2019 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

[Bad Gopher]

Last night's loss is the manager. I know the options were limited, but you can't use Mejia in that role.

Just a strange decision to bring him in to face three lefties after the right-hander mowed them down in the 7th. And then to keep him in for the full inning as he blew up and lost the game. Did anyone ask him about that post game?

 

[howeda7]

Just a strange decision to bring him in to face three lefties after the right-hander mowed them down in the 7th. And then to keep him in for the full inning as he blew up and lost the game. Did anyone ask him about that post game?

Not sure. I was watching on DVR and hit FF once Mejia gave it up. He could have stuck with Harper or used Trevor May for the 8th. Once he gave up the HR it made sense to leave him in and let him finish i guess.

 

[howeda7]

Mejia is junk. I think the Twins thought Romero would be ready to start the season in the majors, and when he wasn't, they needed a backup plan.

Also worth noting that several guys with major league experience are rehabbing injuries, including Magill, Reed and Moya. As soon as one of those guys is healthy, I think Mejia is on his way to Rochester. (NY, not MN).

He's out of options. So he either goes into the rotation or they lose him. Personally, I've seen enough Odorizzi and would be fine giving Mejia a shot in the rotation. And frankly maybe Odorizzi wold make a better reliever, instead of his usual 5 IP, 3 ER 105 pitches.

 

[Bad Gopher]

Not sure. I was watching on DVR and hit FF once Mejia gave it up. He could have stuck with Harper or used Trevor May for the 8th. Once he gave up the HR it made sense to leave him in and let him finish i guess.

One way or another, it was a classic Bad Loss. Ask my wife what kind of mood it left me in. I had to go downstairs and have some of the strange artisinal tea we bought from the strange herbsman in Wisconsin over the weekend. I'm not totally sure it's not some kind of controlled substance.

 

[gophersfan]

Tony Diaz has some explaining to do. One of the worst decison i seen in a long time. He sent C.J. Cron home and he was throw out by a mile to end the game.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Tony Diaz has some explaining to do. One of the worst decison i seen in a long time. He sent C.J. Cron home and he was throw out by a mile to end the game.

The play was a lot closer than some are making it out to be. Cron was starting his slide when the catcher gets the ball. Either one of the relay throws are off a little bit and he scores. I think there was a greater chance of that happening than Kepler driving him in if he is held. Or at the very least it's a wash. Factor in that the Twins had just 6 hits in the game and I have no problem with being aggressive there. If they hold him and Kepler makes the 3rd out, people would be complaining that they weren't aggressive enough.

 

[howeda7]

The play was a lot closer than some are making it out to be. Cron was starting his slide when the catcher gets the ball. Either one of the relay throws are off a little bit and he scores. I think there was a greater chance of that happening than Kepler driving him in if he is held. Or at the very least it's a wash. Factor in that the Twins had just 6 hits in the game and I have no problem with being aggressive there. If they hold him and Kepler makes the 3rd out, people would be complaining that they weren't aggressive enough.

Yeah, I was OK with it. Even if he only has 1/3 chance of being safe, that's better than the odds of Kepler getting a hit. The only other factor is that Buxton would have been on second. So a Kepler hit not only ties it but wins it.

 

[Bad Gopher]

He's out of options. So he either goes into the rotation or they lose him. Personally, I've seen enough Odorizzi and would be fine giving Mejia a shot in the rotation. And frankly maybe Odorizzi wold make a better reliever, instead of his usual 5 IP, 3 ER 105 pitches.

You know, after mulling it and checking out some the Twitter brain wizards, it occurred to me: one of the fans'--and I think Twins upper management's--gripes with Molitor was that he ran a few of the relievers into the ground because they were all he trusted. In the end that's a losing formula on at least a couple levels. I think this approach is a long-term strategic commitment to 1) spreading the relief work around and 2) finding out what you got and who you CAN trust. I still feel like the team is gearing up to compete for a championship as early as next year, and this type of thing is a necessary process to set yourself up for that.

That said, he could've kept the righty (was it Parker?) in without too much harm.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

to take a different slant - the Twins got off to a nice start, and that got everyone excited.

But, I believed before the season, and I still believe, that the front office has a long-range plan for the franchise, and I do not think they expected this to be a contending team. Every player they signed in the off-season was on a 1 or 2-year contract.

I still believe that the front office is looking ahead 2 or 3 years to the point where all of the kids in the minors - Lewis, Kiriloff, Rooker, Graterol, etc are up in the majors. That is when they will go all in.

If I'm right, any success they have this year is a bonus - nice, but not necessarily anticipated.

so, if they lose a few games because of seemingly odd decisions, just chalk it up to a learning experience. I don't think Falvey and Levine are pacing the floor agonizing because they lost a game to Toronto in April. This whole season is a bit of an experiment, and they will let it play out.

 

[GophersInIowa]

to take a different slant - the Twins got off to a nice start, and that got everyone excited.

But, I believed before the season, and I still believe, that the front office has a long-range plan for the franchise, and I do not think they expected this to be a contending team. Every player they signed in the off-season was on a 1 or 2-year contract.

I still believe that the front office is looking ahead 2 or 3 years to the point where all of the kids in the minors - Lewis, Kiriloff, Rooker, Graterol, etc are up in the majors. That is when they will go all in.

If I'm right, any success they have this year is a bonus - nice, but not necessarily anticipated.

so, if they lose a few games because of seemingly odd decisions, just chalk it up to a learning experience. I don't think Falvey and Levine are pacing the floor agonizing because they lost a game to Toronto in April. This whole season is a bit of an experiment, and they will let it play out.

I think that is the big reason for signing the free agents on short term deals. Kirilloff and Rooker should be ready by next year. Lewis and Polonco will hopefully control the middle infield for many years. It will be interesting to see what they do in the OF and 1B next year if Kirilloff and Rooker are ready. If Sano can get things figured out and be the everyday 3B, that would give them the potential to have Buxton, Rosario, Kepler, Rooker, and Kirilloff start at the OF, DH, and 1B positions. Rooker would probably be the everyday 1B but maybe Kepler fills in from time to time.

Edit: I just looked up Rooker's numbers so far for Rochester. He's only played OF so far so maybe they don't see him as a 1B? Not sure what they are going to do then. Maybe they're not that high on Rooker or see him as a good trade option.

 

[howeda7]

to take a different slant - the Twins got off to a nice start, and that got everyone excited.

But, I believed before the season, and I still believe, that the front office has a long-range plan for the franchise, and I do not think they expected this to be a contending team. Every player they signed in the off-season was on a 1 or 2-year contract.

I still believe that the front office is looking ahead 2 or 3 years to the point where all of the kids in the minors - Lewis, Kiriloff, Rooker, Graterol, etc are up in the majors. That is when they will go all in.

If I'm right, any success they have this year is a bonus - nice, but not necessarily anticipated.

so, if they lose a few games because of seemingly odd decisions, just chalk it up to a learning experience. I don't think Falvey and Levine are pacing the floor agonizing because they lost a game to Toronto in April. This whole season is a bit of an experiment, and they will let it play out.

We can't perpetually be the franchise playing for next year. Cleveland isn't great. The rest of the division sucks. We have a very real chance to make the play-offs this year and we should go for it. They are basically 2 pitchers away.

 

[GophersInIowa]

We can't perpetually be the franchise playing for next year. Cleveland isn't great. The rest of the division sucks. We have a very real chance to make the play-offs this year and we should go for it. They are basically 2 pitchers away.

"Go for it" to some extent IMO. They will have the ability to add some arms at the trade deadline if they want. But I don't think you jeopardize the future for this year either. This team has the chance to be great in a few years. Not just content for the division championship but possibly contend to win it all. Polonco and Berrios look to be studs. Buxton still has a ton of potential and has looked good so far this year. Rosario, Kepler, and Garver are still young. Rogers has become one of the better bullpen arms in the league. All these guys are under team control for at least a few years too. The farm system is stacked.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

The play was a lot closer than some are making it out to be. Cron was starting his slide when the catcher gets the ball. Either one of the relay throws are off a little bit and he scores. I think there was a greater chance of that happening than Kepler driving him in if he is held. Or at the very least it's a wash. Factor in that the Twins had just 6 hits in the game and I have no problem with being aggressive there. If they hold him and Kepler makes the 3rd out, people would be complaining that they weren't aggressive enough.

The Jays had to do things right on that play:

A good throw to the cut, cut not dropping on the transfer, cut making a good throw, catcher catching and tagging.

They did all 4 right, game over.

 

[GopherJake]

The Jays had to do things right on that play:

A good throw to the cut, cut not dropping on the transfer, cut making a good throw, catcher catching and tagging.

They did all 4 right, game over.

Perfect breakdown. The error wasn't in sending him home. The error was not having a pinch-runner available to run for him. Baldie is not overly impressive to me so far. I saw the shift kill them the other night. Can't we get something between TK and the guy from Moneyball?

 

[GophersInIowa]

Perfect breakdown. The error wasn't in sending him home. The error was not having a pinch-runner available to run for him.

They didn't have anyone left. I guess they could have had a pitcher run for him but then they would have lost the DH if they went into extra innings. Cron isn't fast by any means but he isn't that slow either. He's not in the bottom 1/3 of sprint speed.

I saw the shift kill them the other night.

That will happen sometimes. But the shift has been proven to help you more often than it hurts you. People just don't notice it nearly as often when it works.

 

[GopherJake]

They didn't have anyone left.

Maybe you misread what I said, but yes, I said that was the problem.

That will happen sometimes. But the shift has been proven to help you more often than it hurts you. People just don't notice it nearly as often when it works.

Yeah, I hear you. I'm an old schooler and I have a admittedly unhealthy physical reaction to seeing a dramatic shift. So much so that I'm one who wants a rule that says you have to have at least 3 guys positioned on each side of a line bisecting the field from home plate through 2nd base. But that's just me.

 

[BleedGopher]

per Sid:

Twins play overseas?

In a recent conversation with Twins President Dave St. Peter, he said the club continues to be interested in playing international regular-*season games.

In late June, the Yankees and Red Sox will have a big series in London, the first time Major League Baseball has featured games there. Last April, the Twins played their first regular-season game away from the contiguous United States or Canada when they faced the Indians for two games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

St. Peter said MLB is always trying to find ways to raise their visibility around the world. They also have to keep up with the NBA, which has made headway into China and other Asian countries, and the NFL, which has done a good job of expanding into Europe.

“There has obviously been a huge push over time, you see it with the National Football League and all of the games they have played in London. You see it in the NBA and NHL. Baseball is no different,” St. Peter said. “There is a big focus on trying to grow our sport internationally.

“We’ll play our first games in Europe this year with the Yankees and Red Sox playing in London. We have talked to Major League Baseball about could there be a day where the Twins and [German outfielder] Max Kepler go play a game in Germany? I mean, it’s feasible.”

On another subject, St. Peter and Coyle have had several conversations about playing a Gophers hockey game at Target Field against Wisconsin or another big rival. This could happen in the near future.

The Twins have had great success holding other sporting events at the stadium.

St. John’s and St. Thomas played to the largest crowd in Division III football history at Target Field when they brought in 39,000 fans in 2017.

And this Aug. 31, seven-time FCS champion North Dakota State and Butler will play football at Target Field. Early ticket sales suggest the game could be another near-sellout.

The Gophers baseball team also has plans to play off campus, returning to U.S. Bank Stadium for nonconference spring games next season. This year they were not able to play there because of Final Four preparations.

And don’t be surprised if the Gophers men’s basketball team again plays a nonconference game at U.S. Bank Stadium, as it did against Oklahoma State in November.

http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...mparison-with-penn-state-wisconsin/508781962/

Go Gophers!!

