2019 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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BleedGopher said:
I agree. The last two games had the feel of playoff baseball.

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Sure did. And if it weren't for a late couple runs by the Brewers in game one....the Twins would have taken both. Probably should have.

And I wasn't aware of the bad blood between Sano and Keplar. Good to know that they appear to have smoothed it over.
 

It was speculation. There was a clip after a Kepler hit a HR about a week ago that looked like things were said to each other. Could have just been heat of the moment or possibly just looked worse than it really was.
 

If you're a stats guy like I am, I really recommend following Jeremy. He posts a lot of great stuff (he just graduated high school!).

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STrib: Manager Rocco Baldelli is leading Twins in a hands-off manner

It was easy to imagine a high-strung manager fuming over the preventable error, berating Jonathan Schoop for it, perhaps levying a fine to hammer home his point. When Schoop’s absent-minded pantomime of fielding a baseball and throwing it to first base so confused first baseman C.J. Cron, he let a soft toss from pitcher Jake Odorizzi float past him, the incident seemed to require a response from the man in charge.

And it got one.

“We laughed about it,” Schoop said. “He thought it was funny.”

To Rocco Baldelli, amusement is more effective than anger, relaxed is better than regulated. The Twins’ rookie manager has loosened rules, cut back on player responsibilities and emphasized rest over routine. And as he leads his new team to his longtime home this weekend, Baldelli carries with him the best record in baseball and, some might say, validation of his laissez faire philosophy of managing.

Please note, however: Baldelli himself wouldn’t call it validation.

“Winning games is helpful. It helps the general mood, and it helps [build] confidence,” the manager said. “… Let’s not kid ourselves, though. You can provide the tools and the support and the atmosphere, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the players.”

http://www.startribune.com/manager-rocco-baldelli-is-leading-twins-in-a-hands-off-manner/510596922/

Win Twins!!
 

RandBall: Twins post highest single-game TV rating on FSN since 2010

Monday was a holiday, it wasn’t particularly nice outside and the red-hot Twins were playing a regional rival.

Buoyed by those factors and perhaps others, the Twins vs. Brewers game on Fox Sports North on Memorial Day had a whopping 11.6 household rating — the largest for a Twins game on FSN since Sept. 21, 2010, when the Twins played Cleveland and drew a 12.5 rating.

It was also the highest-rated Twins game in May ever on FSN, according to FSN Director of Communications Becky Ross Mielke.

One rating point represents 17,600 households in this market, meaning more than 200,000 households were tuned into the game.

The Twins lost Monday’s game 5-4, but the followed up with a 5-3 victory Tuesday in front of another big TV audience. That game — not on a holiday, and with better weather, though still against the Brewers — did a 10.0 rating. Aside from Monday’s game, that’s the highest rating for a Twins game on FSN since 2011.

Overall, the Twins’ TV audience is up 35 percent this year over last year, Ross Mielke said.

http://www.startribune.com/twins-post-highest-single-game-tv-rating-on-fsn-since-2010/510579442/

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Sid: Twins rewarded for signing outfielder Max Kepler to an extension

A small item in the Star Tribune on July 9, 2009, not*ed some international player signings by the Twins:

“The most prom*is*ing of the in*ter*na*tion*al pros*pects the Twins have eith*er signed or have reached a*gree*ment with are Jorge Po*lan*co and Jonatan Ynojoso, a pair of short*stops from the Dom*i*ni*can Re*pub*lic. Mike Rad*cliff, the Twins vice pres*i*dent of play*er per*son*nel, said both have of*fen*sive up*side.

“The Twins also have agree*ments with Aus*tral*i*an righthander Mark Trau and Ger*man out*field*er Max Kep*ler. Kep*ler is con*sid*ered to be the top pros*pect out of Eu*rope but is very raw.”

Who would have thought that, 10 years later, Kep*ler and Po*lan*co would not only be lead*ing the Twins’ surge to a major league-best 37-17 record, but that both would have signed team-friendly, long-term con*tracts?

Twins Chief Base*ball Of*fi*cer Der*ek Falvey and Gen*er*al Man*ag*er Thad Lev*ine made it a pri*or*i*ty this offseason to sign some of their young, high-po*ten*tial players to extensions. That led to Polanco and Kep*ler get*ting five-year deals in February — $25.75 million for Polanco and $35 mil*lion for Kepler. Kepler is signed through the 2024 sea*son, when he will be 31.

