All Things 2026 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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I rarely watch MLB but I watched the game tonight. Yawn. The NL hitters were totally over matched as 55-60% of the outs were K's.

I used to be a huge fan of MLB 30-70 years ago. It was a game that offered some excitement, strategy on the part of the coaches and was mostly fun to watch.

For example, Rod Carew stole home 7 times in one season! He and Cesar Tovar once stole home in the same game! Now its extremely rare for someone to steal home, let alone bunt, sacrfice and hit and run. Todays MLB is all about power pitching and swinging for the fences. Boring just like tonights all star game.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I think his only chance is if he gets to 600. He doesn’t do anything else really well. Or at least hasn’t over his career.
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After looking more at his numbers, it’s even more of a no. It’s wild how few doubles/triples he hits. Overall, his extra base rate is on pace with a guy like Cuddyer.
 

GophersInIowa said:
After looking more at his numbers, it’s even more of a no. It’s wild how few doubles/triples he hits. Overall, his extra base rate is on pace with a guy like Cuddyer.
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Exactly. Schwarber will have the HRs and postseason success to be a HOF, but nothing else he does is close to that level. It's not enough to get him in.
 

GophersInIowa said:
After looking more at his numbers, it’s even more of a no. It’s wild how few doubles/triples he hits. Overall, his extra base rate is on pace with a guy like Cuddyer.
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GopherWeatherGuy said:
Exactly. Schwarber will have the HRs and postseason success to be a HOF, but nothing else he does is close to that level. It's not enough to get him in.
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Carlos Delgado has 473 HRs and is not in the HoF. Everyone with more is either IN, not eligible yet or a juicer.

en.wikipedia.org

List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 



Ope3 said:
Carlos Delgado has 473 HRs and is not in the HoF. Everyone with more is either IN, not eligible yet or a juicer.

en.wikipedia.org

List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
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There just aren't guys with 500+ that were only home run hitters. Schwarber is at a disadvantage hitting leadoff (makes no sense to me) as he does not get as many RBI opportunities. A HR only DH has to put up bigger numbers IMO.

If he gets to 600 or wins a few MVPs I think he gets in. Otherwise I don't think he should. Even a guy like Stanton can at least point at a great MVP season besides his overall home runs.
 

As a general rule the 60 WAR mark is often considered the HOF cut line. Schwarber would need 7 more seasons like this one to approach that. Unlikely.
 

GophersInIowa said:
There just aren't guys with 500+ that were only home run hitters. Schwarber is at a disadvantage hitting leadoff (makes no sense to me) as he does not get as many RBI opportunities. A HR only DH has to put up bigger numbers IMO.

If he gets to 600 or wins a few MVPs I think he gets in. Otherwise I don't think he should. Even a guy like Stanton can at least point at a great MVP season besides his overall home runs.
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Even 1 MVP would seal it for Schwarbs. Tough to do in the Ohtani era though.

I think if he gets well above 500, another ring and a couple more All Star games he'll get in. May take several years and/or Vets Cmte, but it would happen, IMO.

That's a lot of ifs.
 

Gophers1992 said:
As a general rule the 60 WAR mark is often considered the HOF cut line. Schwarber would need 7 more seasons like this one to approach that. Unlikely.
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Dave Parker just got in with 40.1.
Harold Baines is in with 38.8.

Jeff Kent is in this year with a higher WAR of 55.4 but did it ever occur to anyone he would need a reservation at any time for Cooperstown?
 



Ope3 said:
Dave Parker just got in with 40.1.
Harold Baines is in with 38.8.

Jeff Kent is in this year with a higher WAR of 55.4 but did it ever occur to anyone he would need a reservation at any time for Cooperstown?
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Anything is possible with those 16 person committees.

60 is generally the magic number to have a great shot at getting in in the modern era. 50's gets you a shot. Anything below 50 is very hard unless you're a reliever (Wilhelm), had a historic stretch (Koufax) or get in from one of the committees down the road.
 
