All Things 2024 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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From the Parkinglot said:
Not sure you can pitch in the bullpen either if you can’t miss bats. Balls in play is not ideal vs missing bats.

Not back.
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His cutter sux tonight, it’s straight as sheet.
He can get away with straight hard stuff for an inning.
 


Breakin' The Plane said:
How safe is Varland, given today and what SWR did Saturday? (I realize the O's are much more potent than the Tigers).
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Hard to know what to think of SWR. Good news he is only 23 yrs old and had a great outing in Detroit. Bad news is he only throws 92-93 and has never stood out in the minors.
 

Fortunately we once again play in a bad division. Would be nice to stay close to .500 until we get things figured out.
 



golf said:
Hard to know what to think of SWR. Good news he is only 23 yrs old and had a great outing in Detroit. Bad news is he only throws 92-93 and has never stood out in the minors.
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I’d rather give SWR another start at this point, as he was pitching against Detroit.

Louis is just a thrower, right now, and it’s easier to gear up for hard stuff, than someone who throws a little slower, but can changes speeds and locations, from my experience.
IIRC, he touched 94-95 against Detroit.
 

golf said:
Fortunately we once again play in a bad division. Would be nice to stay close to .500 until we get things figured out.
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Early returns are the AL Central is not as bad as last year, except for Chicago.

I don't think any of the others will run away with it, but will guess it's going to a win total higher than the low 80s to win it.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
I’d rather give SWR another start at this point, as he was pitching against Detroit.

Louis is just a thrower, right now, and it’s easier to gear up for hard stuff, than someone who throws a little slower, but can changes speeds and locations, from my experience.
IIRC, he touched 94-95 against Detroit.
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Would definitely be interesting to see SWR pitch again. I checked after Saturdays game. He hit 95 once and 94 two or three times.
Interesting fact: White Sox (2 - 14) on pace to be shut out 60 times this season 🙂.
 
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Breakin' The Plane said:
Wallner on his way back to St. Paul. Larnach back with the big club.
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Good. I want them to be aggressive with time outs this year.

Better figure it out soon Varland.

I would rather play AK at first daily and relegate Santana to the bench for spot starts/PH, as there’s no way, they cut him.
 
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golf said:
Would definitely be interesting to see SWR pitch again. I checked after Saturdays game. He hit 95 once and 94 two or three times.
Interesting fact: White Sox (2 - 14) on pace to be shut out 60 times this season 🙂.
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It can always be worse and can you imagine being a Sox fan and watching their malfeasance over the last several years with the talent they had; just imagine if Terry Fancona was their manager. I feel bad for their fans and they have the worst farm system in the central with the fewest top 100 prospects of any team (those most likely to make a significant impact in the next few seasons). I would become a Cubs or Brewers fan and not support them - 🤢

On to rosier topics - nice write up on SWR and the work he put in, to improve his motion/velocity -

Woods Richardson’s big spot

Simeon Woods Richardson was called up by the Twins from Triple-A St. Paul to spot start Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader and tossed six innings of one-run ball versus the Tigers in Detroit, the scene of his 2022 big-league debut. This was a brief stay, as Woods Richardson served as the temporary 27th man before being sent back to the minors immediately after the game.

Woods Richardson’s prospect stock sagged last year as he struggled to maintain peak velocity with the Saints, leading to an offseason spent working with Twins coaches to tweak his mechanics. He reported to spring training with a new arm slot and more juice on his fastball, generating renewed optimism that grew even stronger with Saturday’s performance.

Cruising through six innings on 80 pitches, Woods Richardson struck out five, walked one and allowed just two singles, retiring the last 14 batters he faced for his first major-league victory. His fastball averaged 93.0 mph and topped out at 95.1 mph, an encouraging step up from what was too often high-80s velocity in 2023. Still just 23 years old, his prospect stock is on the rise again.

Louie Varland, the Twins’ planned No. 6 starter, was forced into the Opening Day rotation by Anthony DeSclafani’s season-ending elbow surgery, so Woods Richardson’s role as the next-in-line starter is crucial. At the very least, he may be needed for another spot start, and he’s an injury away from being handed a full-time rotation spot.

In mid-2021, the Twins acquired Woods Richardson and Austin Martin from the Blue Jays in the José Berríos trade, which had accrued value exclusively for Toronto’s side of the deal until this weekend. But with Woods Richardson back on track and Martin making a strong first impression jumping into the Twins’ injury-wrecked lineup, Minnesota’s side of the ledger is adding value now.
 
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GopherWeatherGuy said:
This should be a make or break year for Larnach. He has a sweet swing, hits well in the minors, but hasn't been able to put it together in the majors. Hopefully this is the year, they need him.
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It'd be nice if he could stay on the field, but he's already coming off a rehab assignment because he had some sort of toe injury.

I was fine with handing Wallner the job as long as they made the decision not to bring in any competition. But the danger with that is that a young player can get complacent/lack focus when they don't have to earn something. Hope he can figure things out, because they desperately need offense.
 

golf said:
Hard to know what to think of SWR. Good news he is only 23 yrs old and had a great outing in Detroit. Bad news is he only throws 92-93 and has never stood out in the minors.
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I'm skeptical SWR is ever going to be better than a journeyman call-up used for spot-starts. Hope I'm wrong; the Detroit game was impressive. Baseball is the epitome of the long game, however. One game does not make a player. Varland's stuff is better. That doesn't always translate into on-field success, but it sure makes it much more likely.
 

After his start yesterday, Sonny Gray is 2-0 with 0 ER's, 11k's and 9 hits allowed in 11 innings. Glad to see him getting off to a good start; he was an easy guy to cheer for.
 


saw a note that the White Sox have been shut out in 6 of their first 16 games.

the last time this occurred in MLB - the 1907 Brooklyn Superbas. the nickname came from local writers who were apparently comparing the team to a popular circus act of the era which did exhibitions of tumbling and acrobatics.

and yes, the nickname was later changed to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

old nicknames were great. at one point, the Boston NL franchise (today in Atlanta) was called the "Beaneaters." (a reference to Boston baked beans)
 


Had to happen with Wallner, he's unplayable.

I'd give Varland one more start, but he really should be in the bullpen. With Duran/Topa nearly back there's not a huge need for him there though.
 

2-catcher lineup again tonight. Jeffers DH and Vazquez behind the plate, batting 9th. Make sure you get that .115 BA in the lineup, Rockhead.
 

Interesting info regarding Larnach’s previous performance with the Big Club -

Larnach started the season on the injured list with a turf toe injury and only returned to action over the weekend at Single-A Fort Myers, making 14 plate appearances.

A first-round pick in 2018, Larnach has had his share of moments since arriving in the majors in 2021, accruing 20 homers in 693 plate appearances. Larnach was in the Twins’ Opening Day lineup last season and got out to a decent start, driving in 26 runs with a .754 OPS through mid-May before he was placed on the IL with pneumonia.

Wallner stepped in when Larnach was on the IL and got red hot, which effectively allowed him to pass his teammate on the depth chart. Throughout his career, Larnach has struggled to hit off-speed pitches at the major-league level. For his career, he’s struck out 233 times in 693 plate appearances.
 

Welcome to my review of the 1979 Topps baseball card set and the Minnesota Twins player cards in that set. Once again, Rod Carew is the Twins lone superstar from that era. Mr. Carew will make an appearance later in this post.

