Twins Spring Training 2021

[Monster]

I don't usually wade into this stuff, but it's personal for me too since my Dad died from Covid. He was in his 80s but he was very healthy and had no underlying conditions.

Cam, I believe in individual freedoms too. If someone wants to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, go for it. If someone wants to drive without a seatbelt, be my guest. The difference with Covid is that when people decide not to wear masks or not get a vaccine in the name of individual freedom, they are literally potentially putting others at risk. That's called being selfish.

In addition, there is a big range of outcomes between death and a quick recovery. Lots of people can be taken out for weeks and some for months. It's not dying, but that's still a terrible outcome.

Q I am sorry for your loss.

[Monster]

Thank goodness I have an immune system.

And your point is?

The point is that people with healthy and functioning immune systems need not rush to get a vaccine for a virus that has a 99.9% survival rate let alone one that hasn't received FDA approval yet. The logic just doesn't and will never make sense to me. But I also believe in individual freedoms and people should do whatever they feel is necessary for their own health and wellness. If that means getting this vaccine, then by all means... but thank goodness I have an immune system.

Thanks for your response and I appreciate your perspective. I'll share mine below.

FWIW for me personally I know a few people that have survived but continue to have long term effects from Covid 19. They were all relatively healthy before. I also work with the developmentally disabled population and Covid has been much more deadly among that group. Fortunately in Nebraska they given a high priority for the vaccine. This affects how I view things. My Dad has a lengthy number of risk factors. I have some friends that lost their mother who was in her early 60's to Covid. She was a nurse and pretty healthy, ran half marathons etc. She died within a week of contracting the virus. I've attended too many funerals in the last couple months. That was the only one Covid related (attended that one virtually) but just as a side note it's been a sad 2021.

I tend to be somewhat careful about what I do, wear a mask most of the time outside the home. I've also found that this last year my allergies have been much better than usual and I don't think I have gotten sick at all since last March when I think I may have actually had some sort of minor cold but it's always hard to tell when I have allergies. Typically I get some sort of cold or flu bug or whatever at least once that's not just allergies but not this last 12 months which is really nice. So for me there are additional benefits and wearing a mask isn't a big inconvenience personally. I'll probably be wearing a mask at times going forward just due to allergies. I do get out and about some but not as much as I typically would. I don't personally completely get the science behind these vaccines but from what I understand it's a different technology than has been used in various past vaccines and it's both innovative and also safe. It doesn't have the typical FDA approval but they had done approval for it. People have to make their own decisions about the vaccine. For one thing there are people that because of various health issues are not able to get it.

Like you I feel fortunate to be as healthy as I am although I've struggled the past few months getting enough exercise. I feel certain we can agree that our health is one of the best things we can have in life. It can be taken quickly in a variety of ways. Shawn Bradley is a recent example of one life event can change everything. So here to your health Cam and also anyone else that is reading this lengthy response. =)

I've been on a big school job for 17 months now doing masonry work. We've never been shut down becuz deadlines for enrollment in the fall take priority. I have nothing but respect for health care workers and the risks they take on. It does bother me that construction workers are forgotten about. If a stadium is being built there's nothing that will stop it from hitting it's deadline. Workers be damned. But once that stadium is fully functional the players have the right to sit it out till they feel safe and fans aren't even allowed to go to games becuz of health concerns. But those that construct these buildings do so despite the risks.
A quarter of the employees I work with have gotten sick and we all work in close proximity to each other. thankfully I'm not one of them but unless we show symptoms it's all systems go. Personally I've never lived in fear of it and am grateful to keep working inspite of it.
Separately, my mother just passed away from ovarian cancer ( spread to her liver and lymph nodes) last month after a 2 1/2 year battle. 5 months ago she got Covid and made it thru within a couple weeks. It was never mentioned again. Until me and my brothers got her death certificate and it was a second underlying cause of death. Don't tell me the numbers aren't skewd for government aid. My mother is rolling in her grave knowing she was used as a statistic to further an agenda.Fucking Bullshit.