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**Disclaimer: In no way am I suggesting WAR is a perfect (or even great) metric but I think it's an easy starting point as it includes both hitters and pitchers.

Went down the rabbit hole after the Schwarber discussion.

Current players with a WAR of 50+
- 90.5 Trout
- 81.8 Verlander
- 76.7 Betts
- 74.7 Scherzer
- 66.6 Freeman
- 65.4 Goldschmidt
- 64.4 Judge
- 62.3 Machado
- 60.2 Sale
- 60.1 Jose Ramirez
- 59.5 Arenado
- 57.4 Ohtani
- 56.0 Lindor
- 55.8 Harper
- 53.5 Altuve

I did not realize Chris Sale has so many career strikeouts. He has a legit chance of getting to 3000. Currently at 2696. He had almost 2000 after the 2019 season. Injuries spoiled his chance to get to 3500+. I did not realize Goldschmidt was so high either. I think Lindor is the only one I question of this group for the Hall but could be wrong there. Altuve maybe has to wait a little bit longer because of the cheating scandal?

Of the next group, deGrom will be an interesting one. He may end up in a similar situation as Johan Santana. Two Cy Youngs and a WAR around 50. Unlikely to get in. Was surprised to see Marcus Semien at 48.9. Has no shot. Other notables are Stanton at 47 and Correa at 47. Soto is the next obvious one at 45.4, only 27 years old. So unless he falls off the face of the earth, he'll easily get in.

Salvador Perez has been mentioned (35.0) as a possibility but I'm not sure he'll get there. Consistently good but nothing to really hang his hat on. After that there really isn't anyone that close yet. Obviously a lot of younger guys that very well could be in the discussion in 3-5 years though.

www.baseball-reference.com

Career Leaders &amp Records for Wins Above Replacement | Baseball-Reference.com

Career WAR Leaders:1.Babe Ruth+/182.6/10628, 2.Walter Johnson+/168.4/2534, 3.Cy Young+/163.6/3107, 4.Barry Bonds/162.8/12606, 5.Willie Mays+/156.2/12545, 6.Ty Cobb+/149.8/13103, 7.Henry Aaron+/143.2/13941, 8.Roger Clemens/139.2/213, 9.Tris Speaker+/136.1/12021, 10.Honus&nbs
www.baseball-reference.com www.baseball-reference.com
 
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Ope3 said:
Dave Parker just got in with 40.1.
Harold Baines is in with 38.8.

Jeff Kent is in this year with a higher WAR of 55.4 but did it ever occur to anyone he would need a reservation at any time for Cooperstown?
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Me regarding Jeff Kent.

If he wasn’t playing in Bonds shadow, he’d more highly regarded and Kent>>>Rolen.

MVP, 5 x AS, 2 x SS with .290 BA and 123 OPS+.

While Sandberg was the better overall player, Kent’s offense was better.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Me regarding Jeff Kent.

If he wasn’t playing in Bonds shadow, he’d more highly regarded and Kent>>>Rolen.

MVP, 5 x AS, 2 x SS with .290 BA and 123 OPS+.

While Sandberg was the better overall player, Kent’s offense was better.
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For me, that screams Hall of Very Good, not Fame. However if guys like Baines & Parker are in, then no doubt Kent should get in too.

His last year on the BBWAA HoF Ballot, he only received 46.5% of the Vote. I side with the majority.
 



Ope3 said:
For me, that screams Hall of Very Good, not Fame. However if guys like Baines & Parker are in, then no doubt Kent should get in too.
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I’m holding out for Houston Jimenez😎
Ope3 said:
His last year on the BBWAA HoF Ballot, he only received 46.5% of the Vote.
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He was a notorious D Bag - the media and his teammates hated with the same gusto.
Ope3 said:
side with the majority.
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he’s certainly got better overall stats than Scott Rolen and I don’t care if he has a 70 WAR.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
I’m holding out for Houston Jimenez😎

He was a notorious D Bag - the media and his teammates hated with the same gusto.

he’s certainly got better overall stats than Scott Rolen and I don’t care if he has a 70 WAR.
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Except Rolen was an elite defender and Kent was average at best. The gap in their defense is way bigger than the gap in their offense.
 