When it comes to my review of any of the late 1970s Topps cards, I have come to the realization that I am not a fan of the design of most years. Some years are better than others, of course. But I have also come to recognize that my opinion is probably clouded by two things. I am a little too young to have been fully invested in those Twins teams of the late 1970s. Secondly, the teams were just not that great. And those two things might have been a chicken and egg thing. Was I not that interested because they were bad, or was I just too young?

twinsdaily.com

1979 Topps and the Minnesota Twins

Welcome to my review of the 1979 Topps baseball card set and the Minnesota Twins player cards in that set. Once again, Rod Carew is the Twins lone superstar from that era. Mr. Carew will make an appearance later in this post. When it comes to my review of any of the late 1970s Topps cards, I have...
twinsdaily.com twinsdaily.com
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
2-catcher lineup again tonight. Jeffers DH and Vazquez behind the plate, batting 9th. Make sure you get that .115 BA in the lineup, Rockhead.
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It isn't about getting Vazquez in the lineup. It's about getting Jeffers bat in the lineup as much as possible, especially now with how well he's hitting the ball. If Jeffers catches more, he'll have to get more full days off.

And they have a day game tomorrow after a night game tonight anyways so either way Vazquez is going to catch 1 of the 2 games.
 

GophersInIowa said:
It isn't about getting Vazquez in the lineup. It's about getting Jeffers bat in the lineup as much as possible, especially now with how well he's hitting the ball. If Jeffers catches more, he'll have to get more full days off.

And they have a day game tomorrow after a night game tonight anyways so either way Vazquez is going to catch 1 of the 2 games.
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Not my point. They are carrying three catchers. To call the kid up and make him sit for 5 games is an asshole move. It's not like it's the 27 Yankees lineup.
 

GophersInIowa said:
It isn't about getting Vazquez in the lineup. It's about getting Jeffers bat in the lineup as much as possible, especially now with how well he's hitting the ball. If Jeffers catches more, he'll have to get more full days off.

And they have a day game tomorrow after a night game tonight anyways so either way Vazquez is going to catch 1 of the 2 games.
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I was figuring Jair was going to get tomorrow.

Jeffers is our most consistent stick right now
 


15. Minnesota Twins​


Top 10 Prospects
1. OF Walker Jenkins (Tier 1)
2. SS Brooks Lee (Tier 1)
3. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (Tier 1)
4. OF Gabriel Gonzalez (Tier 1)
5. RHP David Festa (Tier 2)
6. RHP Marco Raya (Tier 2)
7. RHP Charlee Soto (Tier 3)
8. OF Kala'i Rosario (Tier 3)
9. IF Tanner Schobel (Tier 3)
10. RHP C.J. Culpepper (Tier 3)


Prospect Snapshot: OF Gabriel Gonzalez

The Twins acquired Gonzalez in the deal that sent Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners near the end of spring training, and he was one of the most productive teenagers in the minors last year. He hit .298/.361/.476 with 23 doubles, 18 home runs, 84 RBI and 10 steals in 116 games between Single-A and High-A, and he didn't turn 20 years old until Jan. 4. A future outfield of Gonzalez, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez should have Twins fans excited.

 

TRF Guy said:

15. Minnesota Twins​


Top 10 Prospects
1. OF Walker Jenkins (Tier 1)
2. SS Brooks Lee (Tier 1)
3. OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (Tier 1)
4. OF Gabriel Gonzalez (Tier 1)
5. RHP David Festa (Tier 2)
6. RHP Marco Raya (Tier 2)
7. RHP Charlee Soto (Tier 3)
8. OF Kala'i Rosario (Tier 3)
9. IF Tanner Schobel (Tier 3)
10. RHP C.J. Culpepper (Tier 3)


Prospect Snapshot: OF Gabriel Gonzalez

The Twins acquired Gonzalez in the deal that sent Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners near the end of spring training, and he was one of the most productive teenagers in the minors last year. He hit .298/.361/.476 with 23 doubles, 18 home runs, 84 RBI and 10 steals in 116 games between Single-A and High-A, and he didn't turn 20 years old until Jan. 4. A future outfield of Gonzalez, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez should have Twins fans excited.

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I'm really intrigued with Soto. 6'5" 18-year old that's already hitting 98. Still a long ways away though.
 

Paddack blowing up in the 2nd inning. already 3-0 Orioles.
 

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