Earlier in the pandemic I did feel guilty when I was not working while others like you had to sometimes in difficult or more risky circumstances. I liked my job and it wasn't my fault I had no hours and...maybe I would be able to return soon...eventually I was able to return part time and would have been back to full time but all that did lead me to change jobs. While my current job is much more stressful I think it ended up being a good change for me. It will be interesting to see if some of the things we overall as a country have learned when it comes to work carry over when this pandemic is over. Many companies are already shifting people to working from home. That's a possible option for when my dept moves from our current building. I'm honestly not sure if I would want to do that long term. I like working with people.

I'm sorry for your loss.

[FNG]

Next question is how many innings does he go? 5?

He went 5 1/3 today, bleed, so he should be stretched out by opening day. I'm thinking 6 or 7 depending on how the game is going.

[FNG]

Twins bats finally came alive today. Still a lot of questions to be resolved before opening day.

1) Will J. Happ and Shoemaker be ready by opening day? Happ has been terrible in his 2 starts this spring and Shoemaker even worse, while Dobnak has been lights out in his three appearances...8 2/3 innings, 5 hits, no earned runs, and 13 K's! Should the Twins begin the season with Dobnak in the rotation (behind Maeda, Berrios and Pineda) and maybe even the revived Thorpe as 5th starter, and give Happ and Shoemaker time to figure things out?

2) Arraez led off today and improved his OBP to .382...pretty much his career average. Meanwhile Kepler batted in the middle of the lineup and his OBP dropped to .084. I'm not saying Kepler shouldn't start in RF, but is Rocco finally starting to understand that Arraez needs to lead off every time he is in the lineup?

3) Garlick and Tortuga raked again today, and are our two best hitters this spring. Meanwhile, Kirilloff struggled again and is now down to .129. It looks like Alex will start the season in St. Paul, but do either or both of the other two start the season in the bigs. Garlick has good minor league stats in addition to his terrific spring...any chance he starts in LF?

4) Nobody has really separated themselves from the pack as a closer. Rogers looks sharper than last year, Colome has struggled, and so has Duffey...although he reportedly has found his velocity again. Who is the closer to start the season, or does Rocco do it by committee?

[Jester1534]

Twins bats finally came alive today. Still a lot of questions to be resolved before opening day.

1) Will J. Happ and Shoemaker be ready by opening day? Happ has been terrible in his 2 starts this spring and Shoemaker even worse, while Dobnak has been lights out in his three appearances...8 2/3 innings, 5 hits, no earned runs, and 13 K's! Should the Twins begin the season with Dobnak in the rotation (behind Maeda, Berrios and Pineda) and maybe even the revived Thorpe as 5th starter, and give Happ and Shoemaker time to figure things out?

2) Arraez led off today and improved his OBP to .382...pretty much his career average. Meanwhile Kepler batted in the middle of the lineup and his OBP dropped to .084. I'm not saying Kepler shouldn't start in RF, but is Rocco finally starting to understand that Arraez needs to lead off every time he is in the lineup?

3) Garlick and Tortuga raked again today, and are our two best hitters this spring. Meanwhile, Kirilloff struggled again and is now down to .129. It looks like Alex will start the season in St. Paul, but do either or both of the other two start the season in the bigs. Garlick has good minor league stats in addition to his terrific spring...any chance he starts in LF?

4) Nobody has really separated themselves from the pack as a closer. Rogers looks sharper than last year, Colome has struggled, and so has Duffey...although he reportedly has found his velocity again. Who is the closer to start the season, or does Rocco do it by committee?

I'll answer in bullet point form

Spring training stats don't matter.
Ronald Acuna is batting .172 in 30 at bats. The braves should cut him. There's countless examples of this.

Never trust pitcher stats cause you don't know what there working on. Hence randy Dobnak basically only throwing sliders in his last start.

There's no way there not going to take a look at Rooker to begin the season. They need to find out what they have in him.

Rocco has never named a closer in his 2 years here. He won't start now. Romo and may had 7 saves combine last year to Rogers 9. Rogers only had 30 of the 50 saves in 2019.

[Monster]

Twins bats finally came alive today. Still a lot of questions to be resolved before opening day.

