All Things 2023 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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howeda7 said:
Falvey and Dr Nick Papa Rest wiff again. Ben Johnson-Esqueer incompetence.
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I'm not sure how the trainer can be tagged with that, he's only worked with Mahle 2 months. More likely a pre-existing condition.
 



Ope3 said:
I'm not sure how the trainer can be tagged with that, he's only worked with Mahle 2 months. More likely a pre-existing condition.
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I'm not blaming him for the injury, but the "it's fine. No one is worried" BS from Thursday night was laughable.

It's more about the fact that we traded for an injured pitcher. Again. ~6 starts total from Paddock and Mahle over 3.5 years of service time. Woof.
 

howeda7 said:
I'm not blaming him for the injury, but the "it's fine. No one is worried" BS from Thursday night was laughable.

It's more about the fact that we traded for an injured pitcher. Again. ~6 starts total from Paddock and Mahle over 3.5 years of service time. Woof.
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The "it's fine, on is worried" I thought was coming from Mahle more than anyone. At least on the post game show, that's what I recall. Baldelli didn't seem overly concerned but I thought was more reserved "we'll wait and see".

You're right the bigger issue is the Twins braintrust trading for damaged goods in the first place.

It would nice if both Kepler could maintain his upward trajectory while Kirilloff demonstrate health/ability for a long enough duration to trade Kepler for a 4th or 5th starter. One that does not break down in less than 25 innings.
 


from what I've been reading, it sounds like two things involved with Kirilloff.

1. the Twins want to see how he does playing regular games on a daily basis. the unsaid part is maybe they're not sure how the wrist will hold up under a heavier workload.

2. if they bring Kirilloff up, that triggers some roster juggling that they are apparently not willing to tackle at this time. Kepler has been hitting better; Larnach has been solid and Gallo has done better than expected - so if you bring Kirilloff up, who goes and where does Kirilloff play? the unsaid part is - if Buxton was able to (or the Twins would let him) play CF, that opens up a spot in the batting order. but the last I read was that the Twins don't want Buxton in CF until "it's warmer."
 

GophersInIowa said:
I’m pretty sure this just means his rehab time ran out so they’re had to do something. May just want him to get a little more “rehab” even if it’s technically not called that anymore.
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Exactly right.

This is not only about the short-term results, but also long-term ramifications.

We’re on a pace after the first month to win 95 games @.586 clip.

Have any bon mots been foisted on the brain trust for trading & developing Durán and trading Graterol, since they knew what they had in Duran.

Naturally, Rocco uses coach speak, just like every other coach in baseball or professional sports in my experience.
 
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golfing18now said:
The Cleveland Guardians were 4 games above .500 on September 4th last year and then ran away with the division in September. Ridiculous to suggest any games in April are must win.

A really good target in my mind is to finish 4 games above .500 each month. At that point you are 24 games above .500 at the end of the year and clearly in contention for the playoffs. If the Twins finish this homestand 6-4. they would have had a successful April in my view and 5 games above .500.
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Very happy with the Twins April, finishing 5 games above .500.

Now pick up another 4 games to .500 in May and they will be well on pace to make the playoffs.
 

It's amazing to see the May 1 standings with both the Yankees and Red Sox tied for 4th/5th a full 8 games behind the AL East leading Rays. They are only 1/2 game out of the Wild Card though.
 



Ope3 said:
It's amazing to see the May 1 standings with both the Yankees and Red Sox tied for 4th/5th a full 8 games behind the AL East leading Rays. They are only 1/2 game out of the Wild Card though.
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Love to see the Yanks whiff on the playoffs.

Amazing to see the Os coalesce this year - very cool.
 
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AL East. .592
NL East. .4889
NL Central. .4887
NL West. .473
AL West. .462
AL Central. .392

SSS, but striking how much better is the AL East and worse is the AL Central than the other divisions.
Twins are 8-2 against the Central and 9-10 against everyone else.
 

found this online from another fan and thought it would be interesting as it goes through the recent trades made by the brain trust (credit to Zeus (the fan who posted it, not the god) -

FWIW Urshela is currently sporting an 86 OPS+ so far this year. Small sample but the people who cried that the Twins would regret trading him have been incorrect thus far. He was traded for Alejandro Hildago, who has a low ERA in High A but has walked over a batter an inning while striking out far fewer batters. Small sample size is reflected in this and he is just 20 in High A so lots of time for him to develop.

