Seems like it’d be easier to just have Angel Hernandez and a couple others just skip their turn behind the dish, but I don’t hate it. I’d like to see the umps empowered to speed up the game but calling balls when a pitcher delays too long and strikes when the batter steps out and rechecks his entire uniform, but the MLB doesn’t seem to want to do that.
Yeah it’d be nice if they could curb that. I think it’s working in the minors and once the majority of those kids reach the MLB you will see it improve. Look at Joe Ryan and Louie Varland last year. They’ve pitched with a pitch clock for multiple seasons and they got to the MLB and it was rapid fire from the start with them.
Twins extend Chris Paddock for 3 years. I know people hate that trade because he got hurt right away but the guy pitched pretty well for the first month of the season. 3 years for $12.5 million is a steal for a guy like him also. Gives them a lot more rotation depth. He should be close to being ready at the beginning or the first couple months of the season after Tommy John last May.
Do we have anyone in our farm system that projects to have top of the rotation potential? Mainly thinking about prospects that are close to making the jump to the bigs
Side note – I looked back at the last 8 drafts and we used our first rd pick on a pitcher in only 2 of those drafts. I’m a pick BPA guy but why in the hell do we not invest more on pitchers in our farm system?
Top of the rotation guys, I would say no. 3-5 yes, with the potential of one or two being capable of possibly being a 1-2.
Woods Richardson is was the second pitcher we got in the Berrios deal and dominated AA and AAA last season and I believe got a spot start at the end of the season last year. He doesn’t have top of the rotation stuff but his numbers are.
Louie Varland who made his debut last season from North St Paul is another who is ready for the bigs. He also doesn’t have the stuff of an ace but he has the attitude and stats to possibly grow into that.
Balazovic was the one that was supposed to be an ace, but he had a disaster of year last season and has fallen down the ranks quite a bit. Duran also but I think it’s obvious he’s gonna be anchoring the bullpen.
I have to agree they should be drafting pitching early in drafts. MLB is probably the biggest crap shoot for drafts but you are not ever signing a FA one so may as well take as many swings as possible? No pun intended.
Didn’t the Angels a couple of years ago draft a pitcher with every pick?
The Twins have drafted tons of pitching prospects over the last 5 years. They have traded a bunch of them and even more had tommy john over the last 3 seasons. They have missed on most or had injury troubles.
The guys they got over the last couple of seasons from trading Cruz and Berrios are basically their top pitching prospects and 2 of the 5 are already on the Twins.
I’m sure they have as I don’t follow the mlb draft real close outside of first round. Only 2 in last 9-10 years of the first round however.
I will stand by my statement thougg it’s the only way they are getting an ace.
Oh how I remember the excitement for Kohl Stewart back a handful of years now.
Gibson, Baker, Mays. They all were gonna be aces……
Just read a report that after a surgery to shorten his ulna bone, Kirilloff has been swinging full speed and saying his wrist feels normal again. That would be a big boost if he could stay healthy for a full year. I’m not sold on it happening yet, but that’s a positive report.
Gibson, Baker, Mays. They all were gonna be aces
Dont forget Slowey and Blackburn
Gibson, Baker, Mays. They all were gonna be aces……
So 12-15 years ago now.
Seems like it’d be easier to just have Angel Hernandez and a couple others just skip their turn behind the dish, but I don’t hate it. I’d like to see the umps empowered to speed up the game but calling balls when a pitcher delays too long and strikes when the batter steps out and rechecks his entire uniform, but the MLB doesn’t seem to want to do that.
I would LOVE that. Make the rules and ENFORCE them. Won’t be long before the players comply but good luck getting that to happen to BOTH pitchers and hitters.
We could speed up the game considerably.
Lose the shift.
Lose the analytics
Lose the “launch trajectory” is everything mantra and teach the players small ball again.
I know, my dream only
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BigWerm wrote:</div>
Seems like it’d be easier to just have Angel Hernandez and a couple others just skip their turn behind the dish, but I don’t hate it. I’d like to see the umps empowered to speed up the game but calling balls when a pitcher delays too long and strikes when the batter steps out and rechecks his entire uniform, but the MLB doesn’t seem to want to do that.I would LOVE that. Make the rules and ENFORCE them. Won’t be long before the players comply but good luck getting that to happen to BOTH pitchers and hitters.
We could speed up the game considerably.
Lose the shift.
Lose the analytics
Lose the “launch trajectory” is everything mantra and teach the players small ball again.
I know, my dream only
Mine too minus the robot Ump. There’s a fairly large group of people pushing back on analytics these days. I think people, including internal MLB people, are realizing that they are killing the game.
We can only hope they realize it…..
Pretty interesting article on the Correa deal and Boras’ year in general.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2023/01/15/scott-boras-carlos-correa-mlb-free-agency-mets/11054597002/?fbclid=IwAR0uRYoLb2cCTvsKX0KoOUVzQ0CdUJsafdYUMKqetIlg-swrNIK50jTEhOE
So we just traded Ariaz?
