Darius

Looks like Pineda might be missing more than one start after Smeltzer deals 6 innings.

The 2006 Twins were 12.5 games back of the Tigers on May 27th. The 2012 As were 13 games back on June 30th. The 2014 Dodgers were 10 back on June 8th. The 2013 Dodgers were 9.5 back on June 22nd. The 1978 Yankees were 14 games back on July 20th. The 1995 Mariners were 13 back on August 3rd. These teams all won their division (and, no, the last two aren’t typos). This thing ain’t over, folks. As I type this Taylor Rodgers gives up a 2 run HR to spit up the lead against the Dodgers in the 8th....to Oswaldo Arcia’s brother.

I don’t think calling the fans “front-runners” is really fair. The taxpayers funded a stadium under the pretenses of being able to compete for championships. The front office proceeded the slash payroll a year in and fielded arguably the worst team in baseball for nearly a decade. No fan base would continue to show up at the park. No fan base should. Putting that on the fans as “front-runners” isn’t really acknowledging the reality of the situation. It’s not like we were Yankees on a down year. From ‘92-‘18 this was one of the three worst clubs in Major League Baseball. Combine those factors with it costing upwards of $200 to take a family of four to sit in the cheap seats and watch a terrible product....

Another bad day from Lewis (on paper, maybe he sting the ball 3 times). Maybe Lewis getting an All-Star nod (somehow) will remind him he’s good at baseball and get him going.

Agree. Adrianza has superior position flexibility (could basically play anywhere but catcher/pitcher in a pinch). It was a hot take that I was all over for a few days, myself. The longer it marinades, the less sense it makes to keep Arraez up here if the team gets healthy. He’ll surely be up when rosters expand. But, there’s a pretty good chance we’ll see him before that. There will be another injury or two along the way.

Grain Belt beer tweeted out last week that Dan Barreiro and Lavelle Neal were discussing nicknames for the team on KFAN. One was the The Grain Belters. Coincidence?

Maybe you just never hear about it happening in other organizations.....but doesn’t it seem like there are a ridiculous amount of position players in this system requiring Tommy John? It’s more than just some random filler guy here or there. Off the top of my head: Miguel Sano, Alex Kirillof, Akil Baddoo. Top prospects. Seems strange.

Concur. When the guy we spent a number 1 overall on is striking out at this rate in A ball, it’s concerning. There can’t really be any other conclusion (certainly not encouraging). I’m not even sure you can claim small sample size anymore. It’s 200 ABs of sub .650 OPS, .230 BA, 44Ks to 19 walks, 1 home run, 5 CS to 9 SB, and various other alarming statistics. I can’t speak much for his defense, but i’ve gathered he’s not exactly elite there either. You can make the young argument, I suppose. But, he’s been a pro a couple years now. He’s roughly the same age as guys like Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, Tatis Jr., who are showing high-level success in the MLB. I know, different career paths, etc.....but my point is the age isn’t really a factor when you’re touted as a phenom. I’m not sure the people claiming they aren’t concerned are being totally genuine about that. I’m not saying he’s in trouble yet, but if you’re not raising an eyebrow at the anointed future face of the franchise getting blown away for 200 ABs in A-ball, I don’t know what could possibly concern you.

There is no doubt in my mind that this bullpen is going to cost this team at some point. There will come a time, whether regular or postseason, that we’ll need to win a game 2-1, 3-2, etc. I don’t feel good if anyone in the pen, aside from Rogers, coming into a late-inning tight score situation against the Astros or healthy Yankee squad. Not one guy outside of Rogers. This team needs to address the bullpen yesterday, IMO. What are they waiting for?

I get that winning now is a priority....but we have a lot of guys that will need to get paid (Schoop, Caron, Gibson, etc.). This team as we know it isn’t staying together beyond this year. I feel like Larnach wouldn’t command a whole lot. A 22 year old college kid who is supposed to be all bat, but has a mid-.700 OPS in single A......I just can’t imagine anyone clamoring for Larnach, aside from a throw-in second or third peice. I’d rather not trade Balazovic or Javier (don’t think you’d get requisite value - Balazovic does t have a long track record and Javier has had injury issues). Go ahead and trade Gordon all you want, but nobody’s giving anything significant for him. Lewis, Alex K., and Graterol should be absolutely untouchable (Graterol may be better if promoted to th MLB than the guy we get in return). Guys like Gonzalves, Thorpe, etc., are all but afterthoughts. We’re not getting anything there. I don’t doubt that we’ll make a trade for some bullpen help. But I just don’t see how you can pull the trigger on a starter at the price they command. I’ve heard absurd takes by guys like Zulgad (not a fan, ahem-hack-ahem), that Sano should’ve been traded long ago, and is a piece right now (you’d get pennies on the dollar). Bottom line: I’d have to be blown away to trade the premier guys in the system (high-end starter with multiple years of control). Nobody else will command much. It’s nice to think about landing Thor. It’s more realistic to beef up the bullpen with a couple solid,but unspectacular, MRs.