Let's go through some other ones:

1.) Luis Arraez is hitting .438 for the Marlins but has also been injured twice this year (knee and finger). This will be interesting to watch play out as the best and worst case scenario are playing out - Arraez is hitting well and slugging more as he showed hints of last year but he also appears to still be injury prone and perhaps not a great long term match at 2B. Pablo Lopez has been good and was extended of course while Jose Salas has struggled in a small sample in high A, though he's two years younger than the competition.

2.) Michael A Taylor is a nice piece for the Twins while the two relievers are still in the minors. Cruz has been decent and Sisk has been hit around. They're lottery tickets so one making the majors would be a victory for the Royals.

3.) Kyle Farmer had a freak injury but has been good for the Twins. Casey Legumina is on the Reds MLB squad and has been a useful reliever in a small sample. His minor league track record doesn't support that but we shall see.

4.) Sonny Gray has been an ace for the Twins while Chase Petty has yet to make his season debut with the dreaded elbow injury.

5.) Sandy Leon is no longer a Twin and had a minimal impact on the team. Ian Hamilton is no longer a Guardian and never pitched in the majors for them. Pretty boring trade.

6.) Mahle's trade looks bad for the Twins but mostly because of his injury. Spencer Steer has a 92 OPS+. He's young and will likely be okay but he seems more decent regular than star. Christian Encarnacion-Strand is tearing up AAA but it's been 30 ABs. He has the start potential to make the Twins rue that trade but it remains to be seen if he can tone down the K'S.

7.) Jorge Lopez is excelling for the Twins again, though they likely bought high on him. Cade Povich, who headlined the trade, has been okay at AA but nothing special. But throw-in Yannier Cano is dominating the majors right now, having no BB or K in 11 innings. Hard to predict this coming but that's why teams trade for random relievers.

8.) Josh Donaldson has been injured and in a small sample, is hitting terrible for the Yankees. IKF has shifted to CF and has been unplayable, as the Yankees have gone back to Aaron Hicks, also terrible. Rortvedt is in AAA and seems to be settling into his career as a third/fourth catcher.

9.) Jose Berrios continues to struggle. SWR is a candidate to start games for the Twins while Austin Martin continues to languish on injured lists and seems unlikely to debut for the Twins until late 2024.

10.) Joe Ryan is a strong member of the Twins staff while Strotman is out of the Twins org. Nelson Cruz is no longer a Ray but is putting up good numbers for the Padres, which is good to see. Can he play until 45? Can he hit 500 homers and put some pressure on the Hall?

11.) Maeda is injured again. Graterol has started the year hot and in year 4 for the Dodgers, is finally closing some games as part of a committee approach. This is a good outcome for the Dodgers but not what Twins fans worried about when he was traded. He's never turned into a starter, which was a possibility at the time of the trade.

12.) Jake Cave is no longer a Twins but Luis Gil is still recovering from Tommy John. Trade still looks good for the Twins.

13.) Jamie Garcia is retired but Huascar Ynoa is on the 60-day DL and seems headed to Tommy John. He no longer seems an MLB starter. Perhaps he can come back as a reliever?

14.) Lamonte Wade is off to a strong start in limited ABs, as he is still being shielded from lefties and is more of a platoon OF. It's hard to see him being on the Twins given their glut of LH OFers. His power stroke as a Giant seems real and is quite unexpected, though he seems more of a platoon 4th OF than a true star.

Sorry that got long. Not a lot of rough ones there - the Mahle trade looks like the worst and it's not settled while the Lopez Orioles trade could end up bad but it'll be hard to blame the Twins for not holding on to Cano given his track record at the time.
 



Bad Gopher said:
My late father in law was a hall-of-fame high school baseball coach. One time, his star hitter was in an extended slump, and the coach walked up to him in the dugout after he made an out and said something like, "At some point you might want to do something to help the team." The player went on a hot streak right after that. At some point, Rocco needs to take the kid gloves off and challenge Correa to help the team.
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But he might cry.
 

This post is part of the Twins' mailbag article on The Athletic (i am presenting the most salient ones which have garnered the most attention on here)

Thanks to Aaron Gleeman and a quick plug for The Athletic - easy the best $1 I spend a month - yes a sawbuck. Their reporting is unparcelled IMO, not only the team specific stuff, but the league wide coverage. For example, they just had a unvarnished review of Miranda's first year in the bigs - happy anniversary Jose! - his OPs+ 109, but he has a ways to go to get to ~130, where you ideally want a third sacker to be and take the next step forward with his D. He may stay there, end up at first/DH or trade bait.

