Ted Schwerzler

Mauer only makes sense as a rotational guy at this point. Austin should stick, and Rooker should be up soon into 2019. For as "fun" as he is, I don't think there's any way Astudillo should be near a major league roster in 2019.

FWIW, Manny Machado is the worst defensive SS in baseball this year, and Eduardo Escobar is also a hack there. Polanco has been serviceable and I’d prefer neither take the role from Jorge. Obviously if that’s a dealbreaker for a guy like Manny, you change your tune.

Heading into the offseason, the Minnesota Twins will once again have the luxury of spending some money. With very little committed to the 2019 payroll, I’d imagine the front office will target something close to the 2018 Opening Day number when the dust settles. Having the luxury of a team composed of players still in arbitration years helps to provide financial flexibility. It’s worth wondering where it will be allocated this time around. Last offseason, it was hard to suggest that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine did anything short of knocking the ball out of the park. They were in on the most premiere free agent talent, and began the season with a strong influx of ability. As we saw this season, many of those acquisitions didn’t work out, and that’s why the year went as it did. While each player had their own shortcomings, one thing worth coming back to is the talk of one-year deals. It has been brought up multiple times down the stretch that the Twins clubhouse was somewhat toxic this year. Having signed multiple guys on one-year deals, it’s worth wondering if there wasn’t more of a focus on a “me” game intended to land the next real paycheck. This winter, I’d imagine Minnesota would be more focused on landing guys believed to help the organization in the long term, and given a financial commitment to do so. Although there’s plenty still up in the air as to how the 2019 Opening Day roster will look, here’s a free agent addition for each position group that could make a whole lot of sense: Starting Pitcher- Patrick Corbin To the casual observer, Dallas Keuchel is likely the big name when it comes to the 2019 free agent pitching crop. He’s not the Cy Young winner he was a few years ago, and he’s settled into more of a number two type role. What Keuchel does present is a good deal of consistency and reliability. I’d imagine he’ll be paid handsomely, and think there’s probably a better option out there. Corbin is a year younger than the Astros starter, and he has had an incredible 2018. His 3.01 ERA and 11.2 K/9 are more than worthy of salivating over. What’s holding the Diamondbacks starter back is the lack of a true track record. He was pretty mediocre in 2017, and downright poor the season before that. Over the course of his career though, strikeouts have been a thing he can generate, and limiting walks has been a pretty safe bet. Teams will need to push down his ask a bit by noting that lack of consistency, but he’s the guy I’d pay for. The Twins have run out more than a handful of starters once again this season, and only Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson should be 2019 rotation locks. Fernando Romero should be a mainstay and take another step forward, while the emergence of an arm from the group of Zack Littell, Stephen Gonsalves, Chase De Jong, and others would be a nice realization. Bringing in another top half hurler on a long-term deal makes sense for the Twins, and this could be their guy. Other possibilities: Keuchel, Nathan Eovaldi, Hyun-Jin Ryu Relief Pitcher: Kelvin Herrera In 2019, Minnesota shed a ton of talent out of the bullpen. Guys like Fernando Rodney and Zach Duke were brought in on one-year deals making them expendable. Ryan Pressly, one of the best relief arms in baseball, was capitalized on in the form of a nice prospect return. Regardless of where they’re at now, the reality is that the Twins will need to re-tool. Addison Reed will be in the final year of his deal, and the hope would be that he could rebound from a disastrous 2018. Taylor Rogers and Trevor Hildenberger look the part of developed talent, and should be able to bolster the back end of ball games. From there though, it’s a significant amount of question marks. Alan Busenitz, Tyler Duffey, and John Curtiss are getting to the point where feeling them out needs to produce results. Jake Reed and Nick Anderson should’ve already had a look, and Gabriel Moya must show more stuff than deception. While signing relievers to long-term deals is never an ideal scenario, one or two coming in on two-year pacts makes some sense. In Herrera, the Twins would be getting a guy that throws hard, and knows the division. Kelvin has previous closer experience, and would be an immediate boost to the back end of the pen. There are a few other names that could be a fit, but this is the combination of stuff and results that jumps off the page for me. Other possibilities: Jeurys Familia, Zach Britton, Adam Ottavino Starting Lineup: Eduardo Escobar Trying to decipher how the Twins will line up to start 2019 is quite the question mark. There are plenty of bodies to put into positions, but the reality is that expectations are left unfulfilled all over the place. Miguel Sano needs a committed offseason, and Byron Buxton needs a bill of health. Does Joe Mauer return in a limited role, and what are the thoughts behind the plate? From where we sit today, I think we can safely consider Eddie Rosario, Jorge Polanco, and Miguel Sano to be starters. Byron Buxton and Max Kepler should be the second wave of near certainties, and that leaves just a handful of openings. What Minnesota does at first base remains to be seen, and the options aren’t ideal. Second base is open, and Nick Gordon doesn’t appear ready. Jason Castro should be back behind the plate with Mitch Garver spelling him, but it’s worth considering an upgrade. As crazy as it sounds, the best fit from a constructive standpoint is superstar Manny Machado. He moves Sano to first, gets a mega deal from a team with money to spend, and becomes a cornerstone for a budding organization. It’s hard to live in that reality, so the next step down (and an obvious significant one) is the return of Eduardo Escobar. He can play second or third regularly, and his midline is one that still remains above league average. The Twins front office probably has some relationship equity to regain here, but that’s not something that will be new to them this winter. Other possibilities: Manny Machado, Yasmani Grandal, D.J. LeMahieu, Wilson Ramos For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Coming off a surprising 2015 season, the Minnesota Twins found themselves picking in the middle of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. Having made picks in the top six for the past three years, this draftee was supposed to represent less of a sure thing. Nabbing high school outfield Alex Kirilloff with the 15th overall selection that year, scouting consensus was that Minnesota got a bat first prospect with plenty of need to develop.Fast forward to where we are today, and Kirilloff is now a 20-year-old who’s missed a whole season of professional baseball thanks to a Tommy John surgery. While that reality seems damaging on paper, we know that the current situation couldn’t possibly be yielding better results. Despite not being a top five pick, despite missing his entire age 19 season, Kirilloff has taken the Twins farm system by storm and that only adds to the level of intrigue. In advancing to the Florida State League Championship Series with a victory last night, the Fort Myers Miracle were again led by their slugging outfielder. Going 5-for-5 on the evening, Alex is now 7-for-9 in postseason play this season. The .778 average and 1.889 OPS are obviously reflective of just a two-game sample size, but his production down in Florida this year lets us know it isn’t a mirage. On the season, Kirilloff spent exactly 65 games at each of Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers. After posting a .333/.391/.607 line in Iowa, he graduated a level