Gophers1992 said:
Except Rolen was an elite defender and Kent was average at best. The gap in their defense is way bigger than the gap in their offense.
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true, but I see Kent take over games for his offense. Rolen, for me, is an upgraded version of of Gaetti.
 
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Jeff Kent was very good for a long period of time. Kinda similar to someone like Blyleven. Kent maybe had some better high moments including an MVP season than Bert but kinda the same group IMO. He was just good to very good for the bulk of his 17 years. There's value in that.

The more I've looked into Chase Utley, the more I've realized he was criminally underrated at the height of his career. Always overshadowed by Howard or Rollins even on his own team. Him finishing 14th in the 2008 NL MVP race is downright ridiculous (Brad Lidge finished 8th???) .900+ OPS 5 straight seasons. Never won a gold glove even though he was very good on defense. He's a good example of a player continuing to play hurting his chances. He was not very good his last 4 seasons.
 

GophersInIowa said:
**Disclaimer: In no way am I suggesting WAR is a perfect (or even great) metric but I think it's an easy starting point as it includes both hitters and pitchers.

Went down the rabbit hole after the Schwarber discussion.

Current players with a WAR of 50+
- 90.5 Trout
- 81.8 Verlander
- 76.7 Betts
- 74.7 Scherzer
- 66.6 Freeman
- 65.4 Goldschmidt
- 64.4 Judge
- 62.3 Machado
- 60.2 Sale
- 60.1 Jose Ramirez
- 59.5 Arenado
- 57.4 Ohtani
- 56.0 Lindor
- 55.8 Harper
- 53.5 Altuve

I did not realize Chris Sale has so many career strikeouts. He has a legit chance of getting to 3000. Currently at 2696. He had almost 2000 after the 2019 season. Injuries spoiled his chance to get to 3500+. I did not realize Goldschmidt was so high either. I think Lindor is the only one I question of this group for the Hall but could be wrong there. Altuve maybe has to wait a little bit longer because of the cheating scandal?

Of the next group, deGrom will be an interesting one. He may end up in a similar situation as Johan Santana. Two Cy Youngs and a WAR around 50. Unlikely to get in. Was surprised to see Marcus Semien at 48.9. Has no shot. Other notables are Stanton at 47 and Correa at 47. Soto is the next obvious one at 45.4, only 27 years old. So unless he falls off the face of the earth, he'll easily get in.

Salvador Perez has been mentioned (35.0) as a possibility but I'm not sure he'll get there. Consistently good but nothing to really hang his hat on. After that there really isn't anyone that close yet. Obviously a lot of younger guys that very well could be in the discussion in 3-5 years though.

www.baseball-reference.com

Career Leaders &amp Records for Wins Above Replacement | Baseball-Reference.com

Career WAR Leaders:1.Babe Ruth+/182.6/10628, 2.Walter Johnson+/168.4/2534, 3.Cy Young+/163.6/3107, 4.Barry Bonds/162.8/12606, 5.Willie Mays+/156.2/12545, 6.Ty Cobb+/149.8/13103, 7.Henry Aaron+/143.2/13941, 8.Roger Clemens/139.2/213, 9.Tris Speaker+/136.1/12021, 10.Honus&nbs
www.baseball-reference.com www.baseball-reference.com
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Re: Johan, I was reading somewhere last year, when the discussion was about Felix Hernandez’s viability as a HOF candidate that soon starting pitchers are going to need to be evaluated differently in HOF consideration and Santana was brought up as a prime candidate for such reconsideration. As much as I loved Santana, I don’t know that I see it—for 5/6 years he was probably the best pitcher in baseball, but injuries did him in. In fact, pretty comparable to Sandy Koufax.
 