Twins mailbag: Alex Kirilloff in the minors, Byron Buxton at DH and extension talk

One month of the 2023 season is in the books and the Twins have played at a 95-win pace, going 17-12 to sit atop the American League Central. There have already been plenty of ups and downs, and last year’s injury problems haven’t been solved, but the rest of the division looks even weaker than expected and the Twins went 6-4 versus the Yankees and Astros, showing lots of fight against American League heavyweights.

Byron Buxton as the designated hitter every day is getting absurd. Can we get some answers on this? — Tony B.

Byron Buxton has been limited to designated hitter duties because his surgically repaired right knee remains an issue and the Twins want his bat in the lineup as much as possible, believing Gold Glove-winning offseason addition Michael A. Taylor can hold down center field in the meantime. They laid out their plan for Buxton late in spring training and have stuck with it through one month.

And guess what? It’s worked.

Buxton has played 90 percent of the Twins’ games, compared to 57 percent last season and 43 percent over the past five years combined. He has the third-most plate appearances on the team, batting .258/.324/.557 with seven homers and seven doubles/triples to out-produce the average DH by 151 points of OPS. He also leads Twins hitters in Win Probability Added, stepping up in clutch spots.

Taylor has also done a solid job as the everyday center fielder, on both sides of the ball. He’s played quality defense while adding some much-needed speed and small-ball tools, and he’s smacked four homers on the way to a 100 OPS+ at the bottom of the lineup. Oh, and the Twins are in first place, including playing at a 110-win pace with Buxton in the starting lineup.

I’m of the belief that the Twins will eventually want to make at least some room at DH for young, bat-first players like Alex Kirilloff, Edouard Julien and Matt Wallner, so using Buxton strictly at DH could be tricky long-term, but for now it’s been anything but “absurd.” Buxton has been healthy and hugely productive, Taylor has been a two-way asset and they’re winning.

Will the Twins try to extend Michael A. Taylor’s contract for another season or two? — Scott A.

Regardless of what their plan is for Buxton’s future as a center fielder, it’s clear the Twins need another starting-caliber center fielder on the roster. That’s why they went out and traded for Taylor, who was the Royals’ primary center fielder the previous two seasons. And it’s why keeping the 32-year-old impending free agent around past this season could make sense.

Taylor is an elite defender with a competent bottom-of-the-lineup bat, and he’s a well-liked, respected veteran with a high baseball IQ. He’s also being paid just $4.5 million as part of a two-year, $9 million extension signed with Kansas City in late 2021, so if the Twins want to retain Taylor for another season or two the price tag should be reasonable.

Another option would be to turn to a high-minors prospect like Royce Lewis or Austin Martin as Buxton’s center-field sidekick beginning in 2024, which would be even cheaper than Taylor and carry far more upside. Lewis and Martin both have the speed to thrive in center field, but they’re also both currently sidelined by injuries, and the Twins seem inclined to keep Lewis in the infield.

Why is Alex Kirilloff still in the minors? — David P.

Continuing to invest everyday playing time in the 30-year-old Kepler while 25-year-olds Kirilloff and Wallner clobber Triple-A pitching could be questioned, but those wheels were set in motion when the Twins opted not to trade Kepler. They made that decision knowing one or both of Kirilloff and Wallner would probably look big-league-ready by now, and Kepler has been productive.

Kirilloff is very obviously way too good for Triple-A, with his current stint in St. Paul pushing his career line there to .362/.467/.687 with 15 homers in 44 games. But the Twins are understandably being overly cautious with Kirilloff following back-to-back season-ending wrist surgeries, giving him lots of days off to work him back slowly.

With left-handed hitters Kepler, Trevor Larnach and Joey Gallo atop the left field, right field and first base depth chart, and the DH spot filled by Buxton, it’s not obvious where Kirilloff would get regular at-bats. It’s somewhat similar to the situation that led to Bailey Ober beginning this season in the Triple-A rotation despite clearly being an MLB-caliber starter.

Just as Kenta Maeda’s injury opened the door for Ober to rejoin their rotation before the end of April, it’s likely an injury to some other hitter will clear a path to playing time for Kirilloff eventually as long as he stays healthy in St. Paul. If instead everyone stays healthy for the foreseeable future, the Twins will need to revisit trading Kepler, weigh Kirilloff versus Larnach or play Buxton in center.