and performed even better. Slashing .362/.393/.550 for the Miracle, Kirilloff trumped all Florida State League hitters dating back to at least 2005. Brent Keys, a non-prospect taken in the 15th round, was the last hitter to record an average north of .345 over any relative level of games played. Big leaguers like Josh Bell, Christian Yelich, and Stephen Vogt all laid waste to the FSL competition, but none in the same vein as Kirilloff. Now having completed just over a full big-league season’s worth of action in his pro career (185 games), he owns a .335/.377/.541 line. There are 27 homers to his credit (20 of which have come this season), and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is acceptable at what amounts to 0.5. In short, the bat-first prospect with plenty of need to develop has looked the part of an absolute menace. The contributions at the plate have been eye-popping, and it’s time to start speculating as to what’s next. There’s plenty of reason to believe that Kirilloff could’ve handled Double-A pitching this year. Having already jumped a level, and with their respective seasons winding down however, it made sense for him to chase a ring with the Miracle. To kick off 2019, the expectation should be that he gets a ticket to Chattanooga and has a door knocker ready to hammer on the Twins. Realistically, something around a 100-game sample size could be telling enough for his prospects at the next level, and it’s in the leap to Double-A that the last looming questions remain. While affiliate leagues all differ in their predictability, it’s genuinely accepted that Double-A is the final threshold when projecting a big-league future. Seeing pitchers with an ability to spin, rely on more than just their fastball, and having moved on from fringe organizational players, a strong showing there can provide the final assessment prior to blueprinting a big-league future. At some point, the Twins will need to decide what Kirilloff is for them at the next level. Having made a home in right field on the farm, it appears his bat profile is plenty capable of being a corner outfielder. Minnesota should have one of those spots locked down by Eddie Rosario, but Max Kepler’s long-term viability remains a work in progress. Alex could be transitioned to be the heir at first base, but similarly talented prospect Brent Rooker may be a better fit there. Putting the horse a bit ahead of the cart here, there’s no doubt the stick will be accommodated. You’d be far from crazy to suggest an MLB debut for Kirilloff in the season ahead. He could be a regular for Minnesota in 2020. Regardless of when he debuts though, it’s 2018 that should be a season to be remembered. This type of showing at the dish is one we are rarely privileged to see, and despite being overshadowed by the bat of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Kirilloff is currently in the same company when it comes to eye-popping results. At some point down the road, once his big-league career is established and well under way, it’d be great to see major league production at similar heights. Obviously batting .360+ at the highest level would seem like a long shot, but a .900+ OPS power threat, with strong on-base skills, and an ability to avoid strikeouts would be something that any franchise would clamor for. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins ended up just having two minor league affiliates in action tonight, but both found themselves on the right side of elimination games. The Miracle advanced to the Florida State League Championship Series thanks to a big performance by Alex Kirilloff, and Tyler Palm played a key role in an Elizabethton title.TRANSACTIONS Cedar Rapids Kernels Received LHP Bryan Sammons from Chattanooga Received INF Victor Tademo from Rochester Assigned LHP Carlos Suniaga to Elizabethton Assigned RHP Jared Finkel to GCL Twins MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 1 Box Score If this one looked like déjà vu in the box score, it’s because there was a good deal of that on the field. Fort Myers again used a two-run, and one-run inning to push themselves out to a 3-1 lead. This was game two of the series, but the result remained the same. With the victory, Fort Myers wins the 2018 Florida State League South Division Series and advances to the Championship Series. Both teams combined to hold serve through two innings in this one. Jose Miranda broke the action open with a two-run blast, scoring Alex Kirilloff, in the top of the third. Fort Myers did end up giving one of those back in the bottom half however. Fast forward to the sixth, and Mark Contreras drove in Travis Blankenhorn on a sacrifice fly to allow the Miracle some breathing room. Clark Beeker worked one out shy of five innings in this one, and despite allowing five hits, he gave up just one run with two walks and four strikeouts. Alex Phillips did some heavy lifting in relief, while Hector Lujan and Adam Bray locked up the victory. Although not overpowering with the bats, Fort Myers has pitched their way to dominance through two postseason games thus far. Kirilloff enjoyed a 5-for-5 night from the two hole this evening, and Shane Carrier joined him in perfection, going 3-for-3 on his own. The Miracle now awaits the winner of the Clearwater and Dayton series. KERNELS NUGGETS Game one of the series between Beloit and Cedar Rapids was rained out tonight. It will be played tomorrow night. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton 2, Princeton 1 Box Score This one was a barnburner, and while pitching was where the game was won, it was the E-Twins that had enough to get the job done. Prelander Berroa turned in five strong innings allowing just one run on four hits and a walk, while striking out four. Tyler Palm who tallied the final four innings, picked up the win. Coming out on top 2-1, the Elizabethton Twins take home a second straight Appalachian League title, number eight for manager Ray Smith. After getting behind by a run in the third inning, DaShawn Keirsey doubled home Gilberto Celestino to knot things at one in the fourth. With the innings and at-bats dwindling, Celestino doubled to drive in Yunior Severino for the go-ahead run in the eighth. Elizabethton saw a handful of new and exciting prospects come and go this season, and the end result being a ring on their finger has to bookend a feeling of accomplishment. Many of these players are recent draftees or new to the organization, and coming together for the ultimate goal at this level is nothing short of impressive. Congratulations to the entire E-Twins club on a great 2018 season! STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Palm (Elizabethton) – 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 5-5, R TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (Fort Myers) – 0-5 #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 5-5, R #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 0-3, R, K #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) – 0-3, R, 2 K THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00PM CST) – RHP Jhoan Duran (7-5, 3.75 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins front office is sure making a habit of blundering important decisions here in September. With respect to Byron Buxton, and the late season promotions, there's plenty of head-scratching and hand-wringing to be observed. At this current juncture, it's maybe worth speculating if everyone isn't on the same page? Over the course of the 2018 major league season, I have found myself as a supporter of the new front office. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine had an exceptional offseason, and they positioned this Twins club for success in the current season. As everything has gone up in flames however, their responses have seemed less than satisfactory. Now as real adversity creeps in, we may be seeing some cracks in the armor as well. Obviously the biggest misstep thus far has been the handling of Byron Buxton. This isn't the space to rehash that situation, but I believe I did a good job of explaining the situation here. Looking back at it however, something has stuck out to me, and that's the quote from Thad Levine to Mike Berardino. Minnesota's GM said, “Their recourse has not been laid out to us. They’re certainly entitled to whatever they think is in the best interest of Byron Buxton. From this day forward, I think we recognize a responsibility to make amends and that we’re going to need to invest in the relationship with Byron Buxton. We understand this is a blow to the player, a potential blow to the relationship." In analyzing that quote, it's hard not to wonder why the Twins GM is being so open and candid about the situation as a whole. He talked about service time implications to the media as well, and the suggestion that this team decision could be potentially damaging to a long term relationship speaks volumes. As the only member of the front office to speak on the decision thus far, it's hard not to speculate as to whether Thad is simply acting as the orator here, and there's some dissension in the room. Derek Falvey is 35 years-old and holds the title of Chief Baseball Officer for the Minnesota Twins. His top rank previously was the title of Assistant General Manager for the Cleveland Indians. While he's obviously skilled and qualified for the role in which he's been enlisted, there's also an equally capable and qualified network of support around him. When making such delicate decisions, it's more than fair to wonder whether or not his peers all jump onto the same page. When it comes to head-scratching options, Minnesota embarked on another when they revealed their full list of September call-ups. On top of the egregious missing name in Buxton, neither Nick Anderson or Jake Reed saw their names included among the group either. The Twins are currently 63-74, 14.0 games out of the AL Central, and have nothing left to play for in 2018. With those parameters, September immediately becomes a breeding ground for acclimation and assimilation with talent that could prove useful on the 2019 Opening Day roster. Except the Twins chose to forego that route. It's great that John Curtiss, Chase De Jong and Tyler Duffey found themselves recalled, but so too did Chris Gimenez, Gregorio Petit, and Johnny Field. The latter three players represent veteran retreads that have no real value on a big league bench. Given the current state of the team in Minnesota, Mitch Garver or Jake Cave losing at bats to that duo seems counter productive. On top of that, the Twins left a stocked cupboard and closed the door. There's two spots still open on the 40 man roster, and of the 40 spots available on the active roster in September, only used 34 of them. Anderson, a Minnesota native, turned in a 3.30 ERA, 13.2 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 across 60.0 IP for Triple-A Rochester this season. Jake Reed posted a 1.89 ERA and 9.4 K/9 in 47.2 IP, and owned an even better 1.16 ERA in his last 31.0 IP. After signing multiple relief arms to short term deals this winter, squeezing out all the available talent within the organization seems like a smart blueprint. Given that neither now have an opportunity at the major league level in September, their afforded sample size will be a minimal one during big league camp (assuming they are invited, and still around). Without being behind closed doors, it's impossible to know what Derek Falvey's impact on each decision is. It's also unfair to assume how he is viewed by his peers. What is absolutely certain though, is that there's a danger to always believing you're the smartest person in any given room. If the operating tactics are less collaborative than the amount the term has been used by the head honcho, it's hard to see how lackluster buy in is a positive. Maybe Levine's comments surrounding Buxton are nothing more than they appear on the surface. Maybe no one in the front office saw the idea to waste the opportunity September roster expansion provides as a bad thing. Maybe everyone truly is on the same page. If that's the case though, we might be in even more trouble than it seems. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

So the logical response would be to get him as many MLB ABs as possible...

After recently writing a piece at Twins Daily about the Twins doing the unthinkable and playing the service time game with Byron Buxton, Thad Levine came out and said that's exactly what's going to take place. Minnesota's horrible "This is how we baseball" has been mocked all season long, thanks to lackluster performance and confusing decisions, but I really didn't expect something to take the cake in September. I have been quite vocal about my support of the Twins new front office. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine had a stellar offseasons. They've acquired some very shrewd talent in trades, and they've helped to infuse an organization with new trains of thought. Where I've disagreed, also vocally, has been on the handling of in season roster decisions. Everything from Ryan LaMarre playing in 40 meaningful games, to Matt Belisle being valued for leadership and throwing out ability, to Paul Molitor still looking like a fish out of water when it comes to any form of strategy. All of those situations are trumped by this Buxton decision however. Thad Levine attempted to prepare us for this self-sabotage by suggesting that Byron was still "playing through" thinks, and Molitor was non-committal when it came to his September plan. When Darren Wolfson dropped the bomb officially though, no amount of preparation helped to ease the lunacy. Although Levine tried to gray out his obvious admission of guilt when it came to service time manipulation, his quote to Mike Berardino was all that needed to be said, "I think part of our jobs is we’re supposed to be responsible to factoring service time into every decision we make. ... We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we weren’t at least aware of service-time impacts on decisions we make." So, now that there's finality to this ridiculous move front the front office, here's shooting down every sensible retort coming out of Twins Territory: Manipulating service time makes sense, the Cubs did it with Kris Bryant and the Blue Jays are currently doing so with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In and of itself, nothing about the above situation is wrong. Garnering extra service time from your elite prospects is something every franchise should look to stretch out. However, comparing Buxton to those situations is one that suggests a lack of understanding surrounding contracts and how baseball development takes places. Uber-prospects having service time manipulated takes place BEFORE they debut at the big league level. Whether trying to stretch out another year of arbitration or avoid Super 2 status, it's in or before major league debuts that this stuff takes place. Byron Buxton was an uber-prospect, but he's currently 300-plus games into his big league career. You aren't manipulating in hopes of what could be coming at this point. Buxton is actually hurt, and Minnesota wants him to start 2019 healthy. That's a really convenient avenue for a franchise to take after Buxton missed a large portion of the 2018 season because the Twins didn't care. After breaking his foot, the Twins needed their Platinum Glove winner back so badly that they allowed him to play in 17 games despite an inability to swing without pain. On top of that, Buxton still being hurt hasn't shown up in the box score at Rochester. He owned a .996 OPS since his activation following the wrist injury, and was being asked to play on nearly a nightly basis. Unless there's some injury that occurs when crossing state lines, merit is nowhere to be found on this one. Has Buxton actually earned anything? He owns the 3rd lowest OPS among MLB hitters with 90 PAs in 2018, and had just a .787 OPS in 35 games for Rochester. Defining whether or not a player has earned or is owed something is likely a reflection of personal preference. From this vantage point though, healthy players play, and the best ones get the most