2018 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread


Nice win by the Twins in the 1st game of the White Sox DH. Twins didn't do squat at the plate all game - went into the bottom of the 8th down 2-0. Dozier gets on via a 2-out error, and the Twins proceed to score 4 runs, including a 3-run HR by Escobar. Rodney gets the save and the Twins win 4-2, even though they were out-hit by the Sox 8-4 in the game.

Now, game #2 of the DH will be interesting. Twins brought up Zach Littell from the minors as the "26th man" to be the starting pitcher in the 2nd game - which is allowed by MLB rules. And for our North Carolina residents, Littell is from someplace called Mebane, NC and attended Eastern Alamance HS.
 

Well, that wasn’t a very good start to Mr. Littell’s MLB career...
 

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Yep, the base running this year has been abysmal. Last week sometime Molitor had Adrianza pinch run for Grossman late in the game even though Adrianza is terrible and Grossman is actually faster than him.
 


Yep, the base running this year has been abysmal. Last week sometime Molitor had Adrianza pinch run for Grossman late in the game even though Adrianza is terrible and Grossman is actually faster than him.

Molitor. When he was hired, if you would've told me the Twins would be awful at base running under him, I'd have said WTF, why are we hiring this guy?
 

Nice win by the Twins in the 1st game of the White Sox DH. Twins didn't do squat at the plate all game - went into the bottom of the 8th down 2-0. Dozier gets on via a 2-out error, and the Twins proceed to score 4 runs, including a 3-run HR by Escobar. Rodney gets the save and the Twins win 4-2, even though they were out-hit by the Sox 8-4 in the game.

Now, game #2 of the DH will be interesting. Twins brought up Zach Littell from the minors as the "26th man" to be the starting pitcher in the 2nd game - which is allowed by MLB rules. And for our North Carolina residents, Littell is from someplace called Mebane, NC and attended Eastern Alamance HS.

Rodney’s intro music is surreal.
 

Molitor. When he was hired, if you would've told me the Twins would be awful at base running under him, I'd have said WTF, why are we hiring this guy?

Molitor is a better base runner at 60-something than 80% of his players. That's a problem.
 

Yep, the base running this year has been abysmal. Last week sometime Molitor had Adrianza pinch run for Grossman late in the game even though Adrianza is terrible and Grossman is actually faster than him.

Grossman's not faster than anyone except maybe Sano and Morrison. But Adrianza is a bad base runner or at least has been this year.
 




ESPN: 10 hyped players who are running out of time to become stars

Byron Buxton, CF, Minnesota Twins
Stats: .156/.183/.200, 3 BB, 28 SO, 0 HR, minus-0.2 WAR
Age: 24.170
Peak prospect status: Consensus No. 1 (pre-2014)

Buxton has shown flashes of brilliance -- September 2016 when he hit nine home runs and the second half of 2017 when he hit .300/.347/.546 -- but between those flashes have been long droughts of empty results at the plate. I talked to Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey in spring training and one notable thing he said is that Buxton wants so badly to be a great player and can put too much pressure on himself.

Buxton is on the disabled list with a broken big toe, but before the injury he was back into some bad habits at the plate, with a 39 percent chase rate. He was at 32.4 percent in the second half last year -- still high, but at least a figure he could still do some damage on. Buxton now has more than 1,000 big league plate appearances and owns a .285 career OBP. He doesn't have to be great at the plate -- he was worth 5.2 WAR last year even with a .314 OBP thanks to his brilliant defense -- but he does need to be more consistent.

Miguel Sano, 3B, Twins
Stats: .212/.282/.449, 12 BB, 52 SO, 7 HR, minus-0.1 WAR
Age: 25.026
Peak prospect status: No. 4 (pre-2014) by MLB.com

It's easy to see why the Twins have disappointed when two of their expected cornerstone players haven't done the job. Sano's strikeout rate has gone from extreme to scary. He was at 35-36 percent his first three seasons, but he is now at 40 percent -- and that has come with a deteriorating chase rate and thus a career-low walk rate (he was at 15.8 percent as a rookie but is at 9.2 percent this year). Sano has once again missed some time, but 52 strikeouts in 29 games translates to a mind-numbing 269 over 150 games. Somewhere, Joe Sewell is crying.

