All Things 2024 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

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some (hopefully) encouraging notes:

Larnach is hitting .350 with 2 HR, 2 2B, and 6 RBI in last 7 games.

Buxton is hitting .333 with 1 HR and 5 extra-base hits in his last 7 games. He has raised his batting average from .196 to .247 and his OPS from .501 to .684. BTW - Buxton has played in 21 of the Twins' first 22 games, with 15 starts in CF.

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also read a post by Lucas Seehafer on Twins Daily. He is an athletic trainer and a PhD candidate in Kinesiology. He went into great detail on Brooks Lee and the subject of herniated discs. an excerpt:

Lee is approximately halfway through an eight-week rehabilitation process overseen by Dr. Robert Watkins, one of the foremost back specialists in the United States. Current best practices indicate that athletes should undergo roughly eight weeks of rehab, focusing on improving core and lower back strength while reducing nerve irritation, before even contemplating going under the knife. (It is common for athletes to also receive a cortisone injection, which reduces inflammation of the nerve and surrounding tissue.)

Most symptoms of disc herniation resolve within the above timeframe. Contrary to popular belief, disc herniations (especially those that are relatively small) can be reabsorbed by the body and spontaneously heal on their own. Surgery to remove the disc, known as a microdiscectomy, is viewed as a last resort, as its rate of success is commensurate with conservative treatments and may increase the odds of re-herniation.
 

Oh joy. How I love third party attestation, especially when it counters this incessant whining of a poster, who beats this dead horse 🐴 so much, even the ASPCA looks askance at them🤨.

The Athletic just released their top ten MLB FO rankings and guess who ties for 8?

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theathletic.com

What are the Top 10 front offices in MLB? Here's how 40 executives voted

For this exercise, The Athletic canvassed 40 executives across the sport, and tabulated their results to build front office report cards.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

From the article which polled MLB Executives and not GH posters for some reason🧐

No. 8 (tie)— Minnesota Twins

Total points: 20
First-place votes: 0

President of baseball operations:

Derek Falvey

The word “culture” comes up often in discussions about the Twins, who have been helmed by president of baseball operations Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine since the fall of 2016. People like working in the front office. Players like the atmosphere inside the clubhouse fostered by manager Rocco Baldelli. Falvey has succeeded in transferring some aspects of the pitching development system he previously helped run in Cleveland, but the greater success may be fostering an environment that generates good cheer and the occasional American League Central crown.

“Everybody who goes there loves it,” one executive said. “You hear it from every player who played for them. Derek Falvey has done a lot of hard work from a culture standpoint, and it’s made a difference.”

Another executive described Falvey as “one of the most exceptional leaders out there.”
 


Tim Laudner hit three-run homers in the third and fourth innings of a 13-7 win over Cleveland at home in the Dome on this date in 1988.

It was Laudner’s second career six-RBI game. The first came in Cleveland on July 3, 1985.

Laudner hit two solo homers in Chicago on June 6, 1988, becoming just the second catcher in Twins history with at least two multi-homer games in a season. The first was Earl Battey in 1961. Joe Mauer had a pair of two-homer games in 2009. Remarkably, Mitch Garver had five multi-homer games in 2019 alone, establishing a new career record for Twins catchers.
 

NYC - with all due respect, a little context. The Athletic talked to 40 baseball executives, who each ranked the top 5 front offices in baseball. the point system: 10 pts for 1st place, 7 pts for 2nd place, 5 pts for 3rd place, 3 pts for 4th place and 1 pt for 5th place. the results:

1. Dodgers - 284 pts, 19 votes for 1st place
2. Tampa Bay - 258 pts, 12 votes for 1st place
3. Atlanta - 130 pts, 3 votes for 1st place
4. Cleveland - 101 pts, 2 votes for 1st place
5. Baltimore - 91 pts, 3 votes for 1st place
6. Milwaukee - 52 pts, 0 votes for 1st place
7. Arizona - 43 pts, 1 vote for 1st place
8. Twins - 20 pts - 0 votes for 1st place
8. Texas - 20 pts - 0 votes for 1st place
10. Yankees - 19 pts
11. Phillies - 10 pts
12. Seattle - 6 pts
13. Houston - 5 pts
14. Detroit - 4 pts
15. Cincinnati - 1 pt
15. Mets - 1 pt

no votes for 14 teams' front offices.