run. Buxton is an elite outfielder, and is no doubt one of the most important pieces to the Minnesota lineup. He was awful to start the year, and then was hurt for a significant portion of the rest. With a month left to go, allowing a guy to catch up with as many imperative at bats as possible seems like common sense. Sometimes though, those things aren't so common. Getting another year of team control for Byron in 2022 is more important than a month's worth of ABs during a lost season. Here's another one that has real merit when viewing the sentiment in a vacuum. Yes, when Buxton is a superstar in all facets of the game in 2022, it'd be great for Minnesota to have contractual flexibility with their player. Unfortunately, the thought that a guy with 300-plus games under his belt needs a reset, has to get going at Triple-A, and isn't worthy of MLB at bats in September doesn't jive with said player being a superstar. In short, if you're worried about how good Buxton is in 2022, then you should absolutely be all in on him being provided every avenue for development in the here and now. Contradiction doesn't get to be separated for the purpose of sensibility. On top of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine making such an error in judgement, they've continued to double-down with the poor public disseminations. Levine suggested that Byron is still very much a part of the Twins future, and the front office hopes to "make amends" with him soon. It's very true that money talks and a hefty arbitration raise could do wonders for smoothing things over. It's also entirely plausible that Buxton laughs at the thought that the organization is again suddenly looking out for his best interested after entirely screwing him over. Then there's the manager, Paul Molitor. When addressing the media prior to their game on September 2nd, Molitor suggested it isn't a given that Buxton is the 2019 centerfielder for the Twins. He went on to note lots of competition and a bit more political jargon. Maybe Molitor forgot that this is the reigning Platinum Glove winner, and the best defensive centerfielder in baseball. Jake Cave has been a great addition to Minnesota's stable, but he's not supplanting Byron's future. This also reverts back to the contradictory suggestion that 2022 is an important year of team control, despite a lack of belief in 2019 and beyond. With Rochester having two games left on their schedule, the resident major leaguer packed up his bags and began his offseason. Byron has become the face of public ridicule for a decision derived from a poor front office decision. He's not bailing on anyone, it isn't a "me first" mentality, and questioning his team attitude is shortsighted. His bosses left him out to dry, and then went on allowing him to twist in the wind as the fruits of their failure come to light. I'd imagine that Buxton's agents have made calls to the front office already. MLB Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark should be helping Byron to draft a grievance as we speak. This isn't a decision that can come down without recourse, and siding with billionaire owners never should sit right with millionaire players. At the end of the day, the hope should still be that Byron Buxton turns into the superstar his prospect status alluded to. While that chapter is yet to be written, there's going to need to be a significant amount of relationship capital built back up for the player to trust an organization that no longer looked out for his best interests. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

And it's not even really criticizing for the sake of chastising a decision. If you're non-committal on what should be a certainty, there's a discussion to be had. I don't spend time in the clubhouse, and I'm not interviewing players. My writing is either a reflection of opinion or stat based conclusions. Also, FWIW, I've never seen a piece-by-piece breakdown of page views and couldn't care less. The discussion generated and conversation sparked for me to partake in is payment enough.

This is essentially my contention. What are the Twins looking to accomplish here? He's missed a ton of time, and wasn't good at the beginning of the year. Each time Buxton struggles at the plate, are we sending him back so he can "get going?" The guy needs to hit at the MLB level, he's shown he can do it, and he reworked his swing a year ago while staying up. Stop playing him in games that feature inferior competition. The reps are great, but he needs the ones that matter. Leaving him out during September would be laughable and isn't going to happen, but there shouldn't need to be a discussion about it had he been with the team for the past month.

We dissected this on Twitter the other day, but there's never been any change on my stance regarding Buxton. My take is and always has been that it's silly for a guy with 300 games under his belt to be using Triple-A to "get going." He's missed so much time this year, and the results don't really matter at this point. Seeing MLB pitching, and as much as possible when healthy is the goal. It's not a service time issue yet, and it's probably not going to become one. It's been silly that he's played at Triple-A beyond the necessary rehab stint, and the Twins even being in a position to dance around the service time issue is one that should not exist.

The big league club had a getaway game today so the focus this evening was on the minor league action. A duo of top prospects left the yard, while plenty of relief pitchers turned in very strong outings for their respective clubs. As the regular season comes to a close, these farm teams are looking to finish strong.TRANSACTIONS Chattanooga Lookouts INF Jordan Gore placed on DL with a left wrist sprain RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6. Buffalo 1 Box Score Wrapping up their second-to-last series of the 2018 season, the Rochester Red Wings threw a bullpen game in this one. Ryan Eades got the start and lasted into the fourth inning. Luke Bard went just an out shy of three complete innings and tallied his second win of the season. Andrew Vasquez escaped some trouble to blank Buffalo over one and two-thirds innings, and Tyler Duffey recorded his third save of the year. The Bison scored their first and only run in the first inning of this one. From there, the Red Wings answered with two runs of their own. Byron Buxton scored on a Gregorio Petit single, and Petit was driven in by LaMonte Wade. Rochester tallied another run in the third as Nick Gordon raced home on a passed ball. Up 3-1 entering their half of the fourth, it was time for the Red Wings to pull away. Jon Kemmer doubled in Zander Wiel, and then another wild pitch allowed Alex Perez to cross the plate. Gordon earned the game’s final RBI on a single that scored Buxton. As the season comes to a close for the Red Wings, it will be interesting who can use some nice performances down the stretch to cement their position with the Twins in the final month. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Jackson 2, Chattanooga 1 Box Score Recently signed Austin Adams was on the bump to start this one. Working as the opener for Jorge Alcala, he went two scoreless innings offering up three hits and two walks but avoiding any damage. The Generals struck first, tallying a run in the third inning. After a single dropped in, a misplay in the infield allowed the Jackson runner to score. Alcala was given a fresh slate in the sixth however, as Mitchell Kranson launched his third home run of the year for Chattanooga to draw things even. Unfortunately the tie was short-lived, and Jackson answered with a run of their own in the seventh. On the night, Jackson doubled up Chattanooga in the run column and nearly did so in hits as well. These two teams will play game two of the series tomorrow night. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 0 Box Score Charlie Barnes was given the start in this one, and he lasted one out shy of five innings. Allowing just one hit, he struck out five and issued only one free pass. The strong effort lowered his ERA to 2.81 on the year. The sixth inning is where all the damage came in this one. Alex Kirilloff homered, his sixth of the season for the Miracle, and the two-run shot put the good guys on the board. Ryan Costello followed with a solo blast of his own, and that 3-0 score is how this one ended. Jovani Moran got the win working three and one-third innings of hitless relief. The Miracle outhit the competition seven to one in this one. Thanks to dropping both games of their doubleheader tonight, Charlotte now is a game and a half back of Fort Myers in the FSL South standings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 11, Burlington 3 Box Score If tonight’s results are any indication, it appears the Kernels are ready to storm into the postseason. Jhoan Duran made an abbreviated start with his playoff efforts looming. Still, he turned in four solid innings allowing three unearned runs on three hits while walking and striking out three. Cedar Rapids offense made sure that there was no doubt in this one. Scoring 11 runs on 11 hits, an eight-run sixth inning gave the home team all the cushion it needed. Trailing after the top half of the second, Trevor Larnach ripped his third homer of the year to put the home team on the board. A wild pitch then allowed Trey Cabbage to score knotting the game at two. In the third Burlington again jumped out ahead, and that 3-2 lead stood until the sixth. Michael Davis tripled in both Larnach and Jacob Pearson to put Cedar Rapids up for good. Victor Tademo added on with an RBI single, and Michael Helman got involved with a two-RBI single of his own. Capping off the inning, Cabbage notched his 22nd double of the season to clear loaded bases and put this one out of reach at 10-3. Yet another passed ball allowed the final run in the eighth, this time scoring Helman. Derek Molina earned the win in relief, twirling three shutout innings and fanning five batters. Tomorrow night Cedar Rapids will put a bow on their 2018 regular season schedule at home. E-TWINS E-TALK Scheduled Off Day STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Derek Molina (Cedar Rapids) – 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB 5 K Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) – 1-2, 3 R, RBI, 3 BB, HR(3) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Royce Lewis (Fort Myers) – 1-4 #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR(6) #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) – 2-5, R, RBI #6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) – 1-2, 3 R, RBI, 3 BB, HR(3) #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) – 1-4, K #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 2-3, BB #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 1-3 #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Fort Myers) – 0-3 #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) – 0-3, 2 BB, 3 K #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, R, BB, K #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) – 0-4 FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – LHP Lewis Thorpe (0-2, 4.91 ERA) Chattanooga @ Jackson (6:05PM CST) – RHP Tyler Wells (1-2, 1.67 ERA) Clearwater @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Griffin Jax (3-3, 3.28 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Melvi Acosta (2-4, 2.88 ERA) Elizabethton @ Kingsport (5:30PM CST) – RHP Josh Winder (0-0, -.—ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games! 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Byron Buxton was activated off the Triple A disabled list in mid-August and returned to game action for the Rochester Red Wings on August 14. He’s played in 10 games since that point, but the Twins don’t seem willing to commit to the idea that he’ll be a big leaguer come September. Make no mistake about it, this is a service time issue, and a silly one at that. UPDATE: Darren Wolfson of KSTP shared on Twitter that he has been told Buxton will be heading home at the conclusion of the minor league season.Friday evening update: Wolfson shared that Buxton would not be joining the Twins tomorrow, as the rosters expand to 40. He later confirmed that the plan, at least at the moment, is that Byron will shut it down as soon as Rochester's season ends Monday. Download attachment: WolfsonTweet.png In 2018 Buxton has played in just 28 games with the Twins, and his .383 OPS is third worst among all players with at least 90 plate appearances. Due to migraines, a broken toe, and a wrist injury, he’s missed a considerable chunk of the season. Calling 2018 a lost year would be defining it well, but there’s still opportunity to get something of value from the remaining slate. At the crux of Buxton’s issues is the fact that he simply needs exposure. Playing time and competition against the best in the sport are the avenue to getting him back on track. A season ago, he was the Platinum Glove winner, a Gold Glove winner, and he garnered MVP votes in the American League. The bat still wasn’t where Minnesota had hoped, but the reality is that his defense is so good that there’s significant margin for error. From this writer’s vantage point, the Twins have made some peculiar decisions with Buxton in 2018. Not sending him out on a rehab assignment following his time missed with migraines was fine in my estimation. After completing his rehab assignment revolving around his broken toe, demoting him to Triple A was nothing short of confusing. Regardless of standing, Minnesota went from suggesting that Buxton’s defense was so imperative to the team’s success that they needed him here, to believing he couldn’t hit MLB pitching and Triple A was the place for a jump-start. Since rejoining Rochester from his latest stint on the disabled list, Buxton is slashing .386/.413/.659 with nine extra-base hits. He has a less than ideal 10/1 K/BB rate, but it’s again clear that he’s well above the level he's currently tasked with. Although he didn’t voice it publicly, I’d imagine Buxton would echo his wife’s sentiments when it comes to the oddity that the training wheels of Triple A seem necessary at this point in his career. Download attachment: Capture.PNG As far as I’m concerned, confidence issues are real, but they only carry so much weight. Thus far Minnesota has opted to look at Triple A as a breeding ground for Byron to feast and “find confidence” at the major league level. That’s all fine and well in theory, but if the results don’t translate to the highest level, nothing accomplished on the farm really matters. Instead of facing far inferior competition, having Byron working with James Rowson on a daily basis and getting acclimated to a consistent dose of the best competition seems like a much more fundamentally sound plan. Legally the Twins can’t publicly say that Byron Buxton won’t be up in September because of service time considerations. Per Jeremy Nygaard’s calculations, Minnesota can save a year of service time if Buxton is held back beyond September 18. The Rochester Red Wings end their season on September 3, and from that point on there’d be nowhere else for him to go play. Byron not being in Houston with the Twins on September 4 would signify nothing short of service time manipulation. The idea of service time value doesn’t typically come into play with an established big leaguer. A prospect like Eloy Jimenez or Vlad Guerrero Jr. being held back through September to gain a year in a lost season makes some sense. The Twins manipulating service time for a guy they think needs Triple A to jump-start his big-league bat every time it slumps, or he misses time is an entirely different scenario. Arguably nothing could be more important for the star center fielder than exposure. Getting at-bats, getting into games, and making up lost time in the big leagues is a must. Giving up those opportunities under the guise of future considerations seems laughable at the current juncture. I had hoped Buxton would be in a Twins uniform by now. He could’ve gotten in a couple of games with Rochester and then begun to re-establish himself through the remainder of the MLB schedule. It’s fine that the move hasn’t been made yet, but that won’t be the case if it doesn’t happen when September 4th rolls around. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins affiliates are quickly coming to the ends of their regular season schedules. Some will be making postseason appearances, while others will head into the offseason. Tonight, there were a few strong starting pitching performances, and the hottest bat came from a catcher down in Florida.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Buffalo 1 Box Score The Red Wings are wrapping up their 2018 season with two series at home. They swept Buffalo in two games of a double-header yesterday, and the winning continued tonight. Thanks to a strong start from Chase De Jong, one run was all the Bisons could muster. Zander Wiel broke open the scoring in this contest when he launched his first Triple A home run in the first inning. Then again in the third, Wiel decided one wasn't enough so he'd clobber another. Wiel's second homer was of the two-run variety, and the Red Wings now had a 3-0 lead. In the fourth inning, Buffalo pushed across their only tally of the game, and Kennys Vargas would wipe it out with a single in the sixth. Gregorio Petit came around to score on the play, and the three-run cushion was back. Jake Reed spun two impressive innings of relief, while Tyler Duffey recorded his second save. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Scheduled off day MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 8, Bradenton 3 Box Score Just a half game back of Charlotte for the FSL South lead in the second half standings coming into this one, there was plenty on the line. Thankfully for the Miracle and Clark Beeker, Ben Rortvedt put the good guys out in front by plenty early on. Rortvedt put the first run of the game on the board with a first inning single that scored Travis Blankenhorn. His big blast came in the fourth inning, when he launched a grand slam for his fourth long ball of the year at High A. The Miracle continued to pile on with a Jose Miranda run-scoring double, Blankenhorn driving him in on a double of his own, and yet another RBI single for Rortvedt. All of that damage took place in the bottom half of the fifth inning, and when the dust had settled, Fort Myers was in the lead by a commanding 8-0 tally. Bradenton did score three runs of their own in the seventh, but that’s where the comeback attempt stalled. The Stone Crabs ended up being rained out tonight, so they’ll have a doubleheader tomorrow. As of this writing, Fort Myers and Charlotte are tied in the GB column with the Stone Crabs holding a .002 winning percentage differential. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Burlington 2 Box Score Fresh off of locking up a second half Midwest League Western Division title, the Kernels welcomed Burlington into town for their final home series. Blayne Enlow was on the bump and he turned in a nice performance, earning the win over five innings. Burlington scored first getting up 2-0 in the top half of the fourth inning. That lead lasted until the sixth, when the Kernels came storming back. Michael Davis plated the first Cedar Rapids run on an RBI single. Ariel Montesino then ripped a ground- rule double to score Gabriel Maciel. Tallying the third and fourth runs of the inning, Michael Helman used an RBI single of his own to drive in both Davis and Montesino. Looking for some extra breathing room and insurance, the Kernels struck again in the eighth. Helman clubbed his fifth double of the season to score Akil Badoo and then Ryan Jeffers drove in Helman with a single of his own. That 6-2 lead gave Johan Quezada plenty of space to finish it off, and he did so reaching 99 mph on the radar gun. E-TWINS E-TALK Pulaski 5, Elizabethton 2 Box Score The postseason-bound E-Twins wrapped up their regular season slate tonight. While they wouldn’t do so in the win column, that bats were plenty present and this team should be riding high into the playoffs. Tyler Palm got the nod in this one and turned in five scoreless innings, ceding just one run. He fanned four and walked none. On the offensive side of things, Elizabehton out-hit Pulaski by a 9-8 tally, but they were only able to plate two runs. Down 5-0 in the ninth, it was rally time for the home team. Andrew Cosgrove singled in Jean Carlos Arias, and Yeltsin Encarnacion drove in Cosgrove with a single of his own. Unfortunately that was the end of the rally, and the three run deficit was never erased. On Friday night, the E-Twins will begin a three game set with Kingspot to kick off the Appy League playoffs. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day – Chase De Jong (Rochester) – 6.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Twins Daily Hitter(s) of the Day – Ben Rortvedt (Fort Myers) – 3-4, R, 6 RBI, GS HR(4) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers) – 2-5, R, 2B #6 - Trevor Larnach (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, BB, 3 K #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, R, BB, K #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) – 0-3 #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Fort Myers) – 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Fort Myers) – 3-4, R, 6 RBI, GS HR(4) #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) – 1-4, BB #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) – 3-5, RBI THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (6:05PM CST) – TBD Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (6:05PM CST) – RHP Jorge Alcala (2-6, 4.34 ERA) Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) – LHP Charlie Barnes (6-6, 2.93 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) – RHP Jhoan Duran (7-5, 3.91 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Wednesday’s games! 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In 2018, the Minnesota Twins star centerfielder Byron Buxton has played just 28 games at the major league level. Among hitters with at least 90 plate appearances, he checks in third from the bottom (above just Trayce Thompson and Magneuris Sierra). With a potential to play a maximum of 162 games in 2018, Byron has gotten in just 61 across all levels of pro baseball. If there's anything to take away from a lost season, it's that the most important trait going forward has to be availability. Injuries are always going to be a part of athletics, and at times, you're going to deal with relative flukes. From migraines to a foul ball breaking your foot, Buxton has tested that theory in earnest during 2018. What's unfortunate however is that this isn't the first instance in which the uber-talented outfielder has dealt with this type of setback. Byron has missed time in each of the past few seasons, and most of that time on the shelf seems at least somewhat preventable. By playing the game with reckless abandon, Buxton has thrown himself into outfield walls more often than he'd probably like to admit. The catches and highlights from those moments play on loop for years, but it's worth wondering what the opportunity cost is. Slamming into the wall in order to make a single out while trading a few games of availability seems like quite the ask. It's a difficult line to decipher when you're questioning if 110% effort is truly the best plan for long term success. From my vantage point, the most integral thing for the Twins to get Byron Buxton on track is a level of consistency. Allowing him to thrive at the major league level likely comes through a repetition of quality at bats and positive results. That blueprint requires him to be on the field, and in a position to compete on a daily basis. There's so much talent to be put on display, and he's significantly beyond the highest minor league level (as we've seen since his latest activation from the disabled list). Distancing him from the nicks and bumps that have taken Buxton off the field has to be the next step in this journey. Not all of Buxton's injuries are related to his centerfield exploits. He's hurt his wrist on the basepaths and at