All Things 2026 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

Donate To GopherHole
Breakin' The Plane said:
That's putting an awful lot of faith in a couple catching prospects that haven't proven anything yet. As noted earlier in this thread Alex Jackson was the #6 overall pick and one of the best hitting prospects in 2014.
Click to expand...
A team like the Twins has to be strategic with their spending. It wouldn’t make sense IMO to use the 3rd pick in the draft on a catcher and then spend a good amount on a longer contract for a catcher as well.

There’s no guarantee any of them will ever be great but they kinda have to plan on at least one of them panning out at this point.

Bringing back Jeffers on a 1 or 2 year deal would be great but there’s little chance that happens.
 






Interesting stats/notes -

In 15 1/3 innings, Angels starters struck out one Twins.

Andrew Morris has 17 scoreless innings after today’s efforts.

Larnach’s 9th inning dinger ended Zeferjohn’s 15 inning scoreless streak.

5th straight series win and thst makes 8 out of 9😎
 
Last edited:


Unregistered User said:
I was thinking the same thing as the third or fourth ball dropped right in front of him.

He’s hitting well enough to garner some interest, but I’m one of those guys who still values defense, so I’m fine with him leaving
Click to expand...
Bell won't be back, so he could be primary DH next year. But I'm not sure it's worth $6-7 million for that when there's other options in house.
 

GophersInIowa said:
A team like the Twins has to be strategic with their spending. It wouldn’t make sense IMO to use the 3rd pick in the draft on a catcher and then spend a good amount on a longer contract for a catcher as well.

There’s no guarantee any of them will ever be great but they kinda have to plan on at least one of them panning out at this point.

Bringing back Jeffers on a 1 or 2 year deal would be great but there’s little chance that happens.
Click to expand...
Between Lackey and Tait, it's reasonable to assume one of them can be the opening day catcher in 2028 if not mid-2027. It doesn't make sense to pay Jeffers 4/$90 or whatever and block them. Especially when you already have Caratini/Jackson to cover 2027. I'd much rather give Joe Ryan 4/$95 or so than Jeffers.
 




Ope3 said:
This is my favorite ESPN coverage ever of the Home Run Derby.
Click to expand...
Agreed

When I found out it was exclusively on Netflix I knew that I would not watch one second of it

I’m not giving them another set of eyeballs that tells them that’s ok to stream everything

Total bullshit
 

howeda7 said:
Between Lackey and Tait, it's reasonable to assume one of them can be the opening day catcher in 2028 if not mid-2027. It doesn't make sense to pay Jeffers 4/$90 or whatever and block them. Especially when you already have Caratini/Jackson to cover 2027. I'd much rather give Joe Ryan 4/$95 or so than Jeffers.
Click to expand...

You keep throwing out these absurd contracts that you think Jeffers is going to get. He's not getting anywhere near 4/$90. That would make him the highest paid catcher in baseball next season by $5 million.

4/$50 would make him tied for the 4th highest paid catcher in baseball next season, and I'll be shocked if he even gets close to that much.
 





Ope3 said:
Hey hey, my my...Brooks Lee Career WAR is fully out of the red and into the black.

+0.1 Career
+1.0 2026

www.baseball-reference.com

Brooks Lee Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Brooks Lee. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
www.baseball-reference.com www.baseball-reference.com

View attachment 45070
Click to expand...

I think he got as high as +0.2 for Career WAR, but at the All Star Break Brooks Lee is back to 0.0.

At +0.9 for 2026.

www.baseball-reference.com

Brooks Lee Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Brooks Lee. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
www.baseball-reference.com www.baseball-reference.com
 

Ope3 said:
I think he got as high as +0.2 for Career WAR, but at the All Star Break Brooks Lee is back to 0.0.

At +0.9 for 2026.

www.baseball-reference.com

Brooks Lee Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Brooks Lee. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
www.baseball-reference.com www.baseball-reference.com
Click to expand...
They said on the radio he and his fiancé are doing their wedding vpkans as he’s getting hitched on November 14; same date as Kreidler’s nuptials.
 


coolhandgopher said:
During this All-Star break, if you’re looking to fill your baseball diet, I can recommend this podcast on Bert Blyleven’s career, a thorough and insightful trek in which I learned a lot about Circle Me. (the podcast is a recent discovery for me, and I am finding it really enjoyable)
Click to expand...

The Blyleven trade back to Minnesota on August 1, 1985 had to be the most encouraging trade in my entire Twins fandom up to that point. It immediately bolstered the rotation giving them a solid 1-2 with Viola.

There was hope.

Having traded so many All Stars at the end of the Griffith era, they were getting one back in the beginning of the Pohlad regime.
 

I finished watching the HR Derby tonight (my boys were entertained by the opening round and wanted to see the conclusion) and I got to wondering, is Kyle Schwarber going to be a Hall of Famer? He’s sitting at 379 HR’s, so he has a good chance to reach 400 by the end of his age 33 season, so it’s quite reasonable to think he’ll far surpass 500. However, his overall WAR at this point is 22.2, he adds nothing defensively and his career BA is .233 which I would guess is the lowest BA for a HOF’er. (His on base is .348, so not far off Kirby’s career OBP).

He’ll be a fascinating case to watch over the next several years.
 

coolhandgopher said:
I finished watching the HR Derby tonight (my boys were entertained by the opening round and wanted to see the conclusion) and I got to wondering, is Kyle Schwarber going to be a Hall of Famer? He’s sitting at 379 HR’s, so he has a good chance to reach 400 by the end of his age 33 season, so it’s quite reasonable to think he’ll far surpass 500. However, his overall WAR at this point is 22.2, he adds nothing defensively and his career BA is .233 which I would guess is the lowest BA for a HOF’er. (His on base is .348, so not far off Kirby’s career OBP).