 

[howeda7]

"Go for it" to some extent IMO. They will have the ability to add some arms at the trade deadline if they want. But I don't think you jeopardize the future for this year either. This team has the chance to be great in a few years. Not just content for the division championship but possibly contend to win it all. Polonco and Berrios look to be studs. Buxton still has a ton of potential and has looked good so far this year. Rosario, Kepler, and Garver are still young. Rogers has become one of the better bullpen arms in the league. All these guys are under team control for at least a few years too. The farm system is stacked.

That's exactly why I would sign Kuechel ASAP. You're not sacrificing anything (perhaps a draft pick depending on timing).

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

That's exactly why I would sign Kuechel ASAP. You're not sacrificing anything (perhaps a draft pick depending on timing).

I've been iffy at best on both Kimbrel and Kuechel, but with how bad Kluber has been to start, that window to win the division over the Indians is getting wider and wider (now watch Kluber toss a gem tonight).

 

[howeda7]

The Jays had to do things right on that play:

A good throw to the cut, cut not dropping on the transfer, cut making a good throw, catcher catching and tagging.

They did all 4 right, game over.

It comes down to how likely it was that he would be safe. If you assume Kepler had a 25% chance of getting a hit in the next at bat, and they had a 50/50 chance in extra innings, it was smart to send him if his chances of being safe were more than 40%.

 

[howeda7]

I've been iffy at best on both Kimbrel and Kuechel, but with how bad Kluber has been to start, that window to win the division over the Indians is getting wider and wider (now watch Kluber toss a gem tonight).

Kuchell to me is higher floor, lower ceiling. I don't think he will be awful and will certainly be an upgrade over Odorrizi/Perez. Kimbrel could be lights out, or he could have something mechanically wrong that takes half the season to figure out, or end up with Tommy John.

Cleveland's a bit hard to figure still. Got swept at KC then went into Seattle and swept them. But their offense isn't good and I think it will be a close race all year.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Maybe you misread what I said, but yes, I said that was the problem.

My bad, I read it too fast.

 

[gophersfan]

Twins sweep the doubleheader from Baltimore. They had 11 total homeruns in the 2 games. 3 in game 1 and 8 in game 2.

 

[bottlebass]

What does everyone think the over under is for Rosario home runs this season?

 

[Bad Gopher]

What does everyone think the over under is for Rosario home runs this season?

Good question. At the moment, he has more homers through the first 18 games of a season in Twins history.

 

[howeda7]

What does everyone think the over under is for Rosario home runs this season?

He's on pace to hit 81. I'll say he gets to 30. Perhaps more impressive is Garver being on pace to hit 45 while playing less than half the time.

 

[BleedGopher]

per Shooter:

Miguel Sano, dispatched last week to the Twins’ Fort Myers, Fla., base to prep for a return to the major league lineup, said he expects to play every day at third base when the club deems he’s ready, probably in a few weeks.

“No days off, that’s my goal,” he said. “I’m getting ready to start hitting some bombs and play defense.”

Sano, 25, recovered from a gashed heel from an accident that kept him out of spring training, said “a good player can put up good numbers in four months. I’m excited to get back.”

Asked his weight, he said, “I’m in good shape, and I’m strong.”

https://www.twincities.com/2019/04/20/charley-walters-vikings-to-upgrade-o-line/

Win Twins!!

 

[bottlebass]

He's on pace to hit 81. I'll say he gets to 30. Perhaps more impressive is Garver being on pace to hit 45 while playing less than half the time.

I was going to put the o/u around 35, which just seems insane to me but like you said he's on pace for 81 right now.

Hopefully when Sano gets back he's hitting bombs every game too.

 

[howeda7]

I was going to put the o/u around 35, which just seems insane to me but like you said he's on pace for 81 right now.

Hopefully when Sano gets back he's hitting bombs every game too.

Rosario's always been streaky. He's hit 5 in 3 days, but he'll probably go 3 weeks without hitting one now. Still it's impressive.

I didn't think we'd miss Sano much, but Gonzalez isn't impressing me, at least at the plate. I'd rather have Escobar back for 40% less.

 

[BleedGopher]

A nice weekend sweep in Baltimore!

Win Twins!!