All Things 2023 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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Any fantasy baseball people out there? I'm in a keeper league and have the 4th overall pick tonight. Turner, Acuna and Ramirez are almost certainly going to be taken in the top 3 spots. In addition, Judge, Tucker and Rodriguez are keepers. I'm leaning towards Soto because I think he'll bounce back in that lineup to have a monster year. Alvarez is in the mix along with Betts as he has 2B eligibility in yahoo. Thoughts?
 

GophersInIowa said:
Any fantasy baseball people out there? I'm in a keeper league and have the 4th overall pick tonight. Turner, Acuna and Ramirez are almost certainly going to be taken in the top 3 spots. In addition, Judge, Tucker and Rodriguez are keepers. I'm leaning towards Soto because I think he'll bounce back in that lineup to have a monster year. Alvarez is in the mix along with Betts as he has 2B eligibility in yahoo. Thoughts?
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I have Judge, Acuña, and Rodriguez as keepers in mine.

If I were you, I'd grab Betts. He can play 2B, and running will increase this year, if you think the huge increase at AAA last year will happen in MLB. Bichette could be interesting, but I think there are a lot of high upside SS like, Cruz, Franco, and Henderson.
 

Gopherguy0723 said:
I have Judge, Acuña, and Rodriguez as keepers in mine.

If I were you, I'd grab Betts. He can play 2B, and running will increase this year, if you think the huge increase at AAA last year will happen in MLB. Bichette could be interesting, but I think there are a lot of high upside SS like, Cruz, Franco, and Henderson.
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Dang, that's nice. I have Franco as a keeper for an 11th round pick so I'm set at SS.

Yeah that's where Betts has the advantage. OF drops off after the top 8-10 guys but 2B really drops off, especially with Altuve hurt.

I'll probably make my decision on the fly. Or someone in the top 3 picks will surprise and take someone else.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Dang, that's nice. I have Franco as a keeper for an 11th round pick so I'm set at SS.

Yeah that's where Betts has the advantage. OF drops off after the top 8-10 guys but 2B really drops off, especially with Altuve hurt.

I'll probably make my decision on the fly. Or someone in the top 3 picks will surprise and take someone else.
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Betts, OF offense at 2B. No-brainer.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Any fantasy baseball people out there? I'm in a keeper league and have the 4th overall pick tonight. Turner, Acuna and Ramirez are almost certainly going to be taken in the top 3 spots. In addition, Judge, Tucker and Rodriguez are keepers. I'm leaning towards Soto because I think he'll bounce back in that lineup to have a monster year. Alvarez is in the mix along with Betts as he has 2B eligibility in yahoo. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Agree with the others on Betts. He's pretty much the safest pick in fantasy baseball.

I'm just trying to figure out if you have 3 keepers, how is Betts even available?
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
Agree with the others on Betts. He's pretty much the safest pick in fantasy baseball.

I'm just trying to figure out if you have 3 keepers, how is Betts even available?
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So we do a +2 round keeper system. If you drafted a guy in the 6th round the year before, it takes your 4th rounder to keep him the next year, then the 2nd the year after and then you can't keep him after that. Betts was taken in the 1st last year so he isn't an option for a keeper. Judge was taken in the 3rd and the person that picked him as the 10th pick in the 1st round so he's keeping him. Rodriguez and Tucker were taken much later.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Dang, that's nice. I have Franco as a keeper for an 11th round pick so I'm set at SS.

Yeah that's where Betts has the advantage. OF drops off after the top 8-10 guys but 2B really drops off, especially with Altuve hurt.

I'll probably make my decision on the fly. Or someone in the top 3 picks will surprise and take someone else.
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It's a great outfield on paper. Arguably the three best. We'll see how it plays out.
 

howeda7 said:
Peacock is taking over a bunch of B1G games too. I guess we will be forced to subscribe. Ugh.
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You might get it free through your cable provider, if you have one. I do through charter and I believe infinity does the same thing.
 





GophersInIowa said:
Japan has some pitchers. Wow.

I loved it all and hope more top guys play in it the next time around.
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Japan pitching was phenomenal. Pretty fitting that it came down to Ohtani v. Trout.