“I’m super grate*ful for [the extension],” he said.

Did he ever think this kind of ca*reer was pos*si*ble when he was play*ing base*ball in Ger*ma*ny?

“I don’t know, just put in the work, made sac*ri*fices,” he said. “Where oth*er kids were hav*ing fun, I was at the field play*ing base*ball.”

http://www.startribune.com/twins-re...fielder-max-kepler-to-an-extension/510593642/

Win Twins!!
 

BleedGopher said:
RandBall: Twins post highest single-game TV rating on FSN since 2010

Monday was a holiday, it wasn’t particularly nice outside and the red-hot Twins were playing a regional rival.

Buoyed by those factors and perhaps others, the Twins vs. Brewers game on Fox Sports North on Memorial Day had a whopping 11.6 household rating — the largest for a Twins game on FSN since Sept. 21, 2010, when the Twins played Cleveland and drew a 12.5 rating.

It was also the highest-rated Twins game in May ever on FSN, according to FSN Director of Communications Becky Ross Mielke.

One rating point represents 17,600 households in this market, meaning more than 200,000 households were tuned into the game.

The Twins lost Monday’s game 5-4, but the followed up with a 5-3 victory Tuesday in front of another big TV audience. That game — not on a holiday, and with better weather, though still against the Brewers — did a 10.0 rating. Aside from Monday’s game, that’s the highest rating for a Twins game on FSN since 2011.

Overall, the Twins’ TV audience is up 35 percent this year over last year, Ross Mielke said.

http://www.startribune.com/twins-post-highest-single-game-tv-rating-on-fsn-since-2010/510579442/

Win Twins!!
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I wonder when the Twins TV contract is up next? Sadly, I think they missed the boat for getting a massive deal. That peaked around 2014-2015 and the renewals will be for less, not more.
 

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I was lazy, so I just put my tweet in here:cool:
 

howeda7 said:
I wonder when the Twins TV contract is up next? Sadly, I think they missed the boat for getting a massive deal. That peaked around 2014-2015 and the renewals will be for less, not more.
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Not sure when it up. but it won't be FS North much longer. Sinclair once the deal is approve will own all of the 21 regional sports networks. Disney sold the the 21 regional sports networks to Sinclair.

The only network not included in this is Yes Network. the Yankees reacquired that one back.
 



gophersfan said:
Not sure when it up. but it won't be FS North much longer. Sinclair once the deal is approve will own all of the 21 regional sports networks. Disney sold the the 21 regional sports networks to Sinclair.

The only network not included in this is Yes Network. the Yankees reacquired that one back.
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Sinclair? Ugh.
 


My opinion has always been that it was best that David Ortiz went to Boston. He realized his potential there in a way he wouldn't have here because of the way he was being coached, and baseball got the gift of an all time great player and person on a big stage.

He's the microcosm of that era of Twins baseball. For the longest time, I genuinely doubted that any offensive player was well suited to playing here because of the philosophy and approach of both the front office and field management. From then to now, what a revolutionary change. For the first time since I can remember, this is a franchise that is not only getting the best out of its players with the most advanced methods, it's almost as though they're working miracles with them. And it should only trend better with continuous improvement and more thorough implementation organization-wide.

Needless to say, this should now be a very attractive destination for top free agents. The ball will be in ownership's court to pay up for those free agents, of course. But the ground is fertile for some good years at least through the near future.
 

Despite a shaky bullpen today, the Twins took an impressive 3/4 games at Tampa this weekend.

Twins are now 22 games above .500 and we have an 11.5 game lead in the division. Oh, and it's June 2.

Win Twins!!
 



STrib: Twins confirm interest in signing pitchers Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel

It’s not a matter of the Twins choosing between lefthander Dallas Keuchel and closer Craig Kimbrel. At least for now. That’s because the Twins are interested in signing both Keuchel and Kimbrel, moves that would fortify a club that has surged to baseball’s best record. Two sources with knowledge of the Twins plans confirmed their interest on Sunday.

The market dried up for both pitchers because teams would have to forfeit a pick if they signed before draft day, and teams covet their draft picks. Mostly because teams would lose the slot money from their pool of bonus money that’s attached to each pick. But those concerns ended late Sunday night, and the Twins have been in discussions with agents for both pitchers.

