killertwinfan

The Twins FO has manage this asset very poorly ever since he has surfaced, why wouldn't they continue to do so? Evidently they just don't value him as much as others. That being said, this team has several gaps, many shared with other teams in the league. So they have to offer a good/great asset to close the gap. Trying to fill the pitching gap that allows us to get more power in the lineup is not a bad approach. Arraez deserves to be an every day starter at second base to maximize his potential. I hope he gets it.

I don’t hate Jake Cave, but I don’t like that he had 164 AB’s with the twins each of the last two years. It would be nice to have an outfield that didn’t require his services, but we did! He got his chance and played like jake cave. I hope he has more success with the orioles.

I love Luis, and I think he has received a raw deal from the twins on personnel decisions. We have two second basemen, and injuries allowed Arraez to get on the field. It’s obvious his bat should be in the lineup as every day player but the season didn’t start that way. From a value perspective our management’s plan was to underutilize this asset from the start. He or Polanco should be traded to maximize value and improve the team.

Very happy for Luis! But, I am also reminded that the Twins started off the season platooning him. Best hitter in baseball struggled to find an every day position with a team that struggles to consistently put the ball in play.

Play baseball. Run to steal bases, hit and run, bunt, and improve the percentage of quality AB’s. Stop taking out good pitchers for bad pitchers. Prolly a few more things, but i don’t expect those to change either.

Well, I suppose the writer is correct. However, he doesn’t touch on the reasons why I am frustrated. Last nights game is a perfect example. We torch a guy then have a series of at bats that were almost worthless. We need a consistent effort at the plate to have good at bats. That means swing at your pitch and when you are behind, defend the plate. We have issues with this from the top of the order to the bottom. Rocco’s use of the bullpen. During a recent loss to Cleveland, I think the Archer game. We bring in a guy who struggles and Rocco rolls with him. We end up going down 6-0 and eventually lose 6-4. Those two runs were critical. You see other managers much more on top of their bullpen. Just one of many examples of Rocco’s mystical approach. Not running. We are giving away bases, I am assuming for health reasons. Whatever man, we are playing baseball. Play it!

I expect management to let him go. I am not sure how much of this mess is his fault though. I am not a fan of either party.

This may be the only area of weakness on the team where I won’t criticize the front office. The blame here goes to whom ever is trying to teach him. Essentially the guy is too talented to not wait on. Play it out, hopefully he comes along some time this season. He certainly doesn’t need to be in the lineup every day. I am pulling for him, but without much hope.

I think so, but it appears that playing time is being strongly influenced by the FO. They have mismanaged him as an asset. He should play more, maximize his value and be a trade chip if we don’t need him. As it is we are slowing his development as a fielder.

I am not going to make any predictions, but our front office deserves a kick in the xxxxx for taking a position of strength and making it vulnerable. Sure if Jeffers improves, we’ll forget all about it. However to let Tortuga walk and trade Garver and Rortvedt shows a tremendous lack of planning. Was it really that important to dump JD’s contract?

Wow, good summary but how do you get to a B+. If this was a college course I would expect an incomplete. That being the case a place holder grade is a C or a C+ (The plus recognizing the effort). In the end we spun off good talent for a little less talent and some flexibility. This leaves us with some large gaps on our roster, the kind that can bury you quickly. I pray that we get a favorable outcome but am fearful that we watch a bullpen hand over leads late in games.

This seems to be a bit of an oversimplification. Certainly Polanco at second was good for him but it wasn’t good for Arraez. Similarly if we pay for a shortstop we’ll get less pitching in free agency. I am not sure there is a good answer here when you have two second basemen on your roster. Dealing one of these guys foe some starting pitching or an everyday SS might be the best move.

They sucked a lot in regular season, they sucked every post season. I think the obvious point is they suck.

I think it’s a step to far to say the current regime is a failure. However their first attemp has failed and keeping the core together would only be for one more year unless you really open the purse strings. Plus to assume we keep Buxton is a stretch. The big thing standing in the way of blowing this team up is the potential that we get low value in return. No reason to take extreme measures for no payback. I do think it is clear that our new core is the next generation of players. If you can trade the larger contracts, soon to be free agents and focus players you can pair with Arraez, Larnach & Kiriloff. Don’t know what we will do about pitching.

I am watching this team as much as I can with 100% detachment. I really see very little to look forward to. It’s too bad we decided to forgo fundamentals, because I could enjoy a well played baseball game. I fully expect them to dismantle this team and start over. Do it right next time! BTW, those guys totally ruined Sano. Let him hire his own batting coach and do it his own way. He is so bad nobody would even take him for free on waivers.

Baseball puzzles me. More than any other sport guys hold positions based on expectations. When they under achieve, it’s not only a negative for our results but it also takes an opportunity away from another player. How many more wins might we have with Tortuga at first while he is hot? Same with Polanco and Graver. These guys were hurt, but either way they have not shown they will return to top form. Why not make them earn their way back? Arraez, Jeffers and Tortuga should be playing every day until these guys show they have something.

Dude clearly needs the work. Our bullpen has put up good numbers but has been far from sharp. Getting 30 or so pitches per reliever outing and giving them a day off seems like a good approach and May crate opportunities for improvement early on.

Nice preparation Josh. No way you get a pass from me. You were doing a basic thing that millions of people do on a daily basis. You are a professional athlete that gets paid millions. What a joke. Work harder and smarter.

I get the concern for his replacement but I don’t get the free pass on conditioning and preparation. Josh had an easy double so he is at cruise speed, not at I’m being chased by a bear and need to fly speed. How about being in better condition and warmed up properly to survive that circumstance. He needs to be prepared and he wasn’t.

I get the concern for his replacement but I don’t get the free pass on conditioning and preparation. Josh had an easy double so he is at cruise speed, not at I’m being chased by a bear and need to fly speed. How about being in better condition and warmed up properly to survive that circumstance. He needs to be prepared and he wasn’t.

That is how choking works. It defy's all odds.

The singular silver lining from a good season that has now been overshadowed by a continuing trend of now showing up for the post season. I don't know what it is, but it seems to be between the ears and I don't think a number of players will be able to shake this off quickly. I thought Threepeat was a difficult accomplishment, but we are entering our third decade of this. Crazy.

Interesting, I like the list but I would say a key indicator of under-rated would be $ per fwar. Mauer would drop off the list based on career numbers.

I am puzzled by this article. Seems like they are stocking the shelves for arguments when he goes down with an injury and misses a bulk of the season. I like the signing, we needed a third baseman, he is a little old, so that contract makes it a risky play. At least our front office is willing to take some risks. I am guessing it's harder to do that with a starting pitcher. We scored almost 6 runs per game last year we better repeat or it will be a long season. JD is expected to be a big part of that.

This is really a frustrating issue for the FO. I am concerned with our rotation and its lack of depth. Any regression, injury or other problems could create a big hole for the team that should win the AL Central. That being said my choice for temporary fifth starter is weather postponements. We have had a relatively mild winter, lets hope there is retribution in the spring, and very well timed, so we only use 4 pitchers well into May.