2019 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread


Good Lord, what a roller coaster. First we’re winning and Cleveland’s losing. Then we’re losing and Cleveland comes back. Finally, we win and Cleveland loses. This last 7 weeks are going to be exhausting.
 



Twins bullpen blow another game. Can we stop blowing games.
 


Romo gave up the home run, but Polanco started it with an error, and 5 innings and 3 runs from Kyle Gibson is just not good enough...again. Lots of blame to go around.


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per Shama:

The Twins, with a 72-47 record, have been under .500 with Buxton absent. Looking at the dates when Buxton was placed on the injured list until the days he was activated, the club’s record is 13-15.

Buxton would receive a lot of support in any vote for MLB’s best outfielders. Now in his fifth season with the Twins, his career highlight film is filled with ooh and aah plays in the field. His pitchers applaud him for game-saving plays. This season his fielding average is .991, with just two errors in 215 chances. The club’s best base stealer, the Twins simply aren’t the same team without him.

The Twins and Indians could stay close in the race to win the AL Central Division going into the final weeks of the season. After a three-game series in Cleveland that ends September 15, it appears the Twins will have an easier remaining schedule than the Indians. Minnesota will play the White Sox and Royals at home, and on the road against the Tigers and Royals. Those three Central Division teams have a combined 131 wins and 223 losses as of today, while the Indians must play four opponents (Tigers, Phillies, Nationals, and White Sox) who are 301 and 289. The Nationals and Phillies are in contention for the postseason, while none of the other clubs mentioned are.

The Indians, until they came to Minneapolis for a four-game series last week, hadn’t played another above .500 team on the road since May.

http://shamasportsheadliners.com/

Win Twins!!
 

per Shama:

The Twins, with a 72-47 record, have been under .500 with Buxton absent. Looking at the dates when Buxton was placed on the injured list until the days he was activated, the club’s record is 13-15.

Buxton would receive a lot of support in any vote for MLB’s best outfielders. Now in his fifth season with the Twins, his career highlight film is filled with ooh and aah plays in the field. His pitchers applaud him for game-saving plays. This season his fielding average is .991, with just two errors in 215 chances. The club’s best base stealer, the Twins simply aren’t the same team without him.

The Twins and Indians could stay close in the race to win the AL Central Division going into the final weeks of the season. After a three-game series in Cleveland that ends September 15, it appears the Twins will have an easier remaining schedule than the Indians. Minnesota will play the White Sox and Royals at home, and on the road against the Tigers and Royals. Those three Central Division teams have a combined 131 wins and 223 losses as of today, while the Indians must play four opponents (Tigers, Phillies, Nationals, and White Sox) who are 301 and 289. The Nationals and Phillies are in contention for the postseason, while none of the other clubs mentioned are.

The Indians, until they came to Minneapolis for a four-game series last week, hadn’t played another above .500 team on the road since May.

http://shamasportsheadliners.com/

Win Twins!!

I think trying to draw that type of correlation with Buxton missing is misleading.

Pitching has been worse the last two months. It would be bad with Buxton here or not.

I'm not convinced that Buxton is worth a couple runs every game.
 

But trading one of your top 5 or two of your top 10 prospects isn't mortgaging the future. A deal for a starter could have been made without touching the top 3.

Neither one of those offers gets you a top starter.
 



Graterol pitched out of the bullpen last night getting the save for Pensacola. I think it’s only a matter of time before he gets called up. I wonder if he could be a reliever long term.
 

Neither one of those offers gets you a top starter.

Probably not. But getting Mike Minor or Robby Ray would be still be a nice upgrade over Perez and probably start in the play-offs ahead of Gibson.
 

Graterol pitched out of the bullpen last night getting the save for Pensacola. I think it’s only a matter of time before he gets called up. I wonder if he could be a reliever long term.

I think he will be up in the bullpen in September. I think he's still a starter long-term. They have 4 open spots in next year's rotation (part of why not going for it this year was foolish, IMO.)
 

OK pitchers I know there is a lot of game left but please don't blow this one
 




Graterol pitched out of the bullpen last night getting the save for Pensacola. I think it’s only a matter of time before he gets called up. I wonder if he could be a reliever long term.

Really dumb post. He'll be given every chance to start before he'd be considered for a relief role. Starters are much more valuable and important. Top prospects are not relievers. Starters who cannot hack it become relievers. Graterol hasn't failed.

The only exception would be a call-up to boost the bullpen in September. He cannot be worse thsn what we've got.
 

“Really dumb post. He’ll never get called up as a reliever. How stupid are you? Unless he gets called up as a reliever. In 2 1/2 weeks.”
 

per Sid:

• Twins second baseman Luis Arraez is playing so well, it’s hard to imagine the club bringing back Jonathan Schoop, who is earning $7.5 million this season and is an unrestricted free agent next year. Arraez, 22, is making $550,000 and is under team control for at least six more seasons.