This is getting kind of ridiculous. I don’t know what to think anymore. I’ve seem this team win 2 Workd Series Titles. Aside from that, this is the most fun I’ve ever had as a Twins fan. Still have concerns about pitching. But, what a time to be a Twins fan.

I know it’s early, but I’ve been looking for more out of Larnach. He hasn’t been that terrible, it’s early, etc. But, I expected him to rocket through the system. The .768 OPS in High A at age 22+ isn’t a real great start to his season. Any insight on this? Is he struggling with something? Just your run of the mill slow-ish start? Bad luck? Again, he hasn’t been terrible. Maybe my expectations are way out of whack. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the years of Buxton, Sano, Kepler, Lewis, Kirillof, etc. raking in an unearthly manner.

If you’re not a believer after last night, you probably never will be. I thought they were dead in the water. Pineda struggling. Anemic offense. Angels were projected at over 90% to win the game, I believe. But, to my surprise, they clawed back. Honestly, I don’t know how you can send Arraez down. Gonzalez covers all positions Adrianza can.

What the Twins and Astros are doing right now is amazing.

Interesting comparison. I think there is definitely a chance to pull something like this off. They’ll definitely need to address the pitching side via trade, but I think they’re in the conversation for best offense in the MLB when healthy (with Yankees and Astros). At the end of the day, the Astros are really, really good. Clearly, they’re the favorite. There wasn’t a team quite as dominant that the Royals had to go through that year.

Not worried about Sano. It’s not unreasonable to expect some re-acclimation the major league pitching. He’ll be fine. He just had two XBHs 24 hours prior, as well. If management can find a way to unlock him and bring back 2015-2017 Sano (if it’s still in there), we’re talking about a pretty incredible/historic lineup.

If Buxton keeps this up (aka hits .275-.280, with 70-80 doubles, 8-10 triples, 10-20 HRs, a .850 OPS, and the best defense on planet earth), he’ll be around an 8 WAR player. For reference, fan graphs has Yelich with 7.6 last year. Jose Ramirez was at 8.

He’s the fastest guy in the majors, he’s leading the MLB in doubles, he’s been thrown out trying to steal twice in his last 50 (approximately) attempts, he’s got an .840 OPS overall. He’s hitting over .300 with an OPS north of .900 in his last 15. Once he gets on base, he changes the game. He’s one of the best hitters we have right now, despite what people think. I just don’t see the rationality in keep him locked into the 9-hole because of quasi-superstitious fear that it’s the 9-hole making the hitter. He was drafted and developed to be a franchise cornerstone and offensive centerpiece.

The arm is a prize. It’s easy to think it about in the exact opposite manner: He’s throwing the ball as hard as he ever will in his life. Right at this moment. That’s being put to use for something called the Blue Wahoos, while the Twins are legitimate World Series contenders if they can add some dynamic arms. It’s not a matter of if his arm is going to blow, it’s when. Why not use it before it does? Bring him up in the second half, have him go every 5th day in a tag-team with Pineda, similar to early in the season with Perez. Or, have him as a 6th swing man to spot start based on match-ups and be a long guy. That way, you limit his innings (as well as possibly Berrios/Perez/Gibson), keep him somewhat stretched out, get him accustomed to a playoff race, and get the best arm in the system to the major leagues. Having him at your disposal in a playoff series would be ideal.

If I have another son, his name will be some combination of the letters J, O, H, A, N. I should’ve recognized this sooner.

There is never a time when you stop looking for an upgrade. Just because things are rolling now doesn’t mean they will be next week (picture getting swept by the Tigers at home, with the Indians climbing to 1/2 game back by Monday). Go get established players at positions of need right now, if you can for a fair price. Get bullpen help right now instead of hoping guys get healthy and/or improve. Go get another starter to add to the mix instead of hoping that Perez and Odorizzi as Johan Santana and Roger Clemens is here to stay. Nothing major has to be done. I’m on board with leaving the offense alone. But; there is no harm that can be done by adding some quality depth, pitching-wise. We will get burned by this bullpen status quo at some point. Maybe I’ve lived in Minnesota as a sports fan for too long, but I am not taking the playoffs for granted at this point. Too much can go wrong.