Too bad Trout did fuck-all for the most part.
 

I'll be honest...I never have been that into the World Baseball Classic but this year sucked me in and I loved it!
 




Polanco will start the season on the DL with an injury he suffered 7 months ago but hasn't had surgery for. Kiriloff will start on the season on the DL recovering from a surgery he had ~ 8 months ago. Admittedly a complicated surgery. Buxton will exclusively DH but not play CF for "health" reasons even though all of his recent injuries occurred running the bases and batting.

The Twins front office and training staff continues to be just aces under Dr. Nick Papa Rest and Falvey. Sigh.
 

Joey Gallo is going to play 100 games at first base.

Buxton loses a lot of his value not playing in the outfield.

When the twins signed Gallo and Taylor those should have been a signs of issues. They didn’t sign Taylor to not play him in center field.
 

howeda7 said:
Polanco will start the season on the DL with an injury he suffered 7 months ago but hasn't had surgery for. Kiriloff will start on the season on the DL recovering from a surgery he had ~ 8 months ago. Admittedly a complicated surgery. Buxton will exclusively DH but not play CF for "health" reasons even though all of his recent injuries occurred running the bases and batting.

The Twins front office and training staff continues to be just aces under Dr. Nick Papa Rest and Falvey. Sigh.
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Don’t worrry about Polonco. Just cause his knee has not healed in 8 months or rest and rehab doesn’t mean it won’t get better once the season starts and you are playing 6 games a week for 6 months. He should be healed and ready to go after surgery for the 2024 season.
 

From the Parkinglot said:
Don’t worrry about Polonco. Just cause his knee has not healed in 8 months or rest and rehab doesn’t mean it won’t get better once the season starts and you are playing 6 games a week for 6 months. He should be healed and ready to go after surgery for the 2024 season.
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How did they decide no surgery was the best option? When has that ever worked? And trading Arreaz is even dumber now.
 

From the Parkinglot said:
Joey Gallo is going to play 100 games at first base.

Buxton loses a lot of his value not playing in the outfield.

When the twins signed Gallo and Taylor those should have been a signs of issues. They didn’t sign Taylor to not play him in center field.
Click to expand...
We knew Buxton was only playing 80-100 games in CF. But going from 80 to potentially none is still a big deal. If he's healthy enough to run the bases, he's healthy enough to play in the field at least half of the time.
 

howeda7 said:
We knew Buxton was only playing 80-100 games in CF. But going from 80 to potentially none is still a big deal. If he's healthy enough to run the bases, he's healthy enough to play in the field at least half of the time.
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A. It will be amazing if Buxton plays 100 games in total let alone 100 in center field.

B. Yes them babying him all spring training and DHing him when he’s been getting hurt on the base paths is stupid. He’s gonna get hurt so you might as well play him in the position he provides the most value as opposed to thinking you can keep him healthy by DHing him.
 

From the Parkinglot said:
A. It will be amazing if Buxton plays 100 games in total let alone 100 in center field.

B. Yes them babying him all spring training and DHing him when he’s been getting hurt on the base paths is stupid. He’s gonna get hurt so you might as well play him in the position he provides the most value as opposed to thinking you can keep him healthy by DHing him.
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This is how I feel.

There's no question whether Buxton will be hurt or not this year...it's a given. So, when he's healthy just take all the training wheels off and let him play.
 




From the Parkinglot said:
Joey Gallo is going to play 100 games at first base.

Buxton loses a lot of his value not playing in the outfield.

When the twins signed Gallo and Taylor those should have been a signs of issues. They didn’t sign Taylor to not play him in center field.
Click to expand...
Gallo's value is that he hits HR's and is a good outfielder. Playing him at 1B cuts that in half. Another reason letting Urshella go was dumb. Miranda could easily slide to 1B and it would minimize his shoulder issue. I guess they can still do that with Farmer but I'd much rather have Urshella.
 



ESPN's Top 100 MLB Players:

24. Carlos Correa​

SS | Minnesota Twins​

Correa's offseason adventure makes him one of the most intriguing players to watch in 2023. After all, the Twins were his default third choice. Everyone seems happy with the reunion, however, and the Twins end up getting an elite player at a discount -- as long as the old ankle injury that scared off the Giants and Mets doesn't prove problematic.

