Twins

[glenn57]

i have not faith in the Twinkies going anywhere until the Pohlads have nuttin to do with the team!!!!! 

[Steve-o]

And even if the Pohlads are gone, it is still a crap shoot.  There are lots of teams that spend lots of money and not have anything to show for it.

The difference is those teams will be in the playoff mix 4 out of 5 years.    Teams like the Twins will be relevant 1 out of 5 years. 

[Gunner55]

i have not faith in the Twinkies going anywhere until the Pohlads have nuttin to do with the team!!!!! 

At least they've won a WS.........................twice, much unlike the other current Mn pro sport franchises.

[glenn57]

i have not faith in the Twinkies going anywhere until the Pohlads have nuttin to do with the team!!!!! 

At least they've won a WS.........................twice, much unlike the other current Mn pro sport franchises.

yea and how long ago was that  think i was in high school yet!!!!!!!

what about the lynx????

[Gunner55]

And even if the Pohlads are gone, it is still a crap shoot.  There are lots of teams that spend lots of money and not have anything to show for it.

The difference is those teams will be in the playoff mix 4 out of 5 years.    Teams like the Twins will be relevant 1 out of 5 years. 

Cohen has pushed the Mets salaries this year to nearly 3 X what the Twins was last season & they lost in 3 to SD in the 1st round of the playoffs. https://nesn.com/2023/02/what-mlb-owners-told-steve-cohen-about-mets-offseason/

[Gunner55]

  You were in HS in '87?

[dutchboy]

You were in HS in '87?

He was a Sophomore in '87 an Graduated in '91.

[Gunner55]

       I was in the stands for 2 of the ALCS games against Detroit.    

[glenn57]

  naw.it just feels that long ago!!!!!!!!

[glenn57]

Once again the season only boils down to two things...

1) Can Baldelli not burn the bullpen to the ground by August 1st.

2) Will Buxton play over 100 games? I'm not including DH'ing which seems to be the plan.

Pitching health and health of the club will be paramount. They need to find a way to keep these guys on the field & playing.

this one dutchy??

It's back a page!!

[Gunner55]

                    

[dutchboy]

Once again the season only boils down to two things...

1) Can Baldelli not burn the bullpen to the ground by August 1st.

2) Will Buxton play over 100 games? I'm not including DH'ing which seems to be the plan.

Pitching health and health of the club will be paramount. They need to find a way to keep these guys on the field & playing.

this one dutchy??

It's back a page!!

Nope, thats not it. It was about the Pohlads & Griffith the old Met, Humpty Dump and Target Field.  I must not of hit post.   

[glenn57]

Once again the season only boils down to two things...

1) Can Baldelli not burn the bullpen to the ground by August 1st.

2) Will Buxton play over 100 games? I'm not including DH'ing which seems to be the plan.

Pitching health and health of the club will be paramount. They need to find a way to keep these guys on the field & playing.

this one dutchy??

It's back a page!!

Nope, thats not it. It was about the Pohlads & Griffith the old Met, Humpty Dump and Target Field.  I must not of hit post.   

nope didnt see that one!!!!!!!

[Gunner55]

  Don't worry db, I do that at least a couple times a week.            

[Gunner55]

I see they put Royce Lewies on the 60 day IL & claimed Braves pitcher off waivers yday. It's a noon game against the BoSox today but MLB Network has a replay at 8:30 tonight, if anyone's interested.

[dutchboy]

Hard to get to excited right now. No everyday players playing much plus you have a bunch of guys at the WBC so it's like watching a little league game.

Glad to see them adding to the roster, they still need more and there was no reason to have Lewis around. He won't be back till July or likely August at the earliest. I think he will play only in AAA when he is healthy.

[Steve-o]

I see they put Royce Lewies on the 60 day IL & claimed Braves pitcher off waivers yday. It's a noon game against the BoSox today but MLB Network has a replay at 8:30 tonight, if anyone's interested.

Is Now the Right Time for a Royce Lewis Extension?   

This blogger proposes a contract that amounts to roughly a seven-year, $34 million might be good for both sides. 

