Twodogs

I had the game on the radio on my computer at school. It was on my mlbtv albeit on the radio and not TV. Nonetheless Duran was pumping it in there at 102mph

I think in a season or two the twins could look like this. (Potentially) C Jeffers 1B Miranda 2B Julien/Martin 3B Lee SS Correa LF Gordon/Larnach/Someone new CF Buxton RF Lewis DH Julien/Larnach And I'm not even saying that this would necessarily be better either, just saying this is what it could look like?

When I saw this story all I could think about was. "Did you hit me with your right hand or your left?" "What??". "I said, did you hit me with your right hand or your left!!!??". "My left, I guess?". "Good! Never hit a drunk with your pitching hand, dang, I can't keep giving you these free lessons, now help me up!" Bull Durham. Crash Davis talking to nuke after Nuke got called up to the majors.

Yeah, I don't really care when in the game it happens and it really doesn't matter how high the ball was hit. It was a poor play and that should never happen. I mean we are just fans but if the coaching staff makes these types of excuses then we are going to hear a lot of excuses this season. It's obvious with a play like that, that either their heads weren't in the game or they didn't care, either way that needs to be corrected. Hopefully the coaching staff got on them about that because plays like that will lose a lot of ballgames. I am fully expecting to not see anyone tag up from second and score on a fly ball again this season. I mean it wasn't a strong throw to the cut, it was ho hummed to the cut because I'm pretty sure he didn't think the guy was going to try and score. So yeah it was a heads up play by the Red Sox player or maybe the 3rd base coach? But again that shouldn't happen. After a couple of poor plays and a snowball fight I hope the Twins left feeling a little disappointed with their play in the field. I expect that they will be better and sometimes it may take a poor play like that to wake them up and get after it a little bit better. Again I get that it's spring training but I can't get used to hearing excuses for plays like that.

Speaking of little league, I was astonished when a Red Sox player tagged up and scored from 2nd on a fly ball to center. I mean they hopefully are embarrassed with those types of results from major league ballplayers.

Yeah I'm not exactly sure what the fascination is with Reds players? It's not like they're any good??

I'm thinking that this ranking would be affected had Steer stayed in Minnesota. I mean he would pretty much be blocked at all positions that he is capable of playing, by current prospects and major leaguers. In Cincinnati he probably has a little bit of an opening to actually play. I wonder how much that factors in? I mean even Royce Lewis is SS/CF capable, but is that realistically going to happen in Minnesota with Buxton and Correa in the way? Lewis in a year or so will probably become the left fielder unless there are injuries and such. I just wonder how much opportunity affects these lists?

I hope everything goes right for this rotation. But I'd say the ceiling is high and they could be great, but the floor of any rotation with injuries and whatnot is almost always really low. Because when things go wrong with rotations they tend to go really wrong. If they all have career years I feel the twins would be world series contenders. But I remember in 2015 the Twins had a rotation of Nolasco, Hughes, Santana, Gibson, and Pelfrey/Milone. Now that year the Twins won 83 games, but could you imagine if all 6 of those guys had career years that season. They'd have probably won 100 games. Nolasco delt with injuries, I think Santana had a suspension for PEDs, I think Hughes started to deal with injuries, and that quickly the floor got pretty low. So let's all pray that this group of starters all stay healthy and have close to career years.

I voted for Lopez. I mean if you are going to lead a rotation with a best season of the 5, then I think I'm looking for the guy who is going to actually start 32 - 33 times and average 6 - 7 innings per start. Lopez showed last season that he can do that. No one else in the rotation showed that last year. Mahle has thrown 180 innings in the past and Gray threw over 200 innings before but that was in 2015. Ryan only threw 147 innings last year. So those other guys may have better peripherals but at this point Lopez has shown he can get it done over the course of a season.

Oh I didn't know that. That's good for him for sure.

It's only a guess, but just from what I've observed. Seems like maybe Wes and the Twins didn't see eye to eye about something? I mean with leaving mid season and making a backwards move. From pros to college. I mean you don't see hardly any lateral moves mid season. I'm not saying that the Twins and Wes had an ugly divorce or anything, but it could have been a break up where Wes just felt like his relationship with the Twins wasn't going in the direction he would like. I get the family stuff, but a lot of times those types of quotes are thrown around so as to not stir up controversy etc..... Hope he does well at LSU.

That's weird I looked up the WAR totals from last season on baseball Reference and this is what I got. Correa 5.4 Arraez 4.4 Buxton 4.0 Urshela 3.1 Polanco 2.8 Duran 2.8 Gray 2.4 Ryan 2.2 Kepler 2.1 Gordon 1.9 Not sure how you got Gray in the top 5, unless baseball reference is wrong? https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/2022.shtml

I know Buxton had some issues when the so called hitting guru's kept tinkering with his swing. I believe Buxton basically said he was going to go back to the way he hit. I mean I'm paraphrasing and trying to remember some of that stuff a couple of years ago. But maybe too many people have been messing with Kepler's swing? Maybe he did something those past years that hitting coaches have tried to change and maybe he goes back to his old ways of hitting?? I'm hoping something like that comes true. But I do remember when it seemed like Buxton couldn't hit either and he snapped out of it.

Personally, I don't think stolen bases are on the Twins radar at all. Not until teams start doing it to them. The Twins seem very reactive not necessarily proactive over the last few years.

Well us Twins fans really need to hope that Kirillof matches Arraez's totals, but I think that is wishful thinking right out of the gate. Kirillof has over 300 AB's and has a .295 OBP and a .694 OPS where as with Arraez high on base and low power numbers still produced an .838 OPS in his first 300 AB's. So Kirillof has some adjustments to make but he has the talent. Lewis won't be available until July so he misses the first 60% of this season at least. That's kind of why I'm thinking the fruits of this trade produces next year. Because guys like Kirillof get more at bats and can figure things out this season.