the dish, obviously migraines are a bodily issue, and things like an errant foul ball are simply bad luck. No matter what the malady though, having the Twins training staff best position Byron for success is imperative to his future development. Maybe the answer is to add muscle mass, or maybe it's having a more distinct understanding of outfield dimensions. At any rate, a new design taken with a focus on consistent health seems of the utmost importance. There's no reason to panic on the player at this point. Buxton is lightyears ahead of where his predecessor Aaron Hicks was at this point. Hicks is now the best centerfielder in baseball not named Mike Trout. Byron is also on par with the likes of Torii Hunter and Kirby Puckett at the same age. The talent and tools are all there for him to succeed, but he also needs to be physically capable of putting them on display in a more routine fashion. Telling a player to take their foot off the gas pedal is never an optimal plan of action. I don't know that it's the right one to suggest for a guy that's coming off being the best defender in all of baseball either. If there was something I found myself hoping Torii could impart on Byron during spring action down in Fort Myers, it was how to play all out while still protecting yourself for the long run. The Twins Hall of Famer only missed significant time once in his ten full seasons with the club. It's worth speculating that Buxton could end up being better than Spiderman if he can consistently stay on the field. Lost seasons from some of Minnesota's most important young players was always going to spell doom for the 2018 campaign. Going forward, the amount of time that Byron Buxton can limit away from the field of play only benefits the overall success of the organization. There's still a star in the making here, and worrying about the on field exploits does nothing for me. Keeping the young man healthy and in the action remains the biggest piece of the puzzle. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Acquired by the Twins in exchange for Eduardo Escobar, Jhoan Duran got to face his former team tonight. With the Kernels playing the Cougars, Duran’s former Diamondbacks farm teammates were in the opposing batters box tonight. Up a couple of levels, the light hitting Luis Arraez brought his boomstick as the Lookouts left the field victorious.Transactions Rochester Red Wings ADD INF Alex Perez from Chattanooga DEL C Willians Astudillo recalled by Twins Chattanooga Lookouts ADD INF Joe Cronin from Fort Myers Fort Myers Miracle LHP Alex Robinson placed on the 7 day DL LHP Bryan Sammons placed on the 7 day DL RED WINGS REPORT Syracuse 3, Rochester 0 Box Score The Red Wings found themselves down early in this one. Chase De Jong yielded an earned run in the second inning, and that proved to be an insurmountable tally for the away team. De Jong did turn in a very nice start, and wound up throwing 6 1/3 innings ceding three runs, walking one, and striking out four. Byron Buxton was back in the lineup for the Red Wings in this one. He’s yet to play on back-to-back days, but did go 0-4 in this one. Each plate appearance ended with a ball put in play, and the assumption would be that he’ll be recalled by the Twins within the next week or so. Jake Reed finished the final five outs of this one, and continues to be a force in relief. He tallied a single strikeout but didn’t allow any hits or walks. His 2.03 ERA is dazzling, and he remains a potential option for the Twins to look at down the stretch. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Jacksonville 3 Box Score Tonight Jorge Alcala had his number called by the Lookouts. The former Astros prospect turned in five innings, giving up three runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out four. Former Dodgers prospect Dustin Smeltzer picked up a two inning save and struck out four. The first inning started with a bang for the Lookouts. Leading off for the home team, Luis Arraez blasted his second homer of the season for Chattanooga. Jaylin Davis then doubled home Brent Rooker, who reached first on a walk and then second on a wild pitch. An Andy Wilkins ground out plated Davis for the inning’s third run. Not to be denied, the Jumbo Shrimp drew even in the third inning on a two run bomb, and a 3-3 tie would stand until the sixth. Arraez helped the cause again, this time with a sac fly, and that fourth run ended up being the difference. Game two of the five game set takes place tomorrow night. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, St. Lucie 2 Box Score Charlie Barnes was on the bump for this one, and another solid outing brings his ERA below 3.00 on the year. He lasted five innings giving up just one run on five hits while striking out two and walking one. Ryan Mason and Hector Lujan did good work in relief to keep this one in the win column for Fort Myers. Trailing in the top of the third, the Miracle evened things up with a run on a wild pitch. From there, Taylor Grzelakowski singled in Ernie De La Trinidad in the fourth, and another wild pitch allowed Caleb Hamilton to cross the plate in the eighth. The Mets did plate a run in the bottom half of that inning, but they were not able to get any closer than one run. These two teams square off again tomorrow night. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Kane County 1 Box Score Jhoan Duran got to face his old team for the first time in the Twins organization tonight, and he looked absolutely dominant. Working 6 2/3 innings, he gave up just one hit while walking three and fanning ten. The win was his seventh of the season. Trevor Larnach and Ryan Jeffers combined to go 0-for-7 in the middle of the lineup in this one, but their teammates rallied to pick them up. Michael Helman started the scoring with a solo shot in the first, his second of the year for Cedar Rapids. The Kernels then added two more on a Michael Davis bases-loaded single in the seventh. Picking up his first save of the season for the Kernels, Johan Quezada ceded the only run on a balk in the eighth. These two clubs will play game two of the series tomorrow night. ELIZABETHTON TWINS TALK Elizabethton 7, Bristol 3 Box Score Austin Schulfer got the nod in this one and his five innings of work saw three unearned runs score on six hits. He’d be around long enough for the win, and it pushed his record to 3-0 on the season. The game’s first run scored on a wild pitch in the first inning, as DaShawn Keirsey gave the E-Twins a 1-0 lead. Yunior Severino helped to pile on with a two-RBI single in the second, and then Trevor Casanova left the yard for a solo shot (his third) in the third. Leading 4-1 after the third inning, the E-Twins would need to lock things down after two more Bristol runners scored in the fifth. A one-run game got a bit less sticky however, thanks to a three-run eighth for the good guys. Jean Carlos Arias delivered with a sac fly, then Ricky De La Torre drove in a run on a fielder’s choice. Capping off the scoring, Severino picked up his third RBI of the evening on a sac fly. Game two of the series takes place tomorrow night. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Johan Duran (CR): 6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Luis Arraez (CHAT): 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR(2) TOP 20 PROSPECT PERFORMANCE 1. Royce Lewis (FM): 0-4, BB 2. Alex Kirilloff (FM): 2-5, K 4. Nick Gordon (ROC): 0-3, 2 K 6. Trevor Larnach (CR): 0-4, K 7. Brent Rooker (CHAT): 0-3, R, BB, K 8. Akil Baddoo (CR): 1-4, K 12. LaMonte Wade (ROC): 0-4 13. Travis Blankenhorn (FM): 0-3, R, BB, K 16. Yunior Severino (ET): 1-3, 3 RBI 18. Ryan Jeffers (CR): 0-3, BB 20. Luis Arraez (CHAT): 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR(2) SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester (6:05pm) – TBD Chattanooga (6:15pm) – TBD Fort Myers (5:30pm) – Griffin Jax (3-2, 3.04 ERA) Cedar Rapids (6:35pm) –Edwar Colina (7-4, 2.48 ERA) Elizabethton (6:00pm) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday's games. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins have played 126 games of their 162-game schedule for 2018. Sitting in a position where the season goals have been significantly altered, dreams of October baseball have long since come and gone. As prospects continue to filter into Target Field over the next month, the lineups Paul Molitor draws up will have a different feel. No matter what takes place though, we could very well be witnessing the end of an era.Joe Mauer, 35 years-old and expecting another addition to his family, could be on a collision course to his eventual retirement following the final pitch of the year. As of August 23, the pride of St. Paul, MN has 17 more scheduled home games in front of him. In the final year of the mega-contract that he so deservedly signed, we are only guaranteed the schedule as it currently reads. Today, Twins PR director tweeted out some factoids relating to Mauer and his place in Twins history. Against the Oakland Athletics (either this evening or over the weekend), Joe will both tie and surpass Rodney Cline Carew on the All-Time Minnesota hit list. After leaping beyond the 2,085 hits necessary for that honor, he’ll be staring up at only Kirby Puckett. Having scored at least 60 runs in every season dating back to 2011, it’s a good bet that Mauer reaches that plateau this season as well. Although that number won’t vault him over the competition, it would position him to top the list should he come back in 2019. That’s where my wheels really started to begin turning. We are all witnesses to this greatness, aren’t we? Joe Mauer will go down as arguably the greatest player to ever wear a Twins uniform not-named Harmon Killebrew. He’s been a figurehead of this team and organization since his debut in 2004, and really since being selected as the first overall pick in the 2001 Major League Baseball draft. This is a player that graces a franchise only once in a generation, and the lasting impact is felt forever. As someone who’s been a significant advocate of Mauer being superimposed over Puckett, I can cede where that may be up for debate. To the detractors pointing out a contract that was paid to a catcher in the same vein as Bench, and one that had yet to experience career altering brain injuries, I can only wish you peace. Not only are you wrong on his warranted and applied value to the organization, you’ve also debated a meaningless topic to the point of missing out on someone you’ll likely never again see replicated. It’s more than fair to note that Joe has never been flashy and suggesting him as a poster boy for “Minnesota Nice” should never draw ire. Those factors should not deter those within Twins Territory from appreciating his ability either. Major League Baseball has long done a poor job of marketing even their brightest stars, and the more private professionals don’t help to fuel that fire either. Being who he is has never stopped Mauer’s production, and it’s worked well for guys like Mike Trout and Jim Thome as well. When the dust settles here, no matter where you stand on his statistical or analytical merits, the last the standing will be the tough reality that it’s finished. My hope is that Joe decides he’s got another year or two in him. The Gold Glove caliber defense at first base has significant value, and his profile still fits perfectly well in the leadoff spot of a Twins lineup that should rebound nicely next season. My fear however and given some of the hints you may have picked up on as well, is that this is truly it. We are nearing the point that it’s over. Should we cross the finish line on September 30th and leave the gates at Target Field with that being the last time, none of the accolades will matter in that moment. It will be a time of thanks, remembrance, and reflection of what just took place over those 15 great years. As with all things in life, we don’t know what time is left, and if we truly are all witnesses, embarking upon the final month could be upon us. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins went the route of signing multiple veterans on one year deals to supplement their relief corps for 2018. Now that the season has taken a different turn, all of those players have been shipped out to greener pastures. For 2019 and beyond, a goal of the organization has to be finding the next Trevor Hildenberger or Ryan Pressly. As things stand currently, there's a duo of dandies that have begun to stand above the rest. Whether or not the Twins have a proven closer going into 2019 isn't of much worry to me. More importantly, does the club have a handful of guys capable of pitching in high leverage situations. Despite his stumbles at times down the stretch, Trevor Hildenberger has rounded out into exactly that type of player. Addison Reed will return for year two, and the hope is that he'd rebound to look more like his former self. The Twins should be feeling that they can turn to the likes of Trevor May and Taylor Rogers in those situations as well. Rogers was an 11th round pick back in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. He's now 27 years old and in his third major league season. Despite posting a 3.44 ERA (which is higher than the 3.07 mark from 2017), his secondary numbers are outstanding. The 2.41 FIP is a career low and comes in 15th among all qualified big league relievers. His 10.3 K/9 is a full strikeout higher than his career average, and his 2.2 BB/9 is a new career best as well. As a lefty Rogers has proved serviceable against hitters from both sides of the plate. Left-handed hitters have zero chance, owning just a .422 OPS, but the .781 OPS to righties isn't awful either. He's giving up both the fewest hits and homers of his career, and it's hard to be anything less than excited about his outlook. Owning just 93.8 mph average velocity on his fastball, it's not that Rogers is much of a flamethrower. With his long and lanky stature, he has a good bit of deception working in his favor. The arm slot hides the ball well, and he can get in on hitters in a hurry. I'd prefer not to see Minnesota tab Rogers solely for a 9th inning role, but he's far more than a standard LOOGY as well. Deploying him in a role similar to Ryan Pressly, just a fireman to get guys out, should yield plenty positive results. From the other side of the glove, the recently rehabbed Trevor May has been fantastic. It's just been 9.2 IP over the course of 9 appearances, but May is laying waste to opposing hitters. An 11.2 K/9 is enticing, but the 1.9 BB/9 is a new career best that really jumps off the page. Working solely as a reliever in 2016 prior to Tommy John surgery, May's profile had a lot to like. The strikeouts were there, and the FIP suggested the 5.27 ERA wasn't entirely his fault. That said, he was giving up too many walks (3.6 BB/9) and the 1.5 HR/9 was a problem. There's reason to like May's profile as a starter, but it's hard to ignore what he can provide out of the bullpen. On the season, he's generating whiffs nearly 20% of the time, and hitters are chasing his pitches just under 40% of the time. He's shaved 10% off of his allowed contact rate (63%) and the nearly 95 mph fastball velocity matches up with where he was prior to surgery. Acquired as a top prospect years ago, Minnesota likely had visions of May being an impact starter. If he's capable of providing this profile in a more lengthy role that's one thing, but if he's a back end option I'd prefer to see him stick in relief. May has the repertoire and output of a guy who can close out games in the 9th, or be an upper echelon setup man. Again, this is a very small sample size thus far in 2018, but continuing through September would only give steam to the hype train. Heading into 2019, the Twins will need to solidify a rotation that has more questions than answers once again. The bullpen has been an area needing improvement in recent years though, and seeing some internal arms step up and take command is more than encouraging. It hurt to lose quality pieces this year, but credit those who have stepped up and made the most of new found opportunity. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz