Eephus

I get the gist, but I can't recall hearing this "he took the post" phrase. Probably just me.

If you took a composite of league's catching prospects, is it a position that doesn't rank too well? In other words, are good catching prospects hard to come by? If yes, these 3 middlin' prospects might be the norm for most organizations.

Yes, a melding of Alex Meyer and Aaron Slegers...uff da!

I did see in SABR an article "The Evan Gattis Club" that Johnny Mize led the league in triples in 1938 (16) and 1939 (14) and had NO stolen bases either year. There's a reference to not having many stolen bases by anyone in the 1933-1940 era. Also Mize played in Sportsman's Park that had a deep center.

The Dazzle Man used to say "middle half in" a lot. Seems like he's cooled off on that one. I always wondered where exactly "middle half in" was located in a strike zone. First, "middle half" is what? Does half of the middle half overlap with the outer half? If so, why not just call it middle in? And is it a horizontal comment or does it also include a vertical half? Now my brain hurts.

Curious how common it is for the MLB leader in triples to have fewer stolen bases than triples. I don't know how to use baseball reference well enough to come up with the answer. I did find an article that got into how Johnny Mize had a lot of triples and no stolen bases in some years. I don't know if he led the league.

Today's genius can be tomorrow's scapegoat pretty swiftly (Dombrowski, Cherington, for example). That's mainly why I'm hesitant to call for someone's head. I mean what the hell do I know? Give me a $350 million payroll and I'd like to think I could come up with a team with a winning record just by casually picking free agents. But, a lot of smart people get things wrong or have bad luck. There are so many variables in the decisions being made. It's cool that fans here take these variables very seriously, but calling for people to be fired often comes across as knee-jerk commentary to me. Gibson, Perkins and Hunter were great for us 2 months ago. Now they have among the worst post All-Star performances of primary Twins players. Is that Molitor's or Ryan's or Bruno's or Allen's fault? It might be, but I kind of doubt it. Shane Robinson has the team's 2nd highest post all-star game OPS? How many armchair GMs were calling for more time for Robinson 2 months ago? I like the banter, but the calls for firing people I don't pay too much attention to.

Sounds like there's always barking chatter from the Twins dugout in that gets picked up by the Twins radio broadcast. Usually can't make out the words, but it sounds like the same voice. Pretty flippin' incessant. I think I'd get a headache if I were in the dugout. Anyone else notice this? Is it Bruno?

I think the real question is: Can Buxton stop getting hurt?

Brusdar Graterol. At that to the collection of great names in minors for the Twins.

Kidding!!!

Palacios has some pop for a guy who doesn't strike out much and is listed at 145 lbs. It'll be fun to keep an eye on him. I'm thinking of him as the next Roberto Alomar until I see otherwise.

See what happens in the next hour, but looks like Ryan is trying to do as little as dealing possible yet remain a viable wild card contender. Can't say he's wrong.

I take Ryan and Molly's comments wiith a grain of salt. If they really don't make any big deals, then they've tempered expectations. If they are deep in negotiations (which they likely are), acting hellbent to make a deal plays into the hands of their trade partner. The Reds and Padres are saying, "We don't need to trade these guys. We actually would sort of like to keep them. But, if we get an offer we can't refuse..."

x

Michael Tonkin might provide some "extra sprinkles" on prospect sundae.

And what's up with new phenom Tyler Jay? Uff dah!

I like the Plouffe in the OF occasionally idea. If they really want to win, start using Mauer behind plate once in a while, too.

Ryan is always saying he wants to see people dominate their level. I actually thought Berrios might be a little more dominant this year. He's been good, but not quite "dominant". True dominance is pretty rare. AAA seems like a good place for him.

Walker...doh!

Agree. I watched it a few times with the volume turned up. You can hear it hit the wall before it hits the ground. There must be a mike out there or something. I think he could have caught it. It was an odd looking play, that's for sure.

The Twins win with a young pitcher on the mound giving them the 4th best winning percentage in AL. All these young guys in the minors living up to or exceeding expectations. It's getting to the point where the curmudgeons concede "It's not turning out as bad as I thought it would."

I'm becoming fascinated with Alex Swim and his singles hitting prowess -- 44 singles, 2 doubles. He doesn't strike out much. He doesn't walk much. He hits for almost no power. Interesting hitter. What's his approach?

Seems like guys rated this highly by almost everyone rarely flop. If Byron stays healthy, he will be a star. The rest might work out. Hope so.

Can I just say I"m becoming fascinated with Santana's 65 ABs without a walk. We aren't talking record or anything...Alex Sanchez with 133 ABs without a walk one year. But, 65 ABs with a walk for a lead-off hitter is pretty impressive work.