All Things 2024 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

[BleedGopher]

Spring training is upon us.

Hope springs eternal.

This is our year!

Win Twins!!

 

[Go4]

over/under on how many games buxton plays? ill set it at 75

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

over/under on how many games buxton plays? ill set it at 75

I'll take the over, but not by much. 90 is probably a better number, and I'd lean towards the under there. I'd probably take the under on 90 games for Royce Lewis too.

 

[howeda7]

I'll take the over, but not by much. 90 is probably a better number, and I'd lean towards the under there. I'd probably take the under on 90 games for Royce Lewis too.

Well we can always hope they trade Lewis for prospects before he gets hurt.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Well we can always hope they trade Lewis for prospects before he gets hurt.

I actually said I would trade Lewis for a proven player. If they could trade Lewis like they did Arraez for another top SP, I would do it in a heartbeat.

The organization is currently filled with young talent who can play 3B. Lewis only played 58 games in the MLB last year, and 14 in the minors. Yet that's the most he's played in a season since 2019. He's been more injury prone at this stage of his career than Buxton was.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I actually said I would trade Lewis for a proven player. If they could trade Lewis like they did Arraez for another top SP, I would do it in a heartbeat.

The organization is currently filled with young talent who can play 3B. Lewis only played 58 games in the MLB last year, and 14 in the minors. Yet that's the most he's played in a season since 2019. He's been more injury prone at this stage of his career than Buxton was.

I don't know man, I think Lewis has the chance to be a star. Arraez is very good but has limitations. It would be a mistake to move Lewis right now IMO.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

I don't know man, I think Lewis has the chance to be a star. Arraez is very good but has limitations. It would be a mistake to move Lewis right now IMO.

I know I'm pretty much alone on this and it doesn't really matter. I'm not arguing Lewis's talent either. Both he and Buxton have superstar talent, and we're seeing how it's playing out with Buxton and his injuries.

That talent is useless if you're not on the field. If you're injured this much when you're young, it doesn't get better as you age.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I know I'm pretty much alone on this and it doesn't really matter. I'm not arguing Lewis's talent either. Both he and Buxton have superstar talent, and we're seeing how it's playing out with Buxton and his injuries.

That talent is useless if you're not on the field. If you're injured this much when you're young, it doesn't get better as you age.

Yeah I get it. I think it's a bit early to put him in the same category of Buxton when it comes to being injury prone. But we'll see. It's mainly been the two ACLs for Lewis I believe. I feel like those are more random injuries that can happen to anyone.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Yeah I get it. I think it's a bit early to put him in the same category of Buxton when it comes to being injury prone. But we'll see. It's mainly been the two ACLs for Lewis I believe. I feel like those are more random injuries that can happen to anyone.

He didn't come back from the latest ACL until the end of May last season. He played a month and then missed 6 weeks with an oblique. He then played another month before missing the final two weeks of the regular season with the hamstring injury that he played through in the playoffs.

 

[GophersInIowa]

He didn't come back from the latest ACL until the end of May last season. He played a month and then missed 6 weeks with an oblique. He then played another month before missing the final two weeks of the regular season with the hamstring injury that he played through in the playoffs.

Forgot about the hamstring. That's still just one year of nagging injuries, not enough to label him as injury prone at this point IMO.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Forgot about the hamstring. That's still just one year of nagging injuries, not enough to label him as injury prone at this point IMO.

It's one year of nagging injuries after missing two consecutive years due to two ACLs after missing another year due to the COVID shutdown. That seems injury prone to me.

I'll drop it because I don't think there's any chance the Twins trade Lewis right now. But I won't be surprised when it's June and both he and Buxton are on the DL.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

a while back, the Milwaukee Brewers had this young infielder. kid looked like a future star - but he kept getting injured. lot of people said it was too bad that he would never achieve his potential due to the injuries. you may have heard of him - kid from St. Paul named Paul Molitor.

I am NOT saying Lewis is going to the HOF. but I am saying that people were saying many of the same things about Molitor when he was younger.

----------
FWIW - went looking for data - in 2023 for all MLB teams - 848 players were placed on the injured list with total days lost of 44,461 - a 6.1% increase from the previous year. that is an average of 52.4 days lost per placement. The Giants had 46 placements on the IL, followed by the Angels with 42 and the Twins with 39 placements.

in terms of days lost, the Dodgers were 1st with 2,465. Angels were 2nd, followed by the Yankees, Reds, Rockies and the Twins in 6th place with 1,804 days lost.

 

[Stan]

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

Another highly touted prospect who never amounted to much.
Exhibit Y or Z on why this organization's refusal to deal prospects when they are actually in contention is idiotic.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Another highly touted prospect who never amounted to much.
Exhibit Y or Z on why this organization's refusal to deal prospects when they are actually in contention is idiotic.

This take is pretty outdated. The Twins have dealt multiple prospects recently.