So the 40 people polled have the Dodgers and Tampa Bay as the top front offices, with clear separation between them and everyone else. Dodgers and Tampa Bay received 31 of the 40 votes for 1st place. 6 teams received at least one vote for 1st place.

the Twins got some points for Falvey being a decent guy. but that's a long way from being one of the best front offices in baseball.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
NYC - with all due respect, a little context. The Athletic talked to 40 baseball executives, who each ranked the top 5 front offices in baseball. the point system: 10 pts for 1st place, 7 pts for 2nd place, 5 pts for 3rd place, 3 pts for 4th place and 1 pt for 5th place. the results:

1. Dodgers - 284 pts, 19 votes for 1st place
2. Tampa Bay - 258 pts, 12 votes for 1st place
3. Atlanta - 130 pts, 3 votes for 1st place
4. Cleveland - 101 pts, 2 votes for 1st place
5. Baltimore - 91 pts, 3 votes for 1st place
6. Milwaukee - 52 pts, 0 votes for 1st place
7. Arizona - 43 pts, 1 vote for 1st place
8. Twins - 20 pts - 0 votes for 1st place
8. Texas - 20 pts - 0 votes for 1st place
10. Yankees - 19 pts
11. Phillies - 10 pts
12. Seattle - 6 pts
13. Houston - 5 pts
14. Detroit - 4 pts
15. Cincinnati - 1 pt
15. Mets - 1 pt

no votes for 14 teams' front offices.

So the 40 people polled have the Dodgers and Tampa Bay as the top front offices, with clear separation between them and everyone else. Dodgers and Tampa Bay received 31 of the 40 votes for 1st place. 6 teams received at least one vote for 1st place.

the Twins got some points for Falvey being a decent guy. but that's a long way from being one of the best front offices in baseball.
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SON - I posted the link, which contains the article title Top Ten FO in baseball, and the blurb regarding the Twins FO, as I’m a subscriber. My point was to shine on the Twins FO due to, in my opinion, the constant bombardment in all things Falvey/Levine. The information which I posted was inaccurate or incorrect; it was an editorial choice😃.

They’re not nearly as bad as people portend; just like the wife’s not always the issue.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
SON - I posted the link, which contains the article title Top Ten FO in baseball, and the blurb regarding the Twins FO, as I’m a subscriber. My point was to shine on the Twins FO due to, in my opinion, the constant bombardment in all things Falvey/Levine. The information which I posted was inaccurate or incorrect; it was an editorial choice😃.

They’re not nearly as bad as people portend; just like the wife’s not always the issue.
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I understand. let me put it this way: if I was going to rank or rate the issues facing the Twins' franchise, Falvey/Levine would not be the biggest issue. but they are not blameless. under their leadership, there have been questionable draft picks and some odd personnel moves.

to quote Pat Reusse - they're paying Farmer and Carlos Santana about $11-million combined. I'd rather have another starting pitcher for that money. and the player development leaves a lot to be desired - especially starting pitching.

yes, Joe Pohlad and the budget cuts are responsible for not re-signing Gray - or an equivalent starter. but Falvey's management of the roster has left the Twins in a spot where - after DeSclafani flamed out (predictable), and Varland struggled, there are no available home-grown options for a starting pitcher. SWR was acquired in a trade. Heck, Dobnak was signed from an independent league - not drafted.