So we just traded Ariaz?
Great move IMO, Arraez won the title by default. .316 was the lowest average to win the AL title since 1968, and he doesn’t have a home in the infield. Don’t get me wrong, he is a great player and I loved watching him, but this seems like a great move by the Twins. 
3 players in the deal. From what I am reading the stick and ball guys say this is a great trade for the Twins.
I like the trade. Mostly. Lopez isn’t that great in my opinion. Fits in with all the other 3-5 caliber starters we have. Jose Salas however, is a big time infield prospect, and there’s another prospect that I haven’t seen named yet. Way more than I ever thought they’d get for a strictly contact hitter and someone that has no home on the field.
I like the trade. Mostly. Lopez isn’t that great in my opinion. Fits in with all the other 3-5 caliber starters we have. Jose Salas however, is a big time infield prospect, and there’s another prospect that I haven’t seen named yet. Way more than I ever thought they’d get for a strictly contact hitter and someone that has no home on the field.
Other player is outfield prospect Byron Chourio, 17 year old outside of their top 30. I think what amazes me most is Lopez was healthy all last year and the Twins went after him, not their usual strategy 
I like the trade. Mostly. Lopez isn’t that great in my opinion. Fits in with all the other 3-5 caliber starters we have. Jose Salas however, is a big time infield prospect, and there’s another prospect that I haven’t seen named yet. Way more than I ever thought they’d get for a strictly contact hitter and someone that has no home on the field.
Im sad to see Arraez go. He as probably my favorite Twinkie since Torii Hunter. I get it though. A guy who plays a non premium position, and not particularly well, who is slow and a slap hitter with no power. Basically, he was Joe Mauer after he moved to first base without the bloated contract.
Im curious why we were so interesting in the lopez guy though? i looked at his numbers and they seemed ok. Whats the appeal? is he under a good contract? Have a lot of upside?
Good to see we got a top 5 Marlin prospect in return too
Yes!!!selling more hope. 
Time will tell on this one, of course. Lopez looks like a decent addition, certainly no Verlander but has decent stats. Throws hard and gets a good number of Ks for a starter. Only last year has he pitched over 110 innings though, so not a big durable track record at this point. He’ll be 27 at the start of the season so he’s gotta be close to free agency – hope he’s not gone in a year. Rotation now looking like Gray, Maeda, Ober, Lopez, Ryan, Mahle, with Varland in the wings and Paddack working his way back. At least have a little depth when they start to get hurt.
17 and 19 year old prospects are just that, a hope and a prayer and few ever amount to much.
Who knows how Arraez’ career will go, could fizzle out with his lack of speed and defense, could end up being the next Tony Gwynn.
We’ll see!
They tried to get Lopez at the deadline last year as well. Yes he hasn’t been the most durable so far but he’s always had good numbers. He’s got good stuff and a much higher upside than he’s reached so far. I think he’s a legit #2 but it’s again with the textbook Twins caveat, IF HE STAYS HEALTHY.
That being said, the rotation has a ton of depth now. They literally have seven 2-5 caliber starters. Tough to complain about that. Now the bullpen will be the big question AND if they can get guys on base. I think that will be a big issue for this lineup.
Twins fans are cracking me up right now. I get that Arraez was a fan favorite and played the game the way it should be played (he was my favorite player too), but we have been begging for starting pitching for 15 years. We actually have a very respectable rotation with Lopez heading it and fans just can’t stop complaining about this trade.
I love Arraez but the guy had nowhere to play. If his average ever dips, he’s a below average player. If you put him at first, he takes a spot away from a guy that can provide more of an impact. Same story at second base and third base and he can’t stay healthy enough to play every day. This trade (while not bringing an ace back, which you would never get for Arraez) brought back a legit number two rotation piece and a very promising prospect.
I love Arraez but the guy had nowhere to play.
That’s the thing for me too. I mean, you really cant put him at DH and playing him in the field you are taking power out of the lineup somewhere.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>
I love Arraez but the guy had nowhere to play.That’s the thing for me too. I mean, you really cant put him at DH and playing him in the field you are taking power out of the lineup somewhere.
Exactly.
We finally have a decent rotation, but no ace, hopefully Dhuran continues his domination as a reliever, I think the trade was a good one as stated before Arraez had no where to play except DH. We still need a few bullpen arms and probably a couple moves in our outfield as we have a lot of the same player in Larnach, Kepler that can be moved to help the team
I’m not a fan of the trade at this point. People are saying there’s no where to put Arraez, but why couldn’t he have gone to 2nd? Polanco hasn’t been good at the plate for a while and his fielding, although improved from his days at SS, still leaves much to be desired. Arraez at least provided entertainment since he could actually get on base – everyone else is too strikeout prone.
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