2018 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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Well, the bullpen did figure in tonight's loss. Freakin' Pressley drives me nuts. guy can consistently hit 97 with the fast ball, so of course, he hangs a curve ball to Kinsler for a 2-run HR. Then, he comes back and strikes out Trout on three heaters. Would love to know if the catcher called the curve or Pressley shook him off.
Of course, whatever pitch is called, you still have to execute it, and Pressley just leaves too many curves up in the zone.

If they're going to make a change in the pen, Pressley is the first guy I'd move.
 


Patrick Reusse: Twins are being shortchanged in criticism, when compared with Wolves

Bottom line: I feel as though the 2018 Twins are being shortchanged in criticism.

First off, if you want to rip Wiggins for failing to come close to a satisfactory level of performance … well, the Twins have a pair of Wiggins’: Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton.

There was an indication of pending greatness for Sano after his arrival on July 2, 2015 as a rookie. Three seasons later, Sano is mired in futility that threatens to make him the biggest bust in Minnesota’s nearly six decades as an official major league sports market.

We’re talking about biggest in expectations, and not any other area, so keep those jokes to yourselves.

Any such list would not be a competition of high draft choices that flopped for the Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, etc. This would be players that received a phenomenal buildup, showed ability, and drifted into mediocrity while still young.

Christian Laettner comes to mind; decent numbers, no positive impact on the franchise. Charlie Coyle is threatening to be a different sort of a flop; a hockey player people thought would become extra-good, not great, and is now perceived as on the trade market while in his mid-20s.

It’s a short list – all-time flops – that were greeted with the anticipation of Sano. Miguel isn’t official yet, and he doesn’t have to wind up there, but he’s on the watch list … along with Buxton and Wiggins.

There’s one large difference with Wiggins: He plays. The Timberwolves have played 333 games in his four seasons and he has played 332.

Sano has missed a bunch. So has Buxton, now on the disabled list with his .156 batting average.

Sano has a natural hitting ability that he is not close to tapping because of his wild, overamped swing. If he ever chooses to start staying on a breaking ball and bashing it to right-field gap, there is still hope.

Buxton has a tougher task of being on time with his multi-part swing, and with the game being taken over by the increased velocity from pitchers in general -- a future of solid hitting numbers seems increasingly iffy.

David Schoenfield had a piece on ESPN.com last week under the headline, “10 hyped players who are running out of time to become stars.’’

Sano and Buxton were second and third on that list.

For five years, they were going to be the combination – power and speed – to put the excitement back in the Sad Old Game for baseball absentees. Instead, they have become a major reason to continue ignoring the Twins completely.

For audience building, that’s worse than the non-stop complaints aimed at Thibs and Wiggy.

http://www.startribune.com/twins-ar...riticism-when-compared-with-wolves/485077051/

Win Twins!!
 



RandBall: Sano and Buxton entering dangerous territory for Twins

The Cooler: Miguel Sano is on a pace that would see him strike out more than 250 times in a season of 600-plus plate appearances. Byron Buxton has a .383 on base-plus-slugging percentage, which is awful.

Maybe all the hype was unfair because it set both players up for only two outcomes: living up to it, whereby fans enjoy it but also expect it … or not living up to it, whereby fans get hostile.

But they were also hyped because of their track records. And the flashes in the majors suggest star ability is still lurking within both Sano and Buxton.

Schoenfield is right, though. Both guys debuted in 2015, so this is the fourth year in the majors. We’re no closer now than we were when Sano and Buxton arrived to knowing what their futures hold — or if we are, the needle is tilted in a negative direction.

And if they don’t make it, everything we thought we knew about the Twins’ ceiling changes.

http://www.startribune.com/sano-and-buxton-entering-dangerous-territory-for-twins/485250811/

Win Twins!!
 

Shama: Twins Need Catching Help Now

Catcher is the position where the Twins, currently with a 28-34 record, have their biggest need. The position is unsettled on the franchise’s major league roster, and in the minor league system the talent is thin. It wouldn’t be surprising if front office decision makers Derek Falvey and Thad Levine announce a trade this month involving a catcher, or acquiring a player at another position who can help the struggling offense.

Only seven of 30 MLB teams have scored fewer runs than the Twins. Minnesota is 3-13 in one-run games, and 17-26 in games decided by two runs or less.

Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto might be available. The 27-year-old is hitting .301 and is a rising star. Miami is a bad team, struggling to draw fans and has a front office that can be unpredictable.

Falvey and Levine possess some trade pieces that could be attractive to other clubs including 30-year-old starting pitcher Kyle Gibson. Despite a 1-4 record and an inconsistent career path, Gibson this season has held opponents to two or fewer runs eight times. Gibson could be expendable because the Twins have depth in their starting rotation and quality prospects in the minor leagues.

http://shamasportsheadliners.com/

Win Twins!!
 


All the excitement I had heading into the season is all but gone. Rosario has been fun to watch and Romero and Berrios also, but that's it. Their season is pretty much over too.
 




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Win Twins!!
 

Soooooo, does this mean we see Chris Carter, Astudillo, Kennys Vargas, or another pitcher? Haven't seen any other roster moves yet.

This probably helps the immediate production of the current team; hard to imagine anyone replacing Sano right now that would be LESS productive.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Soooooo, does this mean we see Chris Carter, Astudillo, Kennys Vargas, or another pitcher? Haven't seen any other roster moves yet.

This probably helps the immediate production of the current team; hard to imagine anyone replacing Sano right now that would be LESS productive.
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If they want to help production, they can start by shuffling the lineup. Dozier has no business being a leadoff hitter at this point.
 



BleedGopher said:
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Win Twins!!
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"Things we can control" = meaning, we are going to watch every bite of food Sano puts in his mouth, and make him work out 24/7 until he loses 25 pounds, minimum.
 


short ornery norwegian said:
"Things we can control" = meaning, we are going to watch every bite of food Sano puts in his mouth, and make him work out 24/7 until he loses 25 pounds, minimum.
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Plus, his swing is a mess. With extended spring training down there for another couple of weeks, he has time to work with the coaches to get that straightened out.
 

STrib: Twins begin task of repairing Miguel Sano's swing

Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey referred to Miguel Sano's conditioning more than once while delivering the shocking news on Thursday that Sano was being demoted to Class A Fort Myers.

Sano's weight — he reported to training camp weighing 293 pounds — has made him a paunch line. But keep in mind players with bellies can produce at a high level in this game — the All-Star third baseman has a better chance to add 40 points to his batting average than to lose 40 pounds. So solving Sano means solving his swing, and a few weeks in Florida could work for him.

The Sano who has been flailing at breaking pitchers off the plate and getting beat by fastballs is not the same player with the prodigious power who was an All-Star last season and finished second to Giancarlo Stanton in the Home Run Derby. This version of Sano is falling behind in the count and flailing after breaking pitches out of the strike zone.

Twins hitting coach James Rowson pointed to the slider, a pitch against which Sano is hitting .129 according to Brooks Baseball, as a problem. When he lays off that pitch, it's a sign to Rowson that Sano is in a good place.

"It's one of those things we've really got to lock in on," Rowson said, "getting off that slider that is down and out of the zone." When Sano sees a slider, it's usually later in the count. And Sano has been brutal when behind in the count, batting .092 with two strikes. That's 310th among players with at least 50 plate appearances in that situation.

Twins manager Paul Molitor was asked bluntly if Sano has a two-strike approach at the moment.

"Yeah. I think he does," Molitor said. "Does he execute it as of late? Not particularly well. He's in a little bit of guess mode. I think that most hitters try to be ready for anything, is what you've got to be. You have to protect against everything, and it seems like he's thinking fastball and he gets a slider. Then he's thinking slider and he gets a fastball."

The results have been horrific. A .203 batting average, seven home runs and 27 RBI in 37 games. His .636 on base-plus-slugging percentage is below Ehire Adrianza's (.727). His strikeout percentage of .405 (!) would lead the majors if he qualified for the leaderboard.

So off to Florida.

http://m.startribune.com/twins-begin-task-of-repairing-miguel-sano-s-swing/485670812/

Win Twins!!
 