1) Will J. Happ and Shoemaker be ready by opening day? Happ has been terrible in his 2 starts this spring and Shoemaker even worse, while Dobnak has been lights out in his three appearances...8 2/3 innings, 5 hits, no earned runs, and 13 K's! Should the Twins begin the season with Dobnak in the rotation (behind Maeda, Berrios and Pineda) and maybe even the revived Thorpe as 5th starter, and give Happ and Shoemaker time to figure things out?

2) Arraez led off today and improved his OBP to .382...pretty much his career average. Meanwhile Kepler batted in the middle of the lineup and his OBP dropped to .084. I'm not saying Kepler shouldn't start in RF, but is Rocco finally starting to understand that Arraez needs to lead off every time he is in the lineup?

3) Garlick and Tortuga raked again today, and are our two best hitters this spring. Meanwhile, Kirilloff struggled again and is now down to .129. It looks like Alex will start the season in St. Paul, but do either or both of the other two start the season in the bigs. Garlick has good minor league stats in addition to his terrific spring...any chance he starts in LF?

4) Nobody has really separated themselves from the pack as a closer. Rogers looks sharper than last year, Colome has struggled, and so has Duffey...although he reportedly has found his velocity again. Who is the closer to start the season, or does Rocco do it by committee?

I'll answer in bullet point form

Spring training stats don't matter.
Ronald Acuna is batting .172 in 30 at bats. The braves should cut him. There's countless examples of this.

Never trust pitcher stats cause you don't know what there working on. Hence randy Dobnak basically only throwing sliders in his last start.

There's no way there not going to take a look at Rooker to begin the season. They need to find out what they have in him.

Rocco has never named a closer in his 2 years here. He won't start now. Romo and may had 7 saves combine last year to Rogers 9. Rogers only had 30 of the 50 saves in 2019.

The spring trading stats matter for the guys that aren't assured a roster spot. Idk how many spots are open but someone may earn a spot and someone else will start the season in St Paul.

[Jester1534]

Twins bats finally came alive today. Still a lot of questions to be resolved before opening day.

1) Will J. Happ and Shoemaker be ready by opening day? Happ has been terrible in his 2 starts this spring and Shoemaker even worse, while Dobnak has been lights out in his three appearances...8 2/3 innings, 5 hits, no earned runs, and 13 K's! Should the Twins begin the season with Dobnak in the rotation (behind Maeda, Berrios and Pineda) and maybe even the revived Thorpe as 5th starter, and give Happ and Shoemaker time to figure things out?

2) Arraez led off today and improved his OBP to .382...pretty much his career average. Meanwhile Kepler batted in the middle of the lineup and his OBP dropped to .084. I'm not saying Kepler shouldn't start in RF, but is Rocco finally starting to understand that Arraez needs to lead off every time he is in the lineup?

3) Garlick and Tortuga raked again today, and are our two best hitters this spring. Meanwhile, Kirilloff struggled again and is now down to .129. It looks like Alex will start the season in St. Paul, but do either or both of the other two start the season in the bigs. Garlick has good minor league stats in addition to his terrific spring...any chance he starts in LF?

4) Nobody has really separated themselves from the pack as a closer. Rogers looks sharper than last year, Colome has struggled, and so has Duffey...although he reportedly has found his velocity again. Who is the closer to start the season, or does Rocco do it by committee?

I'll answer in bullet point form

Spring training stats don't matter.
Ronald Acuna is batting .172 in 30 at bats. The braves should cut him. There's countless examples of this.

Never trust pitcher stats cause you don't know what there working on. Hence randy Dobnak basically only throwing sliders in his last start.

There's no way there not going to take a look at Rooker to begin the season. They need to find out what they have in him.

Rocco has never named a closer in his 2 years here. He won't start now. Romo and may had 7 saves combine last year to Rogers 9. Rogers only had 30 of the 50 saves in 2019.

The spring trading stats matter for the guys that aren't assured a roster spot. Idk how many spots are open but someone may earn a spot and someone else will start the season in St Paul.

I agree when it comes to last guy on the roster sometimes. We're talking about the starting left fielder though.

[Monster]

Twins bats finally came alive today. Still a lot of questions to be resolved before opening day.