 

[GophersInIowa]

This was a no brainer move for the Twins. Great bullpen depth.

They have to add another outfielder now.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

This take is pretty outdated. The Twins have dealt multiple prospects recently.

I won the lottery and I can’t believe that they want me to pay taxes!!

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

This take is pretty outdated. The Twins have dealt multiple prospects recently.

I'm talking about deadline deals when they are clearly a playoff team. They have never gone all-in.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Steven Okert - LH Pitcher - 32 yrs old
bounced around between MLB and Minors for several years in Giants' system. acquired by Miami and spent last 3 years in MLB. Good # in '21 and '22, but not as good in '23. Hits and runs allowed went up.

mostly a set-up man. appeared in 60 games in '22 with no saves and 5 games finished. appeared in 64 games in '23 with no saves and 10 games finished. averaged over 11K per 9 innings last two seasons.

so a lefty reliever who can get some strikeouts.

raises the question - why do the Twins keep stockpiling relief pitchers? Is another move coming or do they let them all fight it out?

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Steven Okert - LH Pitcher - 32 yrs old
bounced around between MLB and Minors for several years in Giants' system. acquired by Miami and spent last 3 years in MLB. Good # in '21 and '22, but not as good in '23. Hits and runs allowed went up.

mostly a set-up man. appeared in 60 games in '22 with no saves and 5 games finished. appeared in 64 games in '23 with no saves and 10 games finished. averaged over 11K per 9 innings last two seasons.

so a lefty reliever who can get some strikeouts.

raises the question - why do the Twins keep stockpiling relief pitchers? Is another move coming or do they let them all fight it out?

Glad they dealt Nick as I didn’t see how he fit this year and hope he can play a role for Miami

 

[GophersInIowa]

I'm talking about deadline deals when they are clearly a playoff team. They have never gone all-in.

Not sure why it matters when the prospect is traded. The point is they have been willing to part with them for good talent.

Either way, Gordon isn’t a good example of the point you’re trying to make. The Twins weren’t very good when Gordon was a top prospect. They ended up making the playoffs in 2017 but they were 3 games under .500 at the trade deadline.

 

[howeda7]

This was a no brainer move for the Twins. Great bullpen depth.

They have to add another outfielder now.

Definitely a no brainer. Gordon was likely to end up DFA'd after Spring Training anyway.

 

[howeda7]

Steven Okert - LH Pitcher - 32 yrs old
bounced around between MLB and Minors for several years in Giants' system. acquired by Miami and spent last 3 years in MLB. Good # in '21 and '22, but not as good in '23. Hits and runs allowed went up.

mostly a set-up man. appeared in 60 games in '22 with no saves and 5 games finished. appeared in 64 games in '23 with no saves and 10 games finished. averaged over 11K per 9 innings last two seasons.

so a lefty reliever who can get some strikeouts.

raises the question - why do the Twins keep stockpiling relief pitchers? Is another move coming or do they let them all fight it out?

Falvey collects marginal relievers like some people collect art. A hobby.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

The Athletic put out an article on 10 MLB Players expected to break out this year. Royce was #2 on the list. Here's hoping they're right.

2. Royce Lewis, 3B, Twins​

Lewis, the first overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, dealt with injuries in recent years that delayed his development but was healthy over the final month and a half of last season. He shined. The injury setbacks gave him time to mature physically and mentally, and by the end of 2023 he was the Twins’ best player. Lewis, 24, is primed to pop. Last year he hit 15 homers in 58 games and slashed .309/.372/.548 (150 OPS+). He hit a staggering .337 against fastballs, .278 against breaking balls and .308 against off-speed pitches. Good luck trying to pitch to him. This season he’s ready to make the jump to All-Star and potential MVP candidate.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

The Athletic put out an article on 10 MLB Players expected to break out this year. Royce was #2 on the list. Here's hoping they're right.

2. Royce Lewis, 3B, Twins​

Lewis, the first overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, dealt with injuries in recent years that delayed his development but was healthy over the final month and a half of last season. He shined. The injury setbacks gave him time to mature physically and mentally, and by the end of 2023 he was the Twins’ best player. Lewis, 24, is primed to pop. Last year he hit 15 homers in 58 games and slashed .309/.372/.548 (150 OPS+). He hit a staggering .337 against fastballs, .278 against breaking balls and .308 against off-speed pitches. Good luck trying to pitch to him. This season he’s ready to make the jump to All-Star and potential MVP candidate.