Sano was a 2.5-WAR player a season ago in just 114 games, so he isn't a lost cause, but the regression in plate discipline is a big concern. His conditioning is another issue, and while he played an OK third base last season (minus-6 defensive runs saved), if he moves to first that puts even more pressure on the bat. Sano looked like a 45-homer slugger when he was so impressive as a rookie. Will he ever get there?

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23708727/10-hyped-players-running-become-stars

Win Twins!!
 

ESPN: 10 hyped players who are running out of time to become stars

Byron Buxton, CF, Minnesota Twins
Stats: .156/.183/.200, 3 BB, 28 SO, 0 HR, minus-0.2 WAR
Age: 24.170
Peak prospect status: Consensus No. 1 (pre-2014)

Buxton has shown flashes of brilliance -- September 2016 when he hit nine home runs and the second half of 2017 when he hit .300/.347/.546 -- but between those flashes have been long droughts of empty results at the plate. I talked to Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey in spring training and one notable thing he said is that Buxton wants so badly to be a great player and can put too much pressure on himself.

Buxton is on the disabled list with a broken big toe, but before the injury he was back into some bad habits at the plate, with a 39 percent chase rate. He was at 32.4 percent in the second half last year -- still high, but at least a figure he could still do some damage on. Buxton now has more than 1,000 big league plate appearances and owns a .285 career OBP. He doesn't have to be great at the plate -- he was worth 5.2 WAR last year even with a .314 OBP thanks to his brilliant defense -- but he does need to be more consistent.

Miguel Sano, 3B, Twins
Stats: .212/.282/.449, 12 BB, 52 SO, 7 HR, minus-0.1 WAR
Age: 25.026
Peak prospect status: No. 4 (pre-2014) by MLB.com

It's easy to see why the Twins have disappointed when two of their expected cornerstone players haven't done the job. Sano's strikeout rate has gone from extreme to scary. He was at 35-36 percent his first three seasons, but he is now at 40 percent -- and that has come with a deteriorating chase rate and thus a career-low walk rate (he was at 15.8 percent as a rookie but is at 9.2 percent this year). Sano has once again missed some time, but 52 strikeouts in 29 games translates to a mind-numbing 269 over 150 games. Somewhere, Joe Sewell is crying.

Sano was a 2.5-WAR player a season ago in just 114 games, so he isn't a lost cause, but the regression in plate discipline is a big concern. His conditioning is another issue, and while he played an OK third base last season (minus-6 defensive runs saved), if he moves to first that puts even more pressure on the bat. Sano looked like a 45-homer slugger when he was so impressive as a rookie. Will he ever get there?

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23708727/10-hyped-players-running-become-stars

Win Twins!!

One guy has to stay healthy, the other has to stay fit.
 




Shama: Mauer Future Looks More Uncertain

Go ahead and speculate whether Joe Mauer’s latest battle with concussion symptoms will be a major or perhaps deciding factor in whether he continues to play professional baseball after this season.

Mauer hasn’t played for the Twins since May 18. A history with concussion symptoms is a part of his storyline as a major league player. Mauer’s well-publicized concussion in 2013 led to his switching from catcher to first base. He is and was more valuable to the Twins behind the plate, but he is less likely to sustain blows to the head playing first base.

The three-time American League batting champion hasn’t been the same hitter in recent years that he was earlier in his career. In the last four seasons (starting with 2014) Mauer has hit for averages of .277, .265, .261 and .305. In the four years prior to that (beginning with 2010) his averages were .327, .287, .314 and .324.

Dating back to high school who knows how many other concussions Mauer may have experienced in athletics? Mauer’s wife Maddie has a background in nursing and it’s a good guess her medical expertise has her more concerned about Joe’s health than many spouses would be. The Mauers have young children and concerns about having a healthy dad could play into any future decisions regarding Joe’s playing career.

Mauer is 35 and will be a free agent after this season. Known to be wise with his money, Mauer is finishing up the $184 million deal he and the Twins agreed to starting with the 2011 season. He doesn’t need to continue playing for the money and could be uninterested in what the Twins or other clubs might offer for his services in 2019 and beyond.

If Mauer wants to continue his career would the Twins offer any more than $6 million per year for two or three seasons? Does the front office really want him to return? The Twins already have at least two Mauer successors at first base in Miguel Sano and Logan Morrison. The club doesn’t need Mauer at the box office as was the case several years ago when the Minnesota native was one of baseball’s big names and the franchise was moving from the Metrodome to Target Field.

Does Mauer have the passion to continue playing? The Twins don’t look like a World Series contender anytime soon. Playing on the biggest of stages might motivate a Mauer return but perhaps only with the Twins if they were a strong postseason contender. He has played his entire big league career in his home state. With a loaded bank account, history of concussions and a young family, would Mauer really want to play elsewhere?

It’s going to be an interesting period for Mauer between now and next year.

http://shamasportsheadliners.com/

Go Gophers!!
 

On the base running subject...

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If we miss the playoffs, Molitor is done. Book it.
 


I hope he's gone no matter what. He's a terrible in-game manager.

I like the guy, but he doesn't have it all together. I remember Tom Kelly explaining why he decided to retire when he did. He said he was starting to miss things and made a couple mistakes. A couple mistakes. Whether it's Molitor's lack of (minor league) managerial experience or what, he makes a lot of what I would characterize as mistakes; and I'm not alone in seeing that.
 

Hey, it's not like Molitor is telling Sano to swing at sliders that are a foot out of the strike zone. Same with all of the stupid base-running.

I think Molitor is a pretty smart baseball guy. Granted, that doesn't always translate to being a great manager, but if you're going to rank the Twins' problems this year, Molitor is going to be fairly low on the list.

having said that, Falvine inherited Molitor, so I suspect they would like an opportunity to name "their" guy as manager. Depends on how hard Pohlad wants to push to keep Molitor as the mgr.
 

Berrios with a gem today.

Complete game - 109 pitches - 10 K's - no walks - 2 runs
 

Hey, it's not like Molitor is telling Sano to swing at sliders that are a foot out of the strike zone. Same with all of the stupid base-running.

I think Molitor is a pretty smart baseball guy. Granted, that doesn't always translate to being a great manager, but if you're going to rank the Twins' problems this year, Molitor is going to be fairly low on the list.

having said that, Falvine inherited Molitor, so I suspect they would like an opportunity to name "their" guy as manager. Depends on how hard Pohlad wants to push to keep Molitor as the mgr.

I disagree. His misuse of the bullpen has been a big factor this year.
 

I disagree. His misuse of the bullpen has been a big factor this year.

Molitor was my favorite player for many years, but I can't honestly say that he is even close to a good manager. He's not Thibs bad, but he is pretty bad.
 

The Molitor burger is the best thing on the menu at the Nook.
 

I don't think Molitor is that bad, he's not good but I don't think he's as bad as you guys are saying. GophersinIowa is right he has mismanaged the bullpen use at times this year and it's frustrating but most of the crap going on with the team is just the team being knuckleheads. Now does Molitor have some influence in that? Yeah maybe, but how much? I always feel like baseball managers don't influence the game as much as other coaches in other sports. You can't blame hitting (or lack there of), base running mistakes, stupid mistakes in the field etc on the manager.

Maybe I'm biased though as I liked him as a player when I was a kid.
 


I like the guy, but he doesn't have it all together. I remember Tom Kelly explaining why he decided to retire when he did. He said he was starting to miss things and made a couple mistakes. A couple mistakes. Whether it's Molitor's lack of (minor league) managerial experience or what, he makes a lot of what I would characterize as mistakes; and I'm not alone in seeing that.

Reusse had a great quote when TK retired: The Twins lost 1,000 some games under TK. But if even 5 of them were because he got out-managed I missed a couple.
 