Kimbrel, 31, was 5-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 42 saves for the Red Sox last season. There were reports during the offseason that Kimbrel wanted a whopping $100 million over six years, which teams refused to pay. Now reports have him amenable to a three-year deal.

He had a 4.57 ERA during the second half last season and gave up eight runs in 14 innings during the postseason. Still, he has 333 career saves, the Twins could use a proven arm in the bullpen.

And the Twins are believed to have more interest in Kimbrel, at this point, than Keuchel. The Rays, Braves and Cubs are among teams in touch with Kimbrel as well.

But Keuchel, the 2015 Cy Young award winner, would bring an experienced arm to the starting rotation while allowing the Twins to move a current member of the rotation, Michael Pineda perhaps, into the bullpen. Since he’s in his first year back following Tommy John surgery, Pineda’s innings should be monitored closely.

Keuchel sought a five-year deal during offseason free agency, but teams didn’t bite. He recently let it be known that he’s willing to sign a one-year deal as long as it’s not lower than the $17.9 million qualifying offer he turned down from Houston.

The red flags with Keuchel are that he’s been on the disabled list in two of the last three seasons and his strikeout rate dropped from 7.7 per nine innings in 2017 to 6.7 last season. His career average is 7.2. But the Twins might be willing to take a shot at Keuchel on a one-year deal.

http://www.startribune.com/twins-co...chers-dallas-keuchel-craig-kimbrel/510740322/

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Win Twins!!
 

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Win Twins!!
 

Charley Walters: Twins in market for Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel

Look for the Minnesota Twins this week to be among serious pursuers of either Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel, or both of the free agents.

By waiting until the major league amateur draft that begins Monday, signing clubs no longer, by baseball rules, would lose a compensatory pick.

Both Keuchel, 31, a left-handed starter, and Kimbrel, 31, a right-handed closer, could cost the Twins between $15 million and $20 million each on pro-rated contracts just for this season. Competition is expected to include the Atlanta Braves (Kimbrel lives in Atlanta), the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies.

https://www.twincities.com/2019/06/...s-in-market-for-dallas-keuchel-craig-kimbrel/

Win Twins!!
 

Shama: Falvey & Levine Nice Fit for Twins

Falvey & Levine could be the names on the front door of a small law firm. Instead they are the baseball bosses of the Minnesota Twins, and the name of one is seldom mentioned without the other.

“They are a true partnership,” club president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners.

It was St. Peter and Twins owner Jim Pohlad who hired Derek Falvey as chief baseball officer and Thad Levine as general manager in the fall of 2016. Falvey came from the Cleveland Indians where he first began his baseball career in 2007 and rose to the level of assistant general manager (the club was in the 2016 World Series). Levine, by contrast, worked for multiple baseball organizations including the Texas Rangers where his title was assistant GM for 11 seasons prior to arriving in Minneapolis.

St. Peter said Falvey repeatedly emphasized during his interview process how important it was to hire the right general manager. While Falvey and Levine knew each other, they weren’t close before coming to the Twins, but there was potential chemistry between the two.

“I think from the very minute he and I got on the phone together, we realized we had a much stronger rapport than we would have ever expected,” Levine told Sports Headliners. “And I think we both walked in the door with pretty limited egos and with a real team-first mentality, and I think that’s allowed for us to co-exist in a very positive way.

“I also think we came from very different backgrounds. The way that the Cleveland Indians built a championship organization was different from the way the Texas Rangers built a championship organization.

http://shamasportsheadliners.com/

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I’m not sure what MLB should be more embarrassed by the lack of fans that show up to one of the top teams in Tampa or the joke of a stadium they play in.
 
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GophersInIowa said:
I’m not sure what MLB should be more embarrassed by, the lack of fans that show up to one of the top teams in Tampa or the joke of a stadium they play in.
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About 7 or 8 years ago I went to my first and only game at Tampa. It was the night after they clinched the division and there weren't more than 7,000 fans in attendance. It was pathetic. I've been to 17 different MLB stadiums and Tampa is far and away the worst I've been to.

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GophersInIowa said:
I’m not sure what MLB should be more embarrassed by, the lack of fans that show up to one of the top teams in Tampa or the joke of a stadium they play in.
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and the sad thing is that the team is virtually locked into the stadium for another decade or so. I found this in an article in Forbes magazine:

The reason the Rays aren't relocating ties into the team's stadium deal with St. Petersburg. The Rays never signed a traditional lease. Rather, they signed a Use Agreement, which prevents the team from moving out of Tropicana Field and calls for potentially catastrophic monetary damages should the Rays abandon the stadium before the deal is up in 2027. This is in stark contrast to a traditional lease, where a tenant owes the landlord what’s left on that lease after breaking it.