He’ll be a fascinating case to watch over the next several years.
Click to expand...

No. He may end up with more HR's, but he's basically Adam Dunn with postseason success. You would have to compare him to David Ortiz and Edgar Martinez and he's not close to those two.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
No. He may end up with more HR's, but he's basically Adam Dunn with postseason success. You would have to compare him to David Ortiz and Edgar Martinez and he's not close to those two.
Click to expand...
I was thinking of Ortiz as a comparison, especially given their similarities-best positioned at DH, garrulous hometown favs, postseason success. Ortiz was about 6 WAR above Schwarber at age 32 and was pretty consistently solid through age 40 (he posted his fourth best WAR in that final season). If Schwarber mirrors Ortiz’s 30’s, he could bring those overall numbers up to a point where the conversation gets real interesting.

Since Schwarber became a full time DH, he’s steadily improved his WAR and he’s been an Ironman. I dunno-I think he could separate himself from the likes of Dunn and King Kong Dave Kingman with a few more big seasons.
 

coolhandgopher said:
I was thinking of Ortiz as a comparison, especially given their similarities-best positioned at DH, garrulous hometown favs, postseason success. Ortiz was about 6 WAR above Schwarber at age 32 and was pretty consistently solid through age 40 (he posted his fourth best WAR in that final season). If Schwarber mirrors Ortiz’s 30’s, he could bring those overall numbers up to a point where the conversation gets real interesting.

Since Schwarber became a full time DH, he’s steadily improved his WAR and he’s been an Ironman. I dunno-I think he could separate himself from the likes of Dunn and King Kong Dave Kingman with a few more big seasons.
Click to expand...
Dave Kingman. Greg Luzinski. Bob Horner. Dale Murphy. Andre Dawson.

Great memories as a little runt when it comes to these abusers of the baseball.
 

Just took a look at the All Star game box score and I hope the NL can get a hit or two in the 8th/9th inning. Through 7 innings they’ve got one hit, a single by Juan Soto off Joe Ryan. I’d rather that not be repeated ad nauseum from here on through eternity.

The NL starter got knocked around for 3 hits and 3 runs in the first inning, and since then there’s been a combined 3 hits for both squads. No pitcher has went more than one inning. I pine for the days of Atlee Hammaker!
 

Slim Tubby said:
Dave Kingman. Greg Luzinski. Bob Horner. Dale Murphy. Andre Dawson.

Great memories as a little runt when it comes to these abusers of the baseball.
Click to expand...
Cecil Fielder, Darrell Evans, Ron Kittle, Steve Balboni, Matt Stairs, Rob Deer, Andre Thornton! Remembering some guys who wouldn’t look out of place at a beer league softball game.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Cecil Fielder, Darrell Evans, Ron Kittle, Steve Balboni, Matt Stairs, Rob Deer, Andre Thornton! Remembering some guys who wouldn’t look out of place at a beer league softball game.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what I was more enamored with as a fan...the Green Monster or the Jim Rice/Fred Lynn/Carl Yazstremski starting outfield.

Throw Jack Clark and Tony Armas on that softball team, too.
 

Slim Tubby said:
I'm not sure what I was more enamored with as a fan...the Green Monster or the Jim Rice/Fred Lynn/Carl Yazstremski starting outfield.

Throw Jack Clark and Tony Armas on that softball team, too.
Click to expand...
‘80s BoSox were a pleasure; once they won the WS, the whole brand became insufferable.
One note, I think in the late ‘70s it became the Rice-Lynn-Dewey Evans with his rocket arm, and Yaz shifting to 1B.

Right there for great ‘80s outfields were the Blue Jays (George Bell-Lloyd Moseby-Jesse Barfield) and the Expos (Tim Raines-Andre Dawson-Warren Cromartie).
 

coolhandgopher said:
I finished watching the HR Derby tonight (my boys were entertained by the opening round and wanted to see the conclusion) and I got to wondering, is Kyle Schwarber going to be a Hall of Famer? He’s sitting at 379 HR’s, so he has a good chance to reach 400 by the end of his age 33 season, so it’s quite reasonable to think he’ll far surpass 500. However, his overall WAR at this point is 22.2, he adds nothing defensively and his career BA is .233 which I would guess is the lowest BA for a HOF’er. (His on base is .348, so not far off Kirby’s career OBP).

He’ll be a fascinating case to watch over the next several years.
Click to expand...

GopherWeatherGuy said:
No. He may end up with more HR's, but he's basically Adam Dunn with postseason success. You would have to compare him to David Ortiz and Edgar Martinez and he's not close to those two.
Click to expand...
The Post-Season success Schwaber has is a huge factor. If he gets another ring, especially in Philly that would greatly enhance his Cooperstown prospects, along with getting solidly past the 500 barrier.

Those alone are a massive difference from Dunn. There are a few others. 4 All Star Games (Dunn just 2). Schwarber has led in NL twice in HRs. Dunn, none.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Just took a look at the All Star game box score and I hope the NL can get a hit or two in the 8th/9th inning. Through 7 innings they’ve got one hit, a single by Juan Soto off Joe Ryan. I’d rather that not be repeated ad nauseum from here on through eternity.

The NL starter got knocked around for 3 hits and 3 runs in the first inning, and since then there’s been a combined 3 hits for both squads. No pitcher has went more than one inning. I pine for the days of Atlee Hammaker!
Click to expand...
Louis Varland coming through for his old teammate, giving up a single also to make it a 2 hitter.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom