jimbo92107

Looks like a pretty solid, if unspectacular duo of catchers. Who is the next guy up, in case of injuries?

Ober, Varland and SWR are three reasons I'm hopeful this spring. The fact that none of these three good young pitchers will break camp with the team means a lot. Do the Saints still deliver baseballs to the home ump with a pig? Much more relaxed atmosphere in St. Paul.

If the Twins promote on merit, Brooks Lee could be in the lineup by mid-season. A switch hitter that recognizes pitches right out of the hand. Hits for power as well as average, Relaxed, confident, reliable fielder wherever you put him. Appears to play within himself, nothing reckless about his approach. This kid's floor is a top-ten MLB infielder. His ceiling is a perennial All-Star and HOF. That said, Lee does present a problem...for Jose Miranda. Lee already is an excellent infielder, where Miranda is working his butt off to become adequate. Whaddaya do with Miranda (and Polanco) when Lee and Lewis both hit town? Sadly, the answers may come down to injuries, which the Twins have not lacked in recent years. Baseball is very hard on knees, ankles, elbows, wrists, and fingers. And then there's foul balls off your instep, sliding head-first into a knee, crashing into walls, and pitches fouled right into your face mask. Have I listed even half of the dangers? Anyway, Brooks Lee looks as much as I've ever seen like a sure bet. Fasten your seatbelt, kid.

I see no reason Jax can't go two or three innings now and then. Moran should be able to do that, too. Sands keeps his heater low, and Dobnak is a ground ball machine, when his finger isn't hurt. Both those guys came up as starters, so they could go multiple innings. If the Twins are going to keep experimenting with Pagan, for goodness sakes get it done early. Same with Megill, who with Pagan is in the running for giving up the longest tape measure home runs. Except Pagan walks a couple guys before giving up a hit... whew!

Cautious optimism. If Kenta Maeda's arm is truly healed, then the Twinks have a solid starter in their rotation. Now let's see the rest of them...

I didn't understand the pick then, and I still don't now. Were the Twins trying to draft a slow DH that swings hard? Seems like they could find guys like that in later rounds. Or in beer leagues. Good luck to Sabato, I don't expect to ever see him in the bigs. Surprise me, dude.

Winning is sixty percent pitching, and 80% mental. If you can convince the scorekeeper that you're winning, you have a built-in advantage.

PatPfund said it: This team has not yet demonstrated that it is just one key player from a deep playoff run. In fact, last season's late collapse looked like something from a perennial bottom-dweller, not a borderline playoff threat. For that and another reason, Twins should hang onto all their hitting prospects, especially including Lee. If he performs at an extremely high level, enough to force his way to the bigs, then he's a star on this team for a decade, versus a hired gun for one or two years. Money is the other reason, and it's the main motivator in a Burnes deal. He feels shortchanged by the Brewers, so he'll be looking for a monster payday. That means Yankees and Dodgers kind of loot, in the hundreds of millions of dollars in gold-pressed Latinum. Ferengi joke. Nope, the Twins are stuck with their odd ducks, their TJ survivors, their broken-jaw bar fighters, and the usual assortment of wannabes that can't quite throw strikes on 3 and 2 counts. Here we are hoping that Emilio Pagan will save the bullpen. AGAIN.

Another season depending on a pile of injury if's... Mikelink nailed it. We're watching General Baseball Hospital, where e-vile Doctor Tommyjohn delights in torturing handsome young ballplayers. DrTJ: Surgery was a great success. We'll have you pitching again in about a year... Player: Oh thank you Doctor! DrTJ: ...for the Independent League, muhahahahaha! Player: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Eating thru a straw is a great way to lose weight, but it won't be easy to maintain muscle mass. Blaze better get a good blender for spaghetti, steak, etc.

I want RoboUmp, pitch clock, limited position pitching, and tie games after 11 innings, except in the playoffs.

We are all crossing our fingers (and, where possible, toes) that Alex Kirilloff finally gets a full season of health. Same for Byron Buxton. One year, o ye gods of baseball and pediatrics! Hell, how's about one year where the Twins don't have the most players on IL in the league? How about one year where the team doesn't need to use over 40 different pitchers to limp thru the season? We want all that...and a shrubbery. Nothing too expensive.

His overhand delivery should help him mask his changeup. However, far more important to his impending career is a good nickname. SWR...I swear, it won't cut it. Simeon Woods Richardson can produce several solid nicks, including of course Sim, Woods, Woodie, Rich, etc. Does he already have a nickname, or must we create a new one?

Let's call Varland's velocity "94 plus." Plus, he hasn't blown out his arm, like most pitchers that try to throw 96. Plus, he gets guys out. Plus, he's an innings eater. Twins have a young, healthy pitcher that can go every fifth day, but doesn't quite hit the upper 90's. He might even pick up a couple ticks naturally, as sometimes happens with experience. I'd find a reason to put this guy in the rotation before mid season.

If AK stays completely healthy, it could go Buxton, AK, Correa, Miranda...