Minnesota Twins 2021 Season

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

God, I hate losing. That's a tough one.

[Jester1534]

God, I hate losing. That's a tough one.

At end of the day Kepler and buxton have to come through there.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

God, I hate losing. That's a tough one.

At end of the day Kepler and buxton have to come through there.

Agreed. Runner on third with less than two outs should result in a run. Tough.

[Monster]

Wow. Taylor Rogers gets Miguel Cabrera to roll over and ground into the ole 5-4-3 double play to end the threat in the ninth. That was a great play all around.

Love Morneau on the broadcast. He was exactly right 5 years ago that's not a double play. Arraez legs would've been taken out immediately there.

Yep. He's a real treat. So knowledgeable about the little things. And yeah, I agree. Arraez would have been upended 10 times out of 10.

And on the flip side, Polanco maybe scores on that ground ball if he's afforded the chance to plow the catcher. Instead he's having to slide feet first and tagged out. The game is just different now.

It's interesting to now be old enough to have basically experienced an entire guys playing career (while I was an adult) and then see them do broadcasting work (or become a coach. Morneau has been terrific and I don't remember him being a guy that seemed would be on TV when he was a player.

[Jester1534]

Intresting note I watched the white sox game. We were all in on the Paxton train. He left yesterday with Elbow Discmfort. The man cant stay healthy.

[FNG]

I agree with the comments yesterday about the insights Morneau provides, but my God...can he ever criticize anyone? I know we rip Jim Peterson here for being a homer, but what about Bremer and Morneau? Sano strikes out on three pitches for his 11th strike out in 20 at bats (and lowering his BA to a ridiculous .100 after hitting .204 last season and striking out half the time), and they have nothing to say about his ineptitude. I get that the ball comes off Miguel's bat at a very high exit velocity, but when it seldom hits his bat, we have to question his value. When healthy, this team has a lot of options at 1b other than Sano. How much leash does this guy have? Will Rocco let him go through another season with his average hovering around the Mendoza line...if he even gets that high?

It used to be that he had problems with the breaking ball, but as Pat Reusse wrote during his pathetic spring, he's overmatched on fast balls now too. I'm beginning to wonder if there is something seriously wrong with him physically...or even mentally. Question: if Miguel continues to hit like this following a season where his OPS of .757 was near the bottom of the team, can he stay in the starting lineup? I might suggest platooning as an option, but his OPS last season against lefties of .554 doesn't make that a good strategy (although Morneau just said, before Miguel's 20 foot roller that at least advanced Buck, that you can't sit Sano because he really hits lefties well...check the stats, Justin!).

This team pitches too well to have a guy batting .095 in the middle of the lineup, especially with guys like Larnach, Rooker, Kiriloff. Astudillo, and whoever is not catching between Garver/Jeffers available to take Miguel's place. After several months now of futility, I need to see a turnaround very soon, and I hope Rocco does too.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I said this before the season, FNG, but I believe this will be Miguel Sano's last year in Minnesota regardless of how he performs. As you noted, the Twins do have other options they could put at first base and Sano hasn't played at a level worthy of his "team-friendly" contract. Either he performs like a stud and he's moved as a positive asset or he should be dumped to a team that still believes in his potential at a reasonable cost. The Twins are in win-now mode and can find plenty of ways to spend Sano's money to help make the team better.

[FNG]

I said this before the season, FNG, but I believe this will be Miguel Sano's last year in Minnesota regardless of how he performs. As you noted, the Twins do have other options they could put at first base and Sano hasn't played at a level worthy of his "team-friendly" contract. Either he performs like a stud and he's moved as a positive asset or he should be dumped to a team that still believes in his potential at a reasonable cost. The Twins are in win-now mode and can find plenty of ways to spend Sano's money to help make the team better.

I hate to give up on a guy with his kind of power, but his regression since his rookie year is puzzling. I thought he had an exceptional eye when he first came up...an amazing ability for a rookie to lay off the pitch off the outside corner... and combined with extraordinary power, I thought he was going to be a superstar. I gave him a pass when he began to struggle with the slider from righties, because other Twins stars (Puckett, Hunter, Cruz) have still flourished despite having challenges with good sliders (who doesn't?). But how does a guy lose the ability to hit the fastball? There has to be a story there somewhere? A hidden injury? Drugs? Personal problems? I don't know what it is, but the degree of his drop off tells me something is going on.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Polanco with the clutch knock of the season so far. Two-run double to push the Twins ahead. Big time.

[Jester1534]

I said this before the season, FNG, but I believe this will be Miguel Sano's last year in Minnesota regardless of how he performs. As you noted, the Twins do have other options they could put at first base and Sano hasn't played at a level worthy of his "team-friendly" contract. Either he performs like a stud and he's moved as a positive asset or he should be dumped to a team that still believes in his potential at a reasonable cost. The Twins are in win-now mode and can find plenty of ways to spend Sano's money to help make the team better.

I hate to give up on a guy with his kind of power, but his regression since his rookie year is puzzling. I thought he had an exceptional eye when he first came up...an amazing ability for a rookie to lay off the pitch off the outside corner... and combined with extraordinary power, I thought he was going to be a superstar. I gave him a pass when he began to struggle with the slider from righties, because other Twins stars (Puckett, Hunter, Cruz) have still flourished despite having challenges with good sliders (who doesn't?). But how does a guy lose the ability to hit the fastball? There has to be a story there somewhere? A hidden injury? Drugs? Personal problems? I don't know what it is, but the degree of his drop off tells me something is going on.

So if all his strike outs were pop ups to short stop would he get a longer leash?

It's been 20 at bats. Yes he's been awful so far this year but just 3 weeks ago you were saying Kepler might've lost it and he's been one of there better hitters so far this year.

Let's give it a month or two and then go from there.