For the Twins, the incentive here is obvious -- adding a star-caliber talent in Lewis to the entrenched long-term core alongside Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa -- with cost certainty that fits nicely alongside their progressive salary allocations.

The team downside is nominal: if Lewis completely fails to make it back and pan out as an effective MLB player, the Twins would be on the hook for a total sum of money slightly below Correa's 2023 salary.

For Lewis, the incentive also should be obvious, but it might not be quite enough. Very possibly, he's inclined to bet on himself and aim for bigger paydays, especially if he's feeling really good at this stage of his recovery. No one would begrudge him.

[Gunner55]

I want to see what difference the new rule changes make. The 10-8 game with the Phillys yday was played in just over 3 hours, last year that's probably a 4 hour game. A lot of talk of catchers throwing behind runners with the new limit on how many times the pitcher can throw over too. Outfielders playing real shallow or even in the infield on 1 side sometimes, Showalter said.

[dutchboy]

Theres no rush on him. He is hurt on the DL and has no track record yet. Even when he is arbitration eligible he will be cheap. Bloggers have to have something to blog about. There is a lot of Buxton in that kid.

[Gunner55]

  Read 1 that said late June or 1st part of July if everything continues to go well for Lewis.

[dutchboy]

Read 1 that said late June or 1st part of July if everything continues to go well for Lewis.

So that makes it early June if everything goes OK. Early June the Twins better still be in contention so where do you play him? Shortstop for Correa? Nope. 2nd base for Polanco? Probably not. Third for Miranda? No. No room in the infield as you have Farmer to back every position up. In LF for Gallo? Maybe. In center field for Buxton / Taylor? Nope. In RF for Kepler / Gordon / Taylor / Larnach? Nope.

He goes to AAA and stays there until the Twins are eliminated in Sept. Then he gets called up to play everyday. It's the only thing that makes sense unless there is a injury or trade to clear some room.

[Steve-o]

If its amything like it was the last couple years... there will be injuries

[Gunner55]

If its amything like it was the last couple years... there will be injuries

That's the main reason for much of this. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/neal-change-in-training-staff-could-benefit-twins-the-most/ar-AA13gwne Granted the end of June is quite a ways off & a lot of things can & probably will happen to change things by then.

[Gunner55]

 The new pitch clock has shaved 22 minutes off the average length of a Spring game this season vs last, according to MLB network at the end of the day yday. Gallo & 2 or 3 others on the Twins started an at bat being down 0-1 without even seeing a pitch, as they weren't ready to hit when the pitch clock hit 8. Good thing they have a month to get used to the new rules.

[dutchboy]

Pitch clock will be a good thing, bigger bases not so much. Baseball (Manfred) just isn't happy unless he is f'ing with the history of the game.

[Gunner55]

 Quite few of the MLB lifers believe the pitch clock will be a much bigger deal for the hitters than for the pitchers. Most pitchers like to work pretty fast where as hardly any hitters like feeling rushed. I believe the competition committee that voted on the changes has 6 owners; 4 players, & 1 umpire on it.  https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35629997/mlb-new-2023-season-rules-shift-pitch-clock

[Steve-o]

I can't wait for the pitch clock.  I hated the way every pitch was being executed like it was Game 7 of the World Series - pitchers and hitters were both guilty.  And I can't blame them because stats mean money to these guys.  Like everything, some guys will suffer because of it, some will excel because of it, and everyone will get used to it.

Bigger bases?     Seems like a solution looking for a problem.   

[Gunner55]

The bases went from 15" to 18" now. It's supposed to make it safer , I guess, as they think it'll be easier for the runner & the infielders to avoid contact, so fewer injuries from collisions on the bases.  It's hard to see much difference when watching a game IMO.

[dutchboy]

Hard to see now yes but most of these guys playing won't see the field with the Twins. Combined with the number of times a pitcher can throw to first added to how long a pitcher can hold the ball, once these base stealers figure things out it will be a track meet. Who knows, maybe MLB can put the juiced baseballs away for a while.   

[Steve-o]

Heckova year to have a team without a running game.