They called up Taylor Motter instead of Nick Gordon. Cut the crap already and stop making us watch guys like this, LaMarre and Robbie Grossman. Get Gordon and Lamonte Wade etc. up here. They can't possibly be worse and they actually have a future with this team.
 

howeda7 said:
They called up Taylor Motter instead of Nick Gordon. Cut the crap already and stop making us watch guys like this, LaMarre and Robbie Grossman. Get Gordon and Lamonte Wade etc. up here. They can't possibly be worse and they actually have a future with this team.
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You might see some changes after June, when the Super 2 possibility is past.
 

Another stellar start for Kyle Gibson, 7 IP, 1 ER against the Indians to come up with the win.

In his last 4 starts, he’s averaging 6.2 IP with a 1.69 ERA. He’s had 3-4 somewhat stinkers this year so far but has been otherwise really good. Very nice to see.
 

With how the pitching has come around, this Twins team is one or two bats away from being a serious contender!! With any luck, Polanco comes back and tears it up! Put Adrianza back on the bench or back in Rochester!

Win Twins!!!
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Another stellar start for Kyle Gibson, 7 IP, 1 ER against the Indians to come up with the win.

In his last 4 starts, he’s averaging 6.2 IP with a 1.69 ERA. He’s had 3-4 somewhat stinkers this year so far but has been otherwise really good. Very nice to see.
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Amazing it was only his 2nd win of the season.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Amazing it was only his 2nd win of the season.
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Romero is quietly putting together a decent season as he learns how to pitch at the big league level also! Definitely some reason for optimism!

Take away his one clunker against Kansas City, he's averaging a little over 5IP per start, is 3-1 with a 2.66 ERA if my math is right. Pitch count gets too high to fast but the young man is only 23.

Nice to see some of the young prospects looking like they can be big league players!!
 

I am resigned to the fact that I'm going to have a love/hate relationship with Rosario as long as he's a Twin. Baserunning gaffe likely costs the Twins at least one run. Fails to throw to the cutoff when he has no chance to get the guy at the plate, giving the Indians free bases. But he goes 4-4 at the plate, so all is forgiven.
 

Worth remembering - some observers/writers believe that Falvene are really planning for 2019 and beyond. After this season, Mauer's salary comes off the books. Phil Hughes and his salary are gone. Dozier could be gone after this year. If I have this straight, the team only has 3 contracts guaranteed for 2019, with a total of $21 million. That gives them a lot of payroll flexibility to sign free agents or add salary in trades.

In other words, this team could look a lot different in a year or two.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Worth remembering - some observers/writers believe that Falvene are really planning for 2019 and beyond. After this season, Mauer's salary comes off the books. Phil Hughes and his salary are gone. Dozier could be gone after this year. If I have this straight, the team only has 3 contracts guaranteed for 2019, with a total of $21 million. That gives them a lot of payroll flexibility to sign free agents or add salary in trades.

In other words, this team could look a lot different in a year or two.
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This is the key point through all of this. It's heading in the right direction long term. Many including myself predicted a half stop back this year, which is a bummer but shouldn't distract from the real story, which is the foundation being built and all the young, capable pitching.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Worth remembering - some observers/writers believe that Falvene are really planning for 2019 and beyond. After this season, Mauer's salary comes off the books. Phil Hughes and his salary are gone. Dozier could be gone after this year. If I have this straight, the team only has 3 contracts guaranteed for 2019, with a total of $21 million. That gives them a lot of payroll flexibility to sign free agents or add salary in trades.

In other words, this team could look a lot different in a year or two.
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We get rid of this complete stiff too: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/22577765/logan-morrison-agrees-one-year-contract-minnesota-twins

He came up again yesterday with runners on 2nd and 3rd and less than 2 outs, needing only to make contact to score a run and pathetically struck out. His plate coverage is terrible.
 

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The overall crappieness of LoMo, Buxton, Sano, etc. has taken the spotlight off of Dozier's miserable season. He's hitting .188 in the last month and .038 in the past week. Good luck with your free agent negotiations!
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
The overall crappieness of LoMo, Buxton, Sano, etc. has taken the spotlight off of Dozier's miserable season. He's hitting .188 in the last month and .038 in the past week. Good luck with your free agent negotiations!
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Kepler's been awful lately too. If it weren't for the fact that demoting him would only give Robbie Grossman (who's even worse) more AB's I'd say he could use a couple weeks in AAA. They really need get Gordon, Lamonte Wade and Chris Carter up here. They can't be worse than what we have.
 

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