It's hard to believe Correa is still just 28 years old. He remains in the prime of his career and shows the value of a player who hits -- and hits for some power, at that -- and plays good defense at a premium position: He has averaged 7.2 bWAR per 162 games in his career. His raw OPS last season was only the fifth highest of his career, but his adjusted OPS was the second highest. He has batted 600 times just twice in his career; if he can do that, he can be a top-20 player.

Season prediction: Correa plays 150 games for the first time since 2016 and sets a career high in home runs -- and steals his first base since 2019. -- Schoenfield

64. Byron Buxton​

CF | Minnesota Twins​

We all know the story. Over the past four seasons, Buxton has hit .258/.316/.558 while playing Willie Mays defense in center field. He has averaged an incredible 8.3 WAR per 650 plate appearances since 2019 -- except that's more PAs than he had in 2021 and 2022 combined. Of his 28 home runs in 2022, 11 of them went more than 425 feet, including two over 450. The power/defense combo is so impressive that if he could play 130 games, he'd be one of the best players in baseball with top-15 overall potential. But he's now 29 and played 100 games just once in his career. There have been players who had careers ruined or shortened with injuries, but Buxton's career is turning into a weird, one-of-a-kind "what if?"

Season prediction: Yeah, right -- you may as well ask me to make my stock picks for the next 12 months or predict the weather for the first game of the World Series. There's 40-homer power here if he stays healthy, but I wouldn't count on that. -- Schoenfield

77. Pablo Lopez​

SP | Minnesota Twins​

It will be interesting to see how a former Marlins pitcher performs knowing he'll have more offense backing him. Lopez should get a boost from playing with the Twins over the offensively-challenged Marlins. He put together a solid season in 2022, but there's room to grow. The biggest step in his game last season was simply making all 32 starts, cementing him as a mid-rotation guy in the big leagues. Righties hit .218 off him last season, fifth lowest in the NL. His cutter is becoming an often-used pitch and his change-up is already really good.

Season prediction: Lopez surpasses 200 innings for the first time in his career while getting over five runs of support per game. -- Rogers

www.espn.com

MLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball's top 100 players

With Opening Day approaching, we rank -- and make predictions for -- the best 100 players in the sport for the upcoming 2023 season.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Win Twins!!
 

BleedGopher said:
ESPN's Top 100 MLB Players:

24. Carlos Correa​

SS | Minnesota Twins​

Correa's offseason adventure makes him one of the most intriguing players to watch in 2023. After all, the Twins were his default third choice. Everyone seems happy with the reunion, however, and the Twins end up getting an elite player at a discount -- as long as the old ankle injury that scared off the Giants and Mets doesn't prove problematic.

It's hard to believe Correa is still just 28 years old. He remains in the prime of his career and shows the value of a player who hits -- and hits for some power, at that -- and plays good defense at a premium position: He has averaged 7.2 bWAR per 162 games in his career. His raw OPS last season was only the fifth highest of his career, but his adjusted OPS was the second highest. He has batted 600 times just twice in his career; if he can do that, he can be a top-20 player.

Season prediction: Correa plays 150 games for the first time since 2016 and sets a career high in home runs -- and steals his first base since 2019. -- Schoenfield

64. Byron Buxton​

CF | Minnesota Twins​

We all know the story. Over the past four seasons, Buxton has hit .258/.316/.558 while playing Willie Mays defense in center field. He has averaged an incredible 8.3 WAR per 650 plate appearances since 2019 -- except that's more PAs than he had in 2021 and 2022 combined. Of his 28 home runs in 2022, 11 of them went more than 425 feet, including two over 450. The power/defense combo is so impressive that if he could play 130 games, he'd be one of the best players in baseball with top-15 overall potential. But he's now 29 and played 100 games just once in his career. There have been players who had careers ruined or shortened with injuries, but Buxton's career is turning into a weird, one-of-a-kind "what if?"