I don't think Molitor is that bad, he's not good but I don't think he's as bad as you guys are saying. GophersinIowa is right he has mismanaged the bullpen use at times this year and it's frustrating but most of the crap going on with the team is just the team being knuckleheads. Now does Molitor have some influence in that? Yeah maybe, but how much? I always feel like baseball managers don't influence the game as much as other coaches in other sports. You can't blame hitting (or lack there of), base running mistakes, stupid mistakes in the field etc on the manager.

Maybe I'm biased though as I liked him as a player when I was a kid.

I don't think fans are ever happy with how their teams use their bullpen. Every manager falls in love with certain guys and burn them out. Mollie is no exception.
 

In the 13 seasons under Gardy, a pitcher appeared in 77+ games three times (81 was the highest). This year there are five guys on pace to appear in 77 or more games (Pressley 94, Reed 85, Hildenberger 82, Duke 80, Rodgers 77).
 

In the 13 seasons under Gardy, a pitcher appeared in 77+ games three times (81 was the highest). This year there are five guys on pace to appear in 77 or more games (Pressley 94, Reed 85, Hildenberger 82, Duke 80, Rodgers 77).

Because the starters have been going out there and flaming out or hitting the magic 100-pitch count by the 4th or 5th inning.

In my lifetime, the biggest change in baseball has been the role of starters vs. relievers. In the 60's and into the 70's, the starter was expected to go 9 innings.
Nobody ever talked about pitch counts. the bullpen was the home to a couple of guys who failed as starters, and got to serve as "mop-up men" - what they call a long reliever today. Most teams had 1 or 2 short relievers - but the short relievers would routinely throw 2 or 3 innings at a time. Believe it or not, a lot of teams only carried 8-man pitching staffs, or maybe 9 tops.

There were a few relief pitchers who were used like today's closers, but they were the exception. Starters threw a lot more innings, meaning fewer innings needed for relief pitchers.

Today, if a starter goes 5 innings, the team is happy. 6 innings, he's an ace. Starters are throwing fewer innings, and bullpens are picking up the extra innings.

So, I don't think Molitor is doing anything radical with the bullpen. Starters need to pitch deeper in games to take the load off the pen.
 

Because the starters have been going out there and flaming out or hitting the magic 100-pitch count by the 4th or 5th inning.

In my lifetime, the biggest change in baseball has been the role of starters vs. relievers. In the 60's and into the 70's, the starter was expected to go 9 innings.
Nobody ever talked about pitch counts. the bullpen was the home to a couple of guys who failed as starters, and got to serve as "mop-up men" - what they call a long reliever today. Most teams had 1 or 2 short relievers - but the short relievers would routinely throw 2 or 3 innings at a time. Believe it or not, a lot of teams only carried 8-man pitching staffs, or maybe 9 tops.

There were a few relief pitchers who were used like today's closers, but they were the exception. Starters threw a lot more innings, meaning fewer innings needed for relief pitchers.

Today, if a starter goes 5 innings, the team is happy. 6 innings, he's an ace. Starters are throwing fewer innings, and bullpens are picking up the extra innings.

So, I don't think Molitor is doing anything radical with the bullpen. Starters need to pitch deeper in games to take the load off the pen.

I get all that and I agree. My problem is with appearances, not necessarily innings. I’ll continue to use a recent game in Kansas City as a good example. Twins starter goes 6 innings. Hildenberger throws to the first two guys of the 7th (throws 6 pitches I believe). Rodgers comes in to face a lefty (5 pitches), then Pressley (2 pitches). Then Duke comes in to start the 8th.

This was at a time when they were down a reliever. They had 7 for a little while. Reed was also unavailable that night because he had thrown the 3 previous days. So he used 3 guys in the 7th, leaving just 3 left. Hildenberger is the best on the team against lefties so it made zero sense to pull him after 6 pitches to bring in someone who’s worse against lefties. You can do things to give your bullpen a little bit more rest. It’s obvious to me they’re overworked.
 




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