Everyone wants to see a healthy Kirilloff ripping line drives in the majors, most of all the Twins. It’s the how and when they’re still figuring out, and within that Kirilloff’s injury history is a big consideration.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
found this online from another fan and thought it would be interesting as it goes through the recent trades made by the brain trust (credit to Zeus (the fan who posted it, not the god) -

FWIW Urshela is currently sporting an 86 OPS+ so far this year. Small sample but the people who cried that the Twins would regret trading him have been incorrect thus far. He was traded for Alejandro Hildago, who has a low ERA in High A but has walked over a batter an inning while striking out far fewer batters. Small sample size is reflected in this and he is just 20 in High A so lots of time for him to develop.

Let's go through some other ones:

1.) Luis Arraez is hitting .438 for the Marlins but has also been injured twice this year (knee and finger). This will be interesting to watch play out as the best and worst case scenario are playing out - Arraez is hitting well and slugging more as he showed hints of last year but he also appears to still be injury prone and perhaps not a great long term match at 2B. Pablo Lopez has been good and was extended of course while Jose Salas has struggled in a small sample in high A, though he's two years younger than the competition.

2.) Michael A Taylor is a nice piece for the Twins while the two relievers are still in the minors. Cruz has been decent and Sisk has been hit around. They're lottery tickets so one making the majors would be a victory for the Royals.

3.) Kyle Farmer had a freak injury but has been good for the Twins. Casey Legumina is on the Reds MLB squad and has been a useful reliever in a small sample. His minor league track record doesn't support that but we shall see.

4.) Sonny Gray has been an ace for the Twins while Chase Petty has yet to make his season debut with the dreaded elbow injury.

5.) Sandy Leon is no longer a Twin and had a minimal impact on the team. Ian Hamilton is no longer a Guardian and never pitched in the majors for them. Pretty boring trade.

6.) Mahle's trade looks bad for the Twins but mostly because of his injury. Spencer Steer has a 92 OPS+. He's young and will likely be okay but he seems more decent regular than star. Christian Encarnacion-Strand is tearing up AAA but it's been 30 ABs. He has the start potential to make the Twins rue that trade but it remains to be seen if he can tone down the K'S.

7.) Jorge Lopez is excelling for the Twins again, though they likely bought high on him. Cade Povich, who headlined the trade, has been okay at AA but nothing special. But throw-in Yannier Cano is dominating the majors right now, having no BB or K in 11 innings. Hard to predict this coming but that's why teams trade for random relievers.

8.) Josh Donaldson has been injured and in a small sample, is hitting terrible for the Yankees. IKF has shifted to CF and has been unplayable, as the Yankees have gone back to Aaron Hicks, also terrible. Rortvedt is in AAA and seems to be settling into his career as a third/fourth catcher.

9.) Jose Berrios continues to struggle. SWR is a candidate to start games for the Twins while Austin Martin continues to languish on injured lists and seems unlikely to debut for the Twins until late 2024.

10.) Joe Ryan is a strong member of the Twins staff while Strotman is out of the Twins org. Nelson Cruz is no longer a Ray but is putting up good numbers for the Padres, which is good to see. Can he play until 45? Can he hit 500 homers and put some pressure on the Hall?

11.) Maeda is injured again. Graterol has started the year hot and in year 4 for the Dodgers, is finally closing some games as part of a committee approach. This is a good outcome for the Dodgers but not what Twins fans worried about when he was traded. He's never turned into a starter, which was a possibility at the time of the trade.

12.) Jake Cave is no longer a Twins but Luis Gil is still recovering from Tommy John. Trade still looks good for the Twins.

13.) Jamie Garcia is retired but Huascar Ynoa is on the 60-day DL and seems headed to Tommy John. He no longer seems an MLB starter. Perhaps he can come back as a reliever?

14.) Lamonte Wade is off to a strong start in limited ABs, as he is still being shielded from lefties and is more of a platoon OF. It's hard to see him being on the Twins given their glut of LH OFers. His power stroke as a Giant seems real and is quite unexpected, though he seems more of a platoon 4th OF than a true star.

Sorry that got long. Not a lot of rough ones there - the Mahle trade looks like the worst and it's not settled while the Lopez Orioles trade could end up bad but it'll be hard to blame the Twins for not holding on to Cano given his track record at the time.
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Good stuff, thanks for posting this.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
found this online from another fan and thought it would be interesting as it goes through the recent trades made by the brain trust (credit to Zeus (the fan who posted it, not the god) -

FWIW Urshela is currently sporting an 86 OPS+ so far this year. Small sample but the people who cried that the Twins would regret trading him have been incorrect thus far. He was traded for Alejandro Hildago, who has a low ERA in High A but has walked over a batter an inning while striking out far fewer batters. Small sample size is reflected in this and he is just 20 in High A so lots of time for him to develop.