I was just coming to post it, you fink

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

From our Beat Writer (Park) @ MLB -

Here's the Twins' 2024 Opening Day roster

KANSAS CITY -- The Twins' position player group has been set for a long while -- and now, finally, the pitching staff is complete, too. The Twins formally selected the contract of non-roster invitee Daniel Duarte on Thursday to add him to both their 26-man and 40-man rosters, rewarding his

www.mlb.com

Predicting the Twins' Opening Day roster​

Even considering pitchers and catchers officially report to Twins camp on Tuesday, it’s actually quite difficult to do a roster projection because of how president of baseball operations Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine make a habit of using all the time they have at their disposal to shape their group.
Indeed,

Falvey hinted late last week that the Twins probably aren’t done, as they continue to pay attention to how they can add outfielders and/or pitchers -- but thanks to their late burst of activity, there’s finally some real speculation to be had. So… let’s speculate with the first edition of our Opening Day roster projection.

Catcher (2): Ryan Jeffers, Christian Vázquez
Two real questions here: Can Jeffers build on (or, at least, sustain) his huge breakout from ‘23 -- a 138 wRC+ that led all catchers with at least 300 plate appearances -- that led to him starting all six postseason games behind the plate? And perhaps more importantly, can Vázquez improve upon a rough 65 wRC+ in the first season of a three-year deal? This should be a heavy timeshare (as is typical of this organization), so count on finding answers to both.

First base (3): Alex Kirilloff, Carlos Santana, Jose Miranda
This initially appeared to be a Kirilloff platoon with Miranda, but the signing of Santana to a one-year deal likely positions the switch-hitting veteran to take the right-handed half of the platoon and perhaps even fill in at first base instead of DH as a left-handed hitter in some games where his defense could be important. Still, while not the neatest fit, Miranda sneaks into the projection for now as another right-handed matchup bat following the trade of Nick Gordon to the Marlins.

Second base (1): Edouard Julien
The recipient of a handful of down-ballot Rookie of the Year votes following a stellar rookie campaign in which he impressed with a 136 wRC+, Julien’s discerning eye and ability to use all fields should continue to serve him well against right-handed pitchers -- though it should still be expected that Kyle Farmer will platoon against left-handers.

Shortstop (1): Carlos Correa
Correa has been hitting since November and claims the plantar fasciitis pain that plagued his left heel throughout last season is gone. The Twins will have to hope that translates to a huge bump in performance.

Third base (1): Royce Lewis
The grand slam-whacking, playoff homer-mashing, energy-catalyzing face of the franchise in the making finally has a clear positional home and a full, healthy offseason to use for that preparation. Is the career 153 wRC+ thus far in a small sample sustainable? Let’s find out.

Outfield (3): Matt Wallner, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler
The clearest remaining need on this roster is still a right-handed hitter to face left-handed pitching and serve as an insurance policy for Buxton, whose offseason has been geared toward finally returning to center field. There remain many ifs in this group -- Wallner’s ability to sustain success, Buxton’s health, Kepler’s ability to show that his second-half breakout wasn’t a blip -- but there’s a ton of upside here waiting to be unlocked.

Utility (2): Kyle Farmer, Willi Castro
Assuming health, Farmer and Castro are locks. Farmer can play all four infield positions and step into the outfield in a pinch, while Castro could serve as the Twins’ primary outfield depth behind their starting trio -- again, pending the arrival of another outfielder.


Starting pitchers (5): Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack, Anthony DeSclafani
Louie Varland projects to be quite an effective starter, but as was the case when the Twins broke camp last spring without Ober, these roster decisions often come down to depth. Simply put: Varland can be stashed in the Minors if needed; DeSclafani cannot. Assuming health, that could make the difference, because the Twins need all the starting depth they can get to make it through a season.


Relief pitchers (8): Jhoan Duran, Brock Stewart, Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar, Justin Topa, Jay Jackson, Josh Staumont, Steven Okert
Bullpens are volatile, but on paper, this has the potential to be a really, really good one. Duran is a monster, the setup trio of Stewart, Jax and Thielbar is very stout, and the Twins have quietly filled out great bridge depth with offseason acquisitions of Topa, Jackson, Staumont and Okert. (That’s not to mention Jorge Alcala and Kody Funderburk competing for roles, too.) Because Rocco Baldelli likes to carry a long reliever, it wouldn’t be surprising to see any injury issues within this group or a Staumont option give way to a bulk-type arm.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Soler to the Giants for 3-$42M.

 

[howeda7]

Soler to the Giants for 3-$42M.

A bit much for him IMO. I would like to see the Twins move on Michael A Taylor and Clevinger. I can't imagine Taylor costing more than $5 million or so at this point or holding out for a starting job.

 

[GophersInIowa]

A bit much for him IMO. I would like to see the Twins move on Michael A Taylor and Clevinger. I can't imagine Taylor costing more than $5 million or so at this point or holding out for a starting job.

I'd probably prefer Duvall over Taylor. A little bit better hitter and can play all 3 OF spots. Not as good defensively but he's still pretty good. Won a GG in 2021.

I still think they're trying to trade for a SP too. Hoping anyways.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Soler to the Giants for 3-$42M.

IIRC, I read somewhere that before they acquired him, they didn’t have anyone on their roster who had hit 20 homers at the MLB level - talk about leverage!