On top of that, the Use Agreement provides the city with the right to ask for something called specific performance, which in a nutshell means that it could ask a court to force the Rays to stay and play at Tropicana Field. However, this is generally a very difficult thing to get a court to grant when damages can be quantified, so that remedy seems unlikely.
 

Average attendance in 2019 has Miami last (under 10k a game!) and Tampa as second to last (13k). Tampa has been in the bottom 3 of average attendance since 2011.

On the radio broadcast during one of the games this weekend, they said the local tv and radio ratings are actually quite good for the Rays. It’s just that nobody goes to watch in person.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I’m not sure what MLB should be more embarrassed by, the lack of fans that show up to one of the top teams in Tampa or the joke of a stadium they play in.
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Hopefully they’ll move to Portland and become my 2nd favorite team


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Oregon Gopher said:
Hopefully they’ll move to Portland and become my 2nd favorite team


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I just found out Portland is the 25th largest metro area in the country. I didn't realize it was that large.
 

BleedGopher said:
Charley Walters: Twins in market for Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel

Look for the Minnesota Twins this week to be among serious pursuers of either Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel, or both of the free agents.

By waiting until the major league amateur draft that begins Monday, signing clubs no longer, by baseball rules, would lose a compensatory pick.

Both Keuchel, 31, a left-handed starter, and Kimbrel, 31, a right-handed closer, could cost the Twins between $15 million and $20 million each on pro-rated contracts just for this season. Competition is expected to include the Atlanta Braves (Kimbrel lives in Atlanta), the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies.

https://www.twincities.com/2019/06/...s-in-market-for-dallas-keuchel-craig-kimbrel/

Win Twins!!
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I'm not nearly as excited about either one as many others are but if they can get them on 2 year deals I'd be happy with it. 3 years would be okay, anything more would be too risky IMO.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I'm not nearly as excited about either one as many others are but if they can get them on 2 year deals I'd be happy with it. 3 years would be okay, anything more would be too risky IMO.
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I agree. Not thrilled about spending the kind of money on either one of them that it will take. I think there are better options for improving the pitching staff, including guys who have actually pitched in 2019.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
I agree. Not thrilled about spending the kind of money on either one of them that it will take. I think there are better options for improving the pitching staff, including guys who have actually pitched in 2019.
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With Keuchel, I think too many people remember his Cy Young year. He isn't the same pitcher anymore. His numbers over the last 3 years are essentially equivalent to what Gibson has done the last 1 1/2 years. He'd be an upgrade to the #5 spot in the rotation, but I don't think he's a top pitcher anymore.

And then I hear a lot about the Twins needed Kimbrel if they want to win the playoffs. He actually hasn't been very good in the playoffs the past few years.
 
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BleedGopher said:
About 7 or 8 years ago I went to my first and only game at Tampa. It was the night after they clinched the division and there weren't more than 7,000 fans in attendance. It was pathetic. I've been to 17 different MLB stadiums and Tampa is far and away the worst I've been to.

Win Twins!!
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I've never been, but I always felt it was the only stadium worse for baseball than the Metrodome. A friend from FL disagreed and said the Metrodome was far worse than the Trop.
 

GophersInIowa said:
With Keuchel, I think too many people remember his Cy Young year. He isn't the same pitcher anymore. His numbers over the last 3 years are essentially equivalent to what Gibson has done the last 1 1/2 years. He'd be an upgrade to the #5 spot in the rotation, but I don't think he's a top pitcher anymore.

And then I hear a lot about the Twins needed Kimbrel if they want to win the playoffs. He actually hasn't been very good in the playoffs the past few years.
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I'd rather have someone like Madison Bamgardner. But is he enough of an upgrade over Kuechel to justify Nick Gordon/Graderal or some similar package? I'm not sure.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I'm not nearly as excited about either one as many others are but if they can get them on 2 year deals I'd be happy with it. 3 years would be okay, anything more would be too risky IMO.
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I'm not sure either of them get 3 year deals. I think both are going to end up taking one year deals and trying again in FA. Certainly no one is giving Kuechel 3 + years at this point.
 

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