had the resume coming out. He looked like a potential fixture after his first year. I can understand a poor season following a pair of surgeries, not being able to work out properly, etc. But he looked just awful at times last year especially in pass pro, stiff, no balance or footwork, and get bowled over at times.

According to a report I just read on CBS Sports...(I don't have the link handy)...former Astros scout David Brito was intending to auction off his 2017 Astros World Championship ring for charities in New Jersey suffering from the covid-19 virus. Proceeds were to go to a hospital and to purchase personal protective equipment for additional care facilities. Apparently, there is an agreement that any ring to be auctioned off must first be offered back to the Astros for $1. That's right, a single GW bill. Needless to say, the charity auctioning of the ring is now cancelled. To be fair, it was also reported a former Cubs employee attempted to auction off a similar 2016 ring, but there is no reporting to exactly when, and whether that cancelled auction was for charity, or which one, or for personal funds. The same $1 buyback option also existed. So again just being fair. But in the time of this world wide pandemic, and for an organization already embattled and embarrassed, isn't this sinking to an even worse low? To deny the raising of funds for a hospital and care works during this pandemic seems reprehensible to me. I can't even imagine anything other than stupid pride is involved here. Any thoughts or reactions?

Nice shout out to Morris and Smiley for their seasons. Erickson remains one of my biggest disappointments to this day. He just looked like he was going to be a stud! I want to say he developed a bum shoulder? Does that sound right to anyone?

My surprise alteration? Replace Buxton's defense with Arraez's. Because if I could have a player that had all those other abilities, I want to find a spot on the infield for him.

Agreed on pressure helping cover up the secondary. It also helps if Hughes is 100% and Hill keeps his head on straight. Having a pair of Pro Bowl safeties sure doesn't hurt. I still wonder about Griffen coming back. It seems a viable option for both parties. But I think there's only about $8M in cap space at the moment. Despite drafting 3 CB and signing an UDFA there that has a real shot, they could still sign one of the decent veteran options out there on the cheap. Does that blow up a plan to go young? Does it diminish Griffen coming back? (Nobody else seems to be knocking at his door at the moment). And then what about G? Other than Kline deciding to come back, are there any other G options out there worth looking at? I don't see any way that $8M brings in anything more than 2 guys. So where does the priority lie? I'm not objecting to the draft, how it played out, or the talent brought in. But the G situation is disappointing. I think Cleveland is a great fit, but even if he comes in and surprises and is ready the way O'Neill was, I don't like moving Reiff to G after the Remmers fiasco. But the coaches are far smarter and more in tune with their roster than we are. Maybe it would be a great fit. But trusting Elflein to suddenly turn it around, and trusting in a pair of 2nd yr guys like Samia and Udoh who barely saw the field in 2019 is scary. Collins can't stay healthy, Dozier is a decent backup, and they refuse to play Jones even when he looks solid. Really perplexed here. So I repeat, with about $8M available to still spend, where do you look to use it?

Not a knock on Leius, who was a sound player overall, but if I could improve at 3B and run with the rest of that lineup for most of the 90's I'd actually be happy. Now, that lineup would only take you so far, the majority of the pitching....

My biggest takeaway is 6 guys with an OPS of .800+. NICE!

Three biggest concerns following the draft: 1] Finding CB who can play from all the talent on hand. 2] Finding 2 G who can play between Samoa, Duo and Elflein getting his crap together. 3] Can Kubiak find a way to mesh a collection of slot receivers to cover the wideout portion of the receiver corps? Still a lot of talent on this team, but I'm not sure which of these concerns me more.

Really not surprising a pitcher starts to really learn his craft around 29-30yo. We've seen it many, many times before. There are those rare SP that come up and just dominate early on. And some of them continue to do so. But how many start to flame out? I have always argued that so many top starters...from my years watching baseball...really hit their peak in their late 20's and early 30's where talent and experience meet. (Why I also keep arguing that the best of Berrios has yet to be seen). I'm not saying Oddo is going to evolve in to an ACE caliber pitcher, but he's right on the precipice of his best 3-5yrs of production. I'm still hoping for an extension and remain disappointed it hasn't happened yet, as I felt it was a good time to work one out before all this covid 19 crap disrupted things. Hoping it still happens.

What a ridiculous joke! My favorite part was near the end when the writer states the "outrage" in N.Y. for Jeter not winning. Duh! Just utter nonsense! While we're at it, let's revisit the 1982 ROY votes shall we? I mean, we're talking a SEASON right? Cal Ripken had 60 more plate appearances than Hrbek, and more R scored and more RBI, a plus for a plus 17. And he did this while playing for a contending club that won 94G. In 60 fewer plate appearances, for a team that only won 60G, Hrbek surpassed Ripken...rather substantially...in BA, OB%, SLG% and OPS. Ripken: .264/ .317/ .475/ .792 Hrbek: .301/ .363/ .485/ .848 So would an "outraged" TC population demanding for a revote today get one? And as mentioned by benchwarmerjim, can we get a revote for the Cy Young Santana was robbed of? Again, this is ridiculous and is borderline yellow journalism.

Great post! Kind of went over this in another thread, but still, the Twins and about half the ML teams have 6 affiliates from low rookie, high rookie, low A, high A, AA and then AAA. Short season, as I understand it, is sort of an "extra" quasi rookie low A level. There can't be more than 10-12 of them. Fine, get rid of them. But eliminating 42 makes ZERO SENSE! No rookie ball? Where do your HS, DR and later round college players go for introduction? "Sink or swim guys, you're going straight to low A ball. Wish you the best! What were you thinking of doing the rest of your life when baseball didn't turn out?" At that point, you are telling every single HS prospect who isn't s top 1-5 round pick to either go to college or hang it up. You're saying the same thing to a majority of Latin players of the same age who aren't the cream of the crop bonus babies. And even then, what ML team wants to give $100K up to a $1M+ to sink or swim for any player at A ball the first time they hit the states? Can you imagine the Twins signing Kepler, Rosario and Sano as teenagers and then sending them straight to Cedar Rapids and "wishing them luck?" I can just about guarantee you Arraez wouldn't be a Twin right now unless he was a 21yo playing in the Mexican league and signed to a contract. This is just stupid. Might as well make the ML draft 10 rounds of college players, a few choice HS players, and then scour the independent leagues and Mexican leagues for guys to bring up for A ball. No, the product on the field won't suffer at all will it? Might as well start looking at softball league players as options.

BTW, there is something wrong (or unfair) with the system when Arraez, no matter how good, leads this lineup in OPS. Just saying.

Wait, Hill and Pineda aren't on the 40 man??? I know this isn't real, but no the McMahon kid. Let's keep it as real as we can. Why do we have to make a single choice here? I vote to send down Rooker and Balazovic both and bring up Cave and Hill/Pineda. Not only does it make sense, but I'm betting the simulation will support both moves. Sidenote: If those 5 Pensacola players were producing in real life as the simulation, I'd be ecstatic. Especially in the case of Javier. Guessing Jeffers is at Rochester? Shouldn't Clay also be there?

The longer season idea certainly makes sense, but doesn't necessarily work due to the June draft. I am assuming the lower level(s) in this format woukd be constructed of players already in the system, including DR academy players and then cuts and promotions woukd take place after the draft? I think a generalised reduction to 6 affiliates per team makes sense. Not sure how many teams would then be eliminated. Guessing no more than 10-12? As a fan, I can not only live with that, it makes sense from a standardized format for all teams. I completely sympathize with towns that would lose their teams. But while not singly out any town, if you are a small location, with limited support and limited or archaic facilities, you probably just can't support a milb team properly. Forgetting the player salaries for this arguement, with a smaller total number of affiliates overall, I'd be fully in support of mandates in regard to playing conditions and facilities for any franchise to remain so. I'd also be in favor of mandates that might force the parent club to assist with upkeep and improvement. That last point may be hard to negotiate or enforce, but didn't the Twins just last year agree to help with improvements at Elizabeton? Again, putting on my make believe owner cap, wouldn't you want your system and your players to have quality environments to thrive in?

I could see some sort of academy league for HS kids and DR kids coming to the states to work together for a "rookie" level before graduating to low A ball. Stateside the Twins, and many teams, have 6 affiliates: rookie, advanced rookie, low A, high A, AA and AAA. Is that really too many? I don't think so. There are teams out there that have more affiliates and I could see that being trimmed. Maybe the problem is some of the cities where these teams are located having too low of a population base and too poor of facilities. But baseball is a very different sport than others who function just fine with a draft, a single developmental league or a practice squad. Sure there is "filler" on a lot of milb rosters. Not to sound heartless or mean but the milb system isn't built for them. (Though some break through to be sure), It's about the gradual progress and development of the guys who actually have a chance.

I think Shamar still has the early leg up on the #3 spot due to familiarity, experience and run defense. But I find Lynch exciting and a perfect addition. I'm really excited to see what Watts does in his 2nd year and have a feeling that the now 285lb Mata'afa could really contribute if used right. Read a stunning article on him from a Vikings site that the majority of his snaps in 2019 came from the NT spot in nickel and dime packages. That doesn't make and sense to me. Lynch should have a real shot at early rotation play, at least. Seems a perfect fit for the 3 spot with a little more development. Seems he's still a little more effort and bull rush rather than technique at this point.

Agreed. Taking Joseph out of the picture as he was signed as a FA, of the other 9 DL on roster last season, IIRC, they were 3 3rd rounders, a 4th rounder, a 6th, 3 7th's and a UDFA. Could be slightly off there, but pretty close. Shows an eye for talent and a good defensive staff, especially Patterson who has to be the best DL coach around. I like different things about each of the lineman we drafted and think all make the club, even Willekes. And is it just me but are you as excited as I am to see what Watts does his 2nd season especially?

I hear ya. I wasn't happy trading that 2nd choice in the 3rd round. Probably my biggest complaint. I was really hoping for a SE type or a G there. But adding more picks provided more options for a roster that suddenly found itself severely lacking in depth and needing fresh bodies to work with. As much as we need help at G, I think adding a fine young T was most important. If the extra picks wash out the loss of that 3rd rounder could haunt.