Minnesota Sports Forum

What I found interesting in the article was how poorly Escobar was ranked defensively. I know he isn't a defensive wizard at SS but I think he was at least decent last year but those number for him this year are not good. I looked at his hitting and man his value as a guy getting extra base hits from a middle infielder nearly dried up. Does that mane the other 2 years were a fluke? Idk.

Let's be honest here. Unless a prospect makes the leap next year or the Twins sign a SS (which makes little sense considering how much they cost) the Twins don't have a clear cut answer at that position next year. It's possible Escobar bounces back and becomes a decent option both in the field and at the plate but what is the harm in giving Polonco a shot? How much worse can he be that the other options? At least you know he will probably hit. It wouldn't be the worst thing ever to put Escobar back as a super utility guy. I have faith he will prove plenty useful in that role even with the increased cost. I sense he is also a guy that's considered a vet and this team needs those. He turns 28 in January so it's not like he has absolutely peaked or is old etc. It's possible some team could end up wanting to trade for him as well either this offseason or during next season especially if he starts hitting again next year.

What else should they do with Polonco? Play him at 3 infield positions? Put him in the uber crowded outfield at times? 3b? I'm an Eduardo Escobar fan but he didn't do what he needed to do to keep that SS spot why not tell Polonco he has a shot to take it?

That's my thoughts from watching very little. I have watched a couple games recently and seen some good and bad from Polonco defensively. I thought he looked fine mostly though.

Okay, it was a terrible season...no other way to spin 103 losses.

But could we have had a more promising game 162? If yesterday's game was instead the first game of next year, I would be sky high.

Buxton led off, and got on base three times...scoring twice and driving in 2 with a home run. Sano had three RBIs in the cleanup spot and hit a tape measure HR. And Berrios gave up only one run in 5 strong innings for the win.

These are three players with superstar potential coming off terrible seasons, but I can't help thinking yesterday might be a harbinger for the future. If these guys can harness the vast potential all baseball pundits see, this team could be something special.

longstrangetrip wrote:Okay, it was a terrible season...no other way to spin 103 losses.

But could we have had a more promising game 162? If yesterday's game was instead the first game of next year, I would be sky high.

Buxton led off, and got on base three times...scoring twice and driving in 2 with a home run. Sano had three RBIs in the cleanup spot and hit a tape measure HR. And Berrios gave up only one run in 5 strong innings for the win.

These are three players with superstar potential coming off terrible seasons, but I can't help thinking yesterday might be a harbinger for the future. If these guys can harness the vast potential all baseball pundits see, this team could be something special.

I was texting my brother last weekend and we were taking about the future of the team. I mentioned a few people have said pitching is what turns teams around and the more I was looking at the Twins stats the more I became convinced of that and the more depressed I got! Lol Sure the Teins offense could become more potent and it was a big reason they went on that nice stretch but the pitching his year was BRUTAL. 1 starter with an ERA below 5.00. The Pen had some nice individual performances and something to build from but it was pretty bad overall and if Perkins isn't healthy (hard to be optimistic on that one) who is the closer?

So back to your optimism. Berrios is a pretty big key. The Twins haven't had good starting pitching this whole terrible stretch of years and if they don't get much better with legit rotation guys instead of more 4-5 guys they will need the offense to go bonkers and the defense to be top 3rd of the league or something to offset that. Keeping Santana looks like the right thing to do at this point. There is nothing else in the organization that you can count on being more than a god 4th starter. When the Twins had a resurgence sure Christian Guzman and some position players made a difference but that very solid starting rotation that gave you a chance to win every night was a pretty big thing. The Twins need some young starters to actually be good I don't see them being able to save themselves via FA. Who is going to sign here that's a top of the rotation pitcher for a 103 loss team?

Not until they get some significantly better pitching. It's a joke looking at our staff compared to the one's still fighting in the playoffs. We need an ace. We need a bullpen. We need to get better basically everywhere on the staff significantly to make any noise.

khans2k5 wrote:Not until they get some significantly better pitching. It's a joke looking at our staff compared to the one's still fighting in the playoffs. We need an ace. We need a bullpen. We need to get better basically everywhere on the staff significantly to make any noise.

Yep just think how much better this team was a year ago with Mediocre pitchers like Hughes and Pelfrey taking the ball every fifth day. Yes those guys would have been sad big upgrades over everyone not named Santana. Perkins also pitched in 60 games. That obviously wasn't good enough but good gravy the rotation sucked this year compared to the previous year and the Pen wasn't good either although at least there were some guys that performed well so there is something to work with. Falvey and the Twins have their work cut out for them.