• A number of Twins could see a big raise next seasons — Jose Berrios will be in his first year of arbitration after making $620,000 this season. Eddie Rosario ($4.19 million in 2019), Miguel Sano ($2.65M) and Byron Buxton ($1.75M) will be in their second year of arbitration. The club currently has 18 players under contract for $38.58 million in 2020.

http://www.startribune.com/vikings-...-impress-his-first-boss-in-the-nfl/545548392/

Win Twins!!
 

“Really dumb post. He’ll never get called up as a reliever. How stupid are you? Unless he gets called up as a reliever. In 2 1/2 weeks.”

Really dumb post by you. He's arguing for a long-term relief role. I said he could be a September reliever, meaning short-term.

Go police another board where you can get something right for once or contribute your own ideas and state your own views for once.
 

Sure thing, TS. I’ll admit I don’t know much about this specific situation. But I don’t totally agree with your premise. In today’s game, late inning guys are just as important. Especially guys that can pitch more than one inning. They stretch guys out in the minors for various reasons, but at low levels it’s due in part to the fact that’s what they’ve been doing their whole life to that point. It’s not a “dumb take” to wonder if a guy might end up a late inning reliever. Lots of ultra talented pitchers are late inning relievers. Some are more suited to that for any of a number of reasons. Sure, he’ll get lots of chances to start. How else are they going to figure out if that’s what he’s suited for? And you are right, finding those guys is job #1. It’s easier to make the switch to the bullpen later than vice versa.
 

Starters are still much more valuable. They play more innings and have a greater impact on the game. It's much harder to be a good starter than a good reliever.
 

Long-term, Graterol still projects as a starter.

But - the argument goes like this:

he's had some injury issues, so you don't want to over-work him or run up too many innings.

He can throw the damn ball 102 miles an hour.

so, for this year only, you bring him up, let him get a taste of the major leagues, and use him as a one-inning pitcher. Just come in and throw hard for an inning and get him out of there. That could make a big difference in winning a few key games.

next year, he goes back to starting. stretch him out as a starter in the minors, and he's in the Twins' rotation by mid-season.
 

Long-term, Graterol still projects as a starter.

But - the argument goes like this:

he's had some injury issues, so you don't want to over-work him or run up too many innings.

He can throw the damn ball 102 miles an hour.

so, for this year only, you bring him up, let him get a taste of the major leagues, and use him as a one-inning pitcher. Just come in and throw hard for an inning and get him out of there. That could make a big difference in winning a few key games.

next year, he goes back to starting. stretch him out as a starter in the minors, and he's in the Twins' rotation by mid-season.

100% correct
 

Really dumb post. He'll be given every chance to start before he'd be considered for a relief role. Starters are much more valuable and important. Top prospects are not relievers. Starters who cannot hack it become relievers. Graterol hasn't failed.

The only exception would be a call-up to boost the bullpen in September. He cannot be worse thsn what we've got.

I didn't mean to say that they shouldn't try him as a starter. I understand that starters are more valuable. Maybe I'm wrong but I feel like a lot of guys who throw that hard end up being better relievers than starters. I think there's a chance that's where he ends up long term is all I meant.
 


Long-term, Graterol still projects as a starter.

But - the argument goes like this:

he's had some injury issues, so you don't want to over-work him or run up too many innings.

He can throw the damn ball 102 miles an hour.

so, for this year only, you bring him up, let him get a taste of the major leagues, and use him as a one-inning pitcher. Just come in and throw hard for an inning and get him out of there. That could make a big difference in winning a few key games.

next year, he goes back to starting. stretch him out as a starter in the minors, and he's in the Twins' rotation by mid-season.

This is what will likely happen. But if comes up and is the second coming of K-Rod, then anything's possible for next year.
 

Except I would bring him up before the September call up so we could use him in the playoffs.


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I think they changed to rule so anyone on your 40 man can be on your post-season roster. And if not, Jake Cave or another reliever gets a really, really bad hangnail.
 

1.5 game lead. Nice win tonight. Schoop and Kepler with 2 run homers. Bullpen snuck by. Big DP in the 7th.
 



Long-term, Graterol still projects as a starter.

But - the argument goes like this:

he's had some injury issues, so you don't want to over-work him or run up too many innings.

He can throw the damn ball 102 miles an hour.

so, for this year only, you bring him up, let him get a taste of the major leagues, and use him as a one-inning pitcher. Just come in and throw hard for an inning and get him out of there. That could make a big difference in winning a few key games.

next year, he goes back to starting. stretch him out as a starter in the minors, and he's in the Twins' rotation by mid-season.

Both Romo and Dyson throw junk and that’s not going to work in Houston or the Bronx in the post season. They need to get Graterol up here in August to see what he can do. We have a 15 out starting staff and and probably the weakest post season BP. Calling him up should be an easy decision.


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