At some point, Jose Berrios, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Polanco will all be considered among the best players in the MLB st their position. Most reasonably attentive baseball fans nation wide know who these guys are. Those that don’t will shortly. In the end, I think it’s Rosario who ends up the nation-wide face of the franchise. The way he plays the game is infectious and he’s one of the more dynamic offensive players in all of baseball right now.

Don’t get me wrong, the new players certainly help (specifically Cruz, Schoop, and Perez, at the moment), but I’m not sure that’s the tipping point. Polanco isn’t suspended for the half the year (HUGE), Buxton is healthy and playing the best baseball of his career (HUGE - leading the MLB in doubles, I believe), Kepler is hitting and hitting for power, Garver/Astudillo/Castro are out of their minds right now (top offensive production in the MLB at the position). Berrios has evolved into one of the most dominant starters in the MLB (has been inconsistent up to this point). Again, the new guys certainly help, but there are a lot of things coming together that were in place before. A lot of hard-luck for the previous staff is turning into a positive this year.

I’ve never been more convinced that a player could stroll into a major league clubhouse and yield positive results than with Kiriloff. The more time passes, the more I believe he could’ve done that from day 1. He’s a natural. I don’t really buy that you can’t find a spot for him. Between days off in the outfield, first base, and DH, there would be plenty of at-bats to be had in place of Cave/Adrianza and in some cases Gonzalez/Garver/Astudillo. I’m fine with that upgrade across the Board (unless you believe Garver and Astudillo with continue being the bash brothers). He could be a real game changer down the stretch, and really set this lineup over the top. Kepler, Polanco, Cruz, Rosario, Sano, Schoop, Buxton, Kiriloff, Garver (not necessarily in that order) is scary. He also adds another solid lefty to balance things out. I’m fine keeping him down for a couple more months to maximize ABs. But, if he keeps this up, get him up in July/August and get him accustomed to big league pitching before September.

The Pohlad pocket protectors continue to blow my mind. I refuse to be bullied with passive-aggressive insults into accepting a falsehood (Pohlads aren’t cheap). It does not make one enlightened, or a higher-quality baseball mind to refute that the Pohlads are cheap. I’m sorry. Please explain how they are not cheap. When your biggest free agent signing of all time is Ervin Santana, Ricky Nolasco, and Jason Castro....you’re cheap. Since 2010, other teams have signed 56 free agents to contract larger than the Twins largest of all time (Santana at $55 million). Three of the five largest free agent contracts in Twins history are under $25 million. How is that not the definition of cheap? Let’s keep in mind that this is during a period of decades of total ineptitude for the most part. It’s not like they had the luxury of being cheap, because they were stacked with young talent. Since 1992, they’re one of the worst franchises in baseball. Supplementing the roster with free agents was as necessary as it could ever possibly be. I’m not even arguing they shouldn’t be cheap, or which approach is correct here. But, they certainly don’t spend a lot of money. Bonnes’ podcast cohost has even pointed out how they haven’t even lived up to their bargain of spending X percent of their revenue (50% or something, don’t remember the exact number). We have loads of evidence in the form of player negotiations, actual contracts signed, etc, that they are cheap. There are giant holes on the team annually that never get filled with competent players available on the market (bullpen and rotation, namely). Where is the evidence that they aren’t? The fact that they’re not dead least in payroll means nothing. Simply stating they aren’t cheap doesn’t create a tulpa version of Pohlad brother who wants to sign a front-line starter. And let not forget the timeless gem of imploring tax dollars get used for a new stadium so they can compete for free agents. If a company like Amazon considered building a location in the Twin Cities (which they did) if the appropriate tax abatements were in place, promising to hire 5,000 people....don’t you think people would be upset if they only hired 500? Exact same scenario. Not being upset that they’re cheap, or agreeing with that approach is one thing (and probably not the worst take, even though the big dollar spenders hav 95% of the success). But flat out calling the blue sky green is another. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled program. I’m sure I’ll get banned for not having a take that’s agreeable to powers at be around here (because calling the Pohlads cheap is out of line, but berating those with those opinions isn’t). But, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to address this epidemic going around Twins Territory.