GophersInIowa said:
**Disclaimer: In no way am I suggesting WAR is a perfect (or even great) metric but I think it's an easy starting point as it includes both hitters and pitchers.

Went down the rabbit hole after the Schwarber discussion.

Current players with a WAR of 50+
- 90.5 Trout
- 81.8 Verlander
- 76.7 Betts
- 74.7 Scherzer
- 66.6 Freeman
- 65.4 Goldschmidt
- 64.4 Judge
- 62.3 Machado
- 60.2 Sale
- 60.1 Jose Ramirez
- 59.5 Arenado
- 57.4 Ohtani
- 56.0 Lindor
- 55.8 Harper
- 53.5 Altuve

I did not realize Chris Sale has so many career strikeouts. He has a legit chance of getting to 3000. Currently at 2696. He had almost 2000 after the 2019 season. Injuries spoiled his chance to get to 3500+. I did not realize Goldschmidt was so high either. I think Lindor is the only one I question of this group for the Hall but could be wrong there. Altuve maybe has to wait a little bit longer because of the cheating scandal?

Of the next group, deGrom will be an interesting one. He may end up in a similar situation as Johan Santana. Two Cy Youngs and a WAR around 50. Unlikely to get in. Was surprised to see Marcus Semien at 48.9. Has no shot. Other notables are Stanton at 47 and Correa at 47. Soto is the next obvious one at 45.4, only 27 years old. So unless he falls off the face of the earth, he'll easily get in.

Salvador Perez has been mentioned (35.0) as a possibility but I'm not sure he'll get there. Consistently good but nothing to really hang his hat on. After that there really isn't anyone that close yet. Obviously a lot of younger guys that very well could be in the discussion in 3-5 years though.

www.baseball-reference.com

Career Leaders &amp Records for Wins Above Replacement | Baseball-Reference.com

Career WAR Leaders:1.Babe Ruth+/182.6/10628, 2.Walter Johnson+/168.4/2534, 3.Cy Young+/163.6/3107, 4.Barry Bonds/162.8/12606, 5.Willie Mays+/156.2/12545, 6.Ty Cobb+/149.8/13103, 7.Henry Aaron+/143.2/13941, 8.Roger Clemens/139.2/213, 9.Tris Speaker+/136.1/12021, 10.Honus&nbs
www.baseball-reference.com www.baseball-reference.com
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It’ll be interesting to see how Machado and Jose Ramirez are considered, particularly if their careers level off and they don’t add significantly to their WAR totals. 3B, for whatever reason, has been the toughest position to crack for HOF’ers and there are two, Graig Nettles and Buddy Bell, who my This Week in Baseball watching pre-teen self believe should be in the Hall and their numbers are where Machado and Ramirez basically sit right now.
 

coolhandgopher said:
It’ll be interesting to see how Machado and Jose Ramirez are considered, particularly if their careers level off and they don’t add significantly to their WAR totals. 3B, for whatever reason, has been the toughest position to crack for HOF’ers and there are two, Graig Nettles and Buddy Bell, who my This Week in Baseball watching pre-teen
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Best thing on TV😃 at that point in my life and possibly ever!


coolhandgopher said:
self believe should be in the Hall and their numbers are where Machado and Ramirez basically sit right now.
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coolhandgopher said:
Re: Johan, I was reading somewhere last year, when the discussion was about Felix Hernandez’s viability as a HOF candidate that soon starting pitchers are going to need to be evaluated differently in HOF consideration and Santana was brought up as a prime candidate for such reconsideration. As much as I loved Santana, I don’t know that I see it—for 5/6 years he was probably the best pitcher in baseball, but injuries did him in. In fact, pretty comparable to Sandy Koufax.
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I’m convinced if he wasn’t robbed of the 3rd Cy Young, he’s in.
 

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