1) Will J. Happ and Shoemaker be ready by opening day? Happ has been terrible in his 2 starts this spring and Shoemaker even worse, while Dobnak has been lights out in his three appearances...8 2/3 innings, 5 hits, no earned runs, and 13 K's! Should the Twins begin the season with Dobnak in the rotation (behind Maeda, Berrios and Pineda) and maybe even the revived Thorpe as 5th starter, and give Happ and Shoemaker time to figure things out?

2) Arraez led off today and improved his OBP to .382...pretty much his career average. Meanwhile Kepler batted in the middle of the lineup and his OBP dropped to .084. I'm not saying Kepler shouldn't start in RF, but is Rocco finally starting to understand that Arraez needs to lead off every time he is in the lineup?

3) Garlick and Tortuga raked again today, and are our two best hitters this spring. Meanwhile, Kirilloff struggled again and is now down to .129. It looks like Alex will start the season in St. Paul, but do either or both of the other two start the season in the bigs. Garlick has good minor league stats in addition to his terrific spring...any chance he starts in LF?

4) Nobody has really separated themselves from the pack as a closer. Rogers looks sharper than last year, Colome has struggled, and so has Duffey...although he reportedly has found his velocity again. Who is the closer to start the season, or does Rocco do it by committee?

I'll answer in bullet point form

Spring training stats don't matter.
Ronald Acuna is batting .172 in 30 at bats. The braves should cut him. There's countless examples of this.

Never trust pitcher stats cause you don't know what there working on. Hence randy Dobnak basically only throwing sliders in his last start.

There's no way there not going to take a look at Rooker to begin the season. They need to find out what they have in him.

Rocco has never named a closer in his 2 years here. He won't start now. Romo and may had 7 saves combine last year to Rogers 9. Rogers only had 30 of the 50 saves in 2019.

The spring trading stats matter for the guys that aren't assured a roster spot. Idk how many spots are open but someone may earn a spot and someone else will start the season in St Paul.

I agree when it comes to last guy on the roster sometimes. We're talking about the starting left fielder though.

I'm not. Lol

Has who is playing in RF been decided on?

[Jester1534]

Hitters
AVG OBP SLG
M. KeplerRF .065 .065 .065
J. Donaldson3B .300 .300 .450
N. CruzDH .310 .310 .552
J. Polanco2B .320 .452 .480
B. BuxtonCF .154 .179 .269
M. Sano1B .107 .194 .214
A. SimmonsSS .067 .125 .067
J. CaveLF .167 .348 .222
R. JeffersC .227 .250 .273

Looks like were only brining up a third of the starting line up based on there spring stats.

[FNG]

Hitters
AVG OBP SLG
M. KeplerRF .065 .065 .065
J. Donaldson3B .300 .300 .450
N. CruzDH .310 .310 .552
J. Polanco2B .320 .452 .480
B. BuxtonCF .154 .179 .269
M. Sano1B .107 .194 .214
A. SimmonsSS .067 .125 .067
J. CaveLF .167 .348 .222
R. JeffersC .227 .250 .273

Looks like were only brining up a third of the starting line up based on there spring stats.

Ha, yeah...those are some awful numbers! But I think almost the entire roster was set in stone even before spring training started. It's only the final couple spots on the roster that get determined in March. And those final decisions are determined by three performance factors (excluding the financial factor and position need). Two we have visibility to...their previous success in the majors/minors and their current spring numbers. But probably at least as important as their numbers is how do they look...both in the cage, and in games. Are they stinging the ball and just unlucky. Are they healthy? So I think that's what Rocco and his boys are looking at as they ponder Rooker, Garlick, Tortuga, Broxton, Cave, Kirilloff etc. The Strib suggested this morning that Cave/Garlick might be the platoon in LF to start the season. I guess I don't have a big problem with that, but we know we have other options in left if that isn't successful.

I'm glad to see that Rocco has batted Arraez leadoff in all games he has started with Kepler. Max and his (now) .063 average will likely be leading off with Luis on the bench in Game 1, but I expect to see Luis leading off in the 75% of games that he plays in with Max more in the middle of the lineup (or lower if he doesn't start picking it up).