Season prediction: Yeah, right -- you may as well ask me to make my stock picks for the next 12 months or predict the weather for the first game of the World Series. There's 40-homer power here if he stays healthy, but I wouldn't count on that. -- Schoenfield

77. Pablo Lopez​

SP | Minnesota Twins​

It will be interesting to see how a former Marlins pitcher performs knowing he'll have more offense backing him. Lopez should get a boost from playing with the Twins over the offensively-challenged Marlins. He put together a solid season in 2022, but there's room to grow. The biggest step in his game last season was simply making all 32 starts, cementing him as a mid-rotation guy in the big leagues. Righties hit .218 off him last season, fifth lowest in the NL. His cutter is becoming an often-used pitch and his change-up is already really good.

Season prediction: Lopez surpasses 200 innings for the first time in his career while getting over five runs of support per game. -- Rogers

www.espn.com

MLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball's top 100 players

With Opening Day approaching, we rank -- and make predictions for -- the best 100 players in the sport for the upcoming 2023 season.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Win Twins!!
Click to expand...

Former Twin Luis Arráez checks in at #83. Amazing that's the going rate for the current AL Batting Champ.

Ohtani/Trout are #1/#2.
 

BleedGopher said:
ESPN's Top 100 MLB Players:

24. Carlos Correa​

SS | Minnesota Twins​

Correa's offseason adventure makes him one of the most intriguing players to watch in 2023. After all, the Twins were his default third choice. Everyone seems happy with the reunion, however, and the Twins end up getting an elite player at a discount -- as long as the old ankle injury that scared off the Giants and Mets doesn't prove problematic.

It's hard to believe Correa is still just 28 years old. He remains in the prime of his career and shows the value of a player who hits -- and hits for some power, at that -- and plays good defense at a premium position: He has averaged 7.2 bWAR per 162 games in his career. His raw OPS last season was only the fifth highest of his career, but his adjusted OPS was the second highest. He has batted 600 times just twice in his career; if he can do that, he can be a top-20 player.

Season prediction: Correa plays 150 games for the first time since 2016 and sets a career high in home runs -- and steals his first base since 2019. -- Schoenfield

64. Byron Buxton​

CF | Minnesota Twins​

We all know the story. Over the past four seasons, Buxton has hit .258/.316/.558 while playing Willie Mays defense in center field. He has averaged an incredible 8.3 WAR per 650 plate appearances since 2019 -- except that's more PAs than he had in 2021 and 2022 combined. Of his 28 home runs in 2022, 11 of them went more than 425 feet, including two over 450. The power/defense combo is so impressive that if he could play 130 games, he'd be one of the best players in baseball with top-15 overall potential. But he's now 29 and played 100 games just once in his career. There have been players who had careers ruined or shortened with injuries, but Buxton's career is turning into a weird, one-of-a-kind "what if?"

Season prediction: Yeah, right -- you may as well ask me to make my stock picks for the next 12 months or predict the weather for the first game of the World Series. There's 40-homer power here if he stays healthy, but I wouldn't count on that. -- Schoenfield

77. Pablo Lopez​

SP | Minnesota Twins​

It will be interesting to see how a former Marlins pitcher performs knowing he'll have more offense backing him. Lopez should get a boost from playing with the Twins over the offensively-challenged Marlins. He put together a solid season in 2022, but there's room to grow. The biggest step in his game last season was simply making all 32 starts, cementing him as a mid-rotation guy in the big leagues. Righties hit .218 off him last season, fifth lowest in the NL. His cutter is becoming an often-used pitch and his change-up is already really good.

Season prediction: Lopez surpasses 200 innings for the first time in his career while getting over five runs of support per game. -- Rogers

www.espn.com

MLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball's top 100 players

With Opening Day approaching, we rank -- and make predictions for -- the best 100 players in the sport for the upcoming 2023 season.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Win Twins!!
Click to expand...
Anyone else besides me feel really old now that Buxton is 29?
 

If the Twins did in fact run an operating loss last season, it is likely due to several factors.
1. the Twins' payment from Bally's is one of the lowest in MLB for an RSN.
2. the payroll was the highest in team history
3. the attendance was the lowest in the Target Field era (in a non-covid season)

if they want to break even in '23, with a higher projected payroll, they need to get attendance up over 2-million at a minimum.
 

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