Let's go through some other ones:

1.) Luis Arraez is hitting .438 for the Marlins but has also been injured twice this year (knee and finger). This will be interesting to watch play out as the best and worst case scenario are playing out - Arraez is hitting well and slugging more as he showed hints of last year but he also appears to still be injury prone and perhaps not a great long term match at 2B. Pablo Lopez has been good and was extended of course while Jose Salas has struggled in a small sample in high A, though he's two years younger than the competition.

2.) Michael A Taylor is a nice piece for the Twins while the two relievers are still in the minors. Cruz has been decent and Sisk has been hit around. They're lottery tickets so one making the majors would be a victory for the Royals.

3.) Kyle Farmer had a freak injury but has been good for the Twins. Casey Legumina is on the Reds MLB squad and has been a useful reliever in a small sample. His minor league track record doesn't support that but we shall see.

4.) Sonny Gray has been an ace for the Twins while Chase Petty has yet to make his season debut with the dreaded elbow injury.

5.) Sandy Leon is no longer a Twin and had a minimal impact on the team. Ian Hamilton is no longer a Guardian and never pitched in the majors for them. Pretty boring trade.

6.) Mahle's trade looks bad for the Twins but mostly because of his injury. Spencer Steer has a 92 OPS+. He's young and will likely be okay but he seems more decent regular than star. Christian Encarnacion-Strand is tearing up AAA but it's been 30 ABs. He has the start potential to make the Twins rue that trade but it remains to be seen if he can tone down the K'S.

7.) Jorge Lopez is excelling for the Twins again, though they likely bought high on him. Cade Povich, who headlined the trade, has been okay at AA but nothing special. But throw-in Yannier Cano is dominating the majors right now, having no BB or K in 11 innings. Hard to predict this coming but that's why teams trade for random relievers.

8.) Josh Donaldson has been injured and in a small sample, is hitting terrible for the Yankees. IKF has shifted to CF and has been unplayable, as the Yankees have gone back to Aaron Hicks, also terrible. Rortvedt is in AAA and seems to be settling into his career as a third/fourth catcher.

9.) Jose Berrios continues to struggle. SWR is a candidate to start games for the Twins while Austin Martin continues to languish on injured lists and seems unlikely to debut for the Twins until late 2024.

10.) Joe Ryan is a strong member of the Twins staff while Strotman is out of the Twins org. Nelson Cruz is no longer a Ray but is putting up good numbers for the Padres, which is good to see. Can he play until 45? Can he hit 500 homers and put some pressure on the Hall?

11.) Maeda is injured again. Graterol has started the year hot and in year 4 for the Dodgers, is finally closing some games as part of a committee approach. This is a good outcome for the Dodgers but not what Twins fans worried about when he was traded. He's never turned into a starter, which was a possibility at the time of the trade.

12.) Jake Cave is no longer a Twins but Luis Gil is still recovering from Tommy John. Trade still looks good for the Twins.

13.) Jamie Garcia is retired but Huascar Ynoa is on the 60-day DL and seems headed to Tommy John. He no longer seems an MLB starter. Perhaps he can come back as a reliever?

14.) Lamonte Wade is off to a strong start in limited ABs, as he is still being shielded from lefties and is more of a platoon OF. It's hard to see him being on the Twins given their glut of LH OFers. His power stroke as a Giant seems real and is quite unexpected, though he seems more of a platoon 4th OF than a true star.

Sorry that got long. Not a lot of rough ones there - the Mahle trade looks like the worst and it's not settled while the Lopez Orioles trade could end up bad but it'll be hard to blame the Twins for not holding on to Cano given his track record at the time.
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Interesting to review all those trades. Thanks. At the time of the trade, I think a lot of twins fans thought we gave up too much for Mahle. Time will tell.

We definitely hit the jackpot with the Ryan trade.

Not sure what happened with Cano over the off-season. In 11 innings sporting a .000 whip, not era, whip.
 