Falvey was hired in the fall of 2016. this is his 8th season with MN. Where is the starting pitching? after 8 years of drafting and development, Bailey Ober is the only home-grown starter currently in the rotation. (Varland at AAA). everyone else was acquired in trades.
 



short ornery norwegian said:
I understand. let me put it this way: if I was going to rank or rate the issues facing the Twins' franchise, Falvey/Levine would not be the biggest issue. but they are not blameless. under their leadership, there have been questionable draft picks and some odd personnel moves.

to quote Pat Reusse - they're paying Farmer and Carlos Santana about $11-million combined. I'd rather have another starting pitcher for that money. and the player development leaves a lot to be desired - especially starting pitching.

yes, Joe Pohlad and the budget cuts are responsible for not re-signing Gray - or an equivalent starter. but Falvey's management of the roster has left the Twins in a spot where - after DeSclafani flamed out (predictable), and Varland struggled, there are no available home-grown options for a starting pitcher. SWR was acquired in a trade. Heck, Dobnak was signed from an independent league - not drafted.

Falvey was hired in the fall of 2016. this is his 8th season with MN. Where is the starting pitching? after 8 years of drafting and development, Bailey Ober is the only home-grown starter currently in the rotation. (Varland at AAA). everyone else was acquired in trades.
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I basically agree with everything you wrote, with one minor caveat; The Athletic published an article last year showing most teams do not produce the majority of their starters via the farm; they generally generate 1-2 from the farm and the rest via acquisition. Teams such like the: Rays, Marlins and Guardians are outliers.

I realize that developing starting pitching was their calling card and there has been mistakes/missteps along the way. I’m optimistic about the future “homegrown” pipeline, as 4 of our top 8 prospects are pitchers and Festa, the highest ranked has a1.72 ERA in 5 starts this season at St. Paul
 

I did a quick check of some Twins' draft classes. injuries have certainly been an issue with pitchers such as Winder (2018) and Canterino (2019).

but I noted this:
2019 draft - 2nd pitcher taken: Sawyer Gipson-Long - traded for Fulmer
2021 draft - 1st pitcher taken - Chase Petty - traded for Gray
------------ 2nd pitcher taken - Steven Hajjar - part of Mahle trade
------------ 3rd pitcher taken - Cade Povich - traded for Jorge Lopez

it's not that they're trading away pitching prospects - it's that they're not getting good return.

draftees who have appeared with the Twins include Cole Sands and Funderburk (2018), and Brent Headrick (2019) - currently on 60-day IL.

Now, as you say, there appears to be some potential in the low minors.
the 2020 draft produced Marco Raya.
The '22 draft class has people like Prielipp (coming off 2nd TJ), Andrew Morris, Zebby Matthews and Cory Lewis.
and in '23, Charlie Soto and several others. '23 class had pitchers selected with 7 of first 11 picks.

so we'll see what develops.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I did a quick check of some Twins' draft classes. injuries have certainly been an issue with pitchers such as Winder (2018) and Canterino (2019).

but I noted this:
2019 draft - 2nd pitcher taken: Sawyer Gipson-Long - traded for Fulmer
2021 draft - 1st pitcher taken - Chase Petty - traded for Gray
------------ 2nd pitcher taken - Steven Hajjar - part of Mahle trade
------------ 3rd pitcher taken - Cade Povich - traded for Jorge Lopez

it's not that they're trading away pitching prospects - it's that they're not getting good return.

draftees who have appeared with the Twins include Cole Sands and Funderburk (2018), and Brent Headrick (2019) - currently on 60-day IL.

Now, as you say, there appears to be some potential in the low minors.
the 2020 draft produced Marco Raya.
The '22 draft class has people like Prielipp (coming off 2nd TJ), Andrew Morris, Zebby Matthews and Cory Lewis.
and in '23, Charlie Soto and several others. '23 class had pitchers selected with 7 of first 11 picks.

so we'll see what develops.
Click to expand...

Yes, I didn’t go down the 🐇 🕳️ of pitching prospects traded, as that’s another whole conversation. Part of the premise in The Athletic article is that pitching prospects are routinely traded and acquired and that’s how you supplement your own staff. They’re really just another asset; it really doesn’t matter how the staff comes together, just that it does.

Some trades for SP work out, Gray was worth it, Mahle was an unmitigated disaster and sometimes you just get lucky, Duran was a throw in the Escobar trade.