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no one ever tries to make a bad trade. you win some and you lose some.

checked a couple lists of "worst MLB trades" - and one that was mentioned was AJ Pierzynski to the Giants for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. AJ played 1 season for the Giants. Nathan made the Twins Hall of Fame. Liriano had moments of greatness until the arm injuries. and Boof Bonser had a great name.

there are lots of trades that look insane in hindsight. Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa to the Cubs for Ivan DeJesus. Lou Brock for Ernie Broligo. John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander. Randy Johnson for Mark Langston.

and then there was the time that the Red Sox traded George Herman Ruth to the Yankees for cash considerations.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
no one ever tries to make a bad trade. you win some and you lose some.

checked a couple lists of "worst MLB trades" - and one that was mentioned was AJ Pierzynski to the Giants for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. AJ played 1 season for the Giants. Nathan made the Twins Hall of Fame. Liriano had moments of greatness until the arm injuries. and Boof Bonser had a great name.

there are lots of trades that look insane in hindsight. Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa to the Cubs for Ivan DeJesus. Lou Brock for Ernie Broligo. John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander. Randy Johnson for Mark Langston.

and then there was the time that the Red Sox traded George Herman Ruth to the Yankees for cash considerations.
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Peak lirano was still the best P ive ever seen
 

For all the pichers I've seen, I'd take peak Liriano to win 1 regular season game, if we're only picking Twins. I'll take Santana in a pressure game. Liriano collapsed under pressure.

I'd take Pedro Martinez to win 1 game if I can choose from everyone I've seen.

For a career, I'd take Randy Johnson.
 


Gopherguy0723 said:
For all the pichers I've seen, I'd take peak Liriano to win 1 regular season game, if we're only picking Twins. I'll take Santana in a pressure game. Liriano collapsed under pressure.

I'd take Pedro Martinez to win 1 game if I can choose from everyone I've seen.

For a career, I'd take Randy Johnson.
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To be fair, I'm not sure "peak Liriano" ever got to pitch in a pressure game. The peak was only from May/June-August 2006 and the biggest game I can recall is when he beat Roger Clemens in Houston. That said, I'd take Santana in a must win game over Liriano for sure.
 

one pitcher for one game - any team:

Bob Gibson

that mother-bleeper would cut your heart out with a rusty spoon to win a game.

if you're talking Twins/Senators - have to go with Walter Johnson.
Twins only - I might take Kaat. dude could pitch and he had guts.
 

golf said:
AL East. .592
NL East. .4889
NL Central. .4887
NL West. .473
AL West. .462
AL Central. .392

SSS, but striking how much better is the AL East and worse is the AL Central than the other divisions.
Twins are 8-2 against the Central and 9-10 against everyone else.
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There's a lot os baseball yet to be played.

Also, the AL East record is a bit distorted by hot starts for Tampa and Baltimore. I don't follow MLB nearly as closely as many here do, but as a (very) casual observer I'm a little skeptical that those two teams will maintain their current torrid pace.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
one pitcher for one game - any team:

Bob Gibson

that mother-bleeper would cut your heart out with a rusty spoon to win a game.

if you're talking Twins/Senators - have to go with Walter Johnson.
Twins only - I might take Kaat. dude could pitch and he had guts.
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No Black Jack?
 

RememberMurray said:
There's a lot os baseball yet to be played.

Also, the AL East record is a bit distorted by hot starts for Tampa and Baltimore. I don't follow MLB nearly as closely as many here do, but as a (very) casual observer I'm a little skeptical that those two teams will maintain their current torrid pace.
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Murr - I was looking at the standings and the thing that jumped out to me - there are some really good teams through the 1st month of the season, and there are some really BAD teams.
right now, there are 7 teams (out of 30) on pace to lose over 100 games, and another team on pace for a 64-98 season. so you have 27% of all the teams in MLB on pace to lose 98 games or more.

I would have to do a lot more research, but that sure seems like a lot of bad teams to me.
 


RememberMurray said:
There's a lot os baseball yet to be played.

Also, the AL East record is a bit distorted by hot starts for Tampa and Baltimore. I don't follow MLB nearly as closely as many here do, but as a (very) casual observer I'm a little skeptical that those two teams will maintain their current torrid pace.
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Yes, could very well be regression to the mean going forward. Would still expect by seasons end that AL East is easily the strongest division and AL Central easily the weakest.
This is of course good for us. I'm not complaining.🙂
 

Brandon Warne reports that over the last week three twins sport an ops over 1.000 : Buxton, Gallo, Miranda. Nice to see our third baseman rounding into form. Kepler at .990 the last week by the way.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
one pitcher for one game - any team:

Bob Gibson

that mother-bleeper would cut your heart out with a rusty spoon to win a game.

if you're talking Twins/Senators - have to go with Walter Johnson.
Twins only - I might take Kaat. dude could pitch and he had guts.
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Walter would be thrown off badly by the pitch clock and the speaker in his hat. Kaat might handle it OK.
 

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