What would be even more interesting, not asking you to do it, is what happens to the pitching prospects traded. A great site would be one thst valued minor league trades for nerds 🤓 like us😃
 

Just using 5 million/season as a baseline for "big" free agent moves, the Falvine era has been mediocre to awful throughout. Jason Castro, Addison Reed, Lance Lynn, Marwin Gonzales, Romo, Homer Bailey, Donaldson, Andrelton Simmons, JA Crapp, Colome, Logan Morrison, Bundy, Gallo and Vazquez have all been a giant waste of resources.
The only ones that you can say really panned out are Correa (I guess), Cruz and Pineda. That's a batting average on free agency worse than the 2024 Twins. If you have a limited budget, you can't miss on that many opportunities to add from outside.
 



Breakin' The Plane said:
Just using 5 million/season as a baseline for "big" free agent moves, the Falvine era has been mediocre to awful throughout. Jason Castro, Addison Reed, Lance Lynn, Marwin Gonzales, Romo, Homer Bailey, Donaldson, Andrelton Simmons, JA Crapp, Colome, Logan Morrison, Bundy, Gallo and Vazquez have all been a giant waste of resources.
The only ones that you can say really panned out are Correa (I guess), Cruz and Pineda. That's a batting average on free agency worse than the 2024 Twins. If you have a limited budget, you can't miss on that many opportunities to add from outside.
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No MAT?
No Brock Stewart?
 


My fantasy team hates this as I have Ober but it makes sense. Let the young guy face the horrible team.

 

Breakin' The Plane said:
Right now, he's scheduled to pitch on Thursday for St. Paul. Could easily slot him in for the getaway day start vs. the Sux, then demote him and take Henriquez (or whoever) with them on the road trip to Anaheim.
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Good Call

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Ober’s regular turn is Thursday; per Gleeman, SWR will likely get a start out in Caly in Varland’s spot. Don’t think they’ll option him back to St.Paul afterwards, as it’s his spot in the rotation for now and they’ll want to get him acclimated to a routine with the big club.
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Bad Call
 

On This Date in 1980: In his first appearance in Minnesota since the infamous marshmallow salesman fight, A’s manager Billy Martin had to be restrained by umpires from attacking a fan pelting him with marshmallows.
 


Carlos Santana might be the guy to remove from the roster after Correa is back. Austin Martin has earned his spot at this point.
 


GophersInIowa said:
Carlos Santana might be the guy to remove from the roster after Correa is back. Austin Martin has earned his spot at this point.
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Good reverse jinx. Santana just hit is 1st HR of the season as part of their 2nd back-to-back with Miranda.
 



The White Sox can cure all that ails you.

but seriously, confidence plays a role in sports. you get a hit, you feel better about things, and a more positive attitude can lead to more success. so seeing people like Santana and Miranda contribute is potentially very positive for the Twins going forward.

and a decent - not great - outing for SWR. but given the Twins' options, good enough to keep SWR in the rotation.
 



that got interesting. Okert is not exciting me at this point.

last six outings - 4-1/3 IP, 7H, 5K, 2BB, 4R, 3ER

he needs to do better. wonder how long the Twins will keep 3 lefties in the bullpen.

(then again, the Twins got him in return for Nick Gordon, so it's not like he was part of a high-profile trade)
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Nice to see Sands and Larnach make the most of their opportunities thus far. Sands has moved from a mop up guy to a valuable part of the pen.
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Larnach has had really good stretches at the big league level. He started off hot last year. Just has to keep it going.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
that got interesting. Okert is not exciting me at this point.

last six outings - 4-1/3 IP, 7H, 5K, 2BB, 4R, 3ER

he needs to do better. wonder how long the Twins will keep 3 lefties in the bullpen.

(then again, the Twins got him in return for Nick Gordon, so it's not like he was part of a high-profile trade)
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Assuming Thielbar gets it figured out, I don't think we'll see Okert in a lot of high leverage situations. Funderburk is probably the odd man out once the other guys get healthy.
 

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