Arraez gets a hit in the 3rd inning and Miranda pitch runs for him (good to see Miranda is alright after getting hit last night).
Arraez ends the game 1 for 1 with 2 walks.
When is the parade for the Twins finally beating the Yankees in October?
Arraez >>>>>>>> Judge
The starting rotation for next year is likely Ryan, Gray, Mahle, Meada, and Ober. Four of the five were either on the IL multiple times this season or missed the whole season.
They pitched 147, 119, 120, 0, and 56 innings.
When guys are repeatedly hurt what would make people think there isn't a good chance they miss significant time next year?
When they do the next men up next year will be Winder, Varland, and Woods-Richards. Winder was on the IL multiple times this season (only pitched 64 innings) and the other two have almost no major league experience.
This is a viable point for the most part. Ober does have a history of injury issues which is why they are cautious with him. Gray has mostly been healthy (this is only the second season in his career where he'll finish the season with fewer than 26 starts, and I don't know for sure if he was hurt the other year - he may have been sent down based on his numbers that season). Ryan has mostly been healthy. Mahle has mostly been healthy. IIRC this is Maeda's first ever injury. Paddack did have TJS a couple years ago and had it again this season which is not super common (repeat UCL injuries/TJS).
Winder was battling shoulder impingement issues this summer which is a bit weird and concerning, IMO.
The key is not having ALL of these guys hurt all at the same time.
My guess is the Twins didn't envision having Dylan Bundy in the rotation all season. They were hoping to be able to DFA him or move him to a long reliever role at some point once our younger guys came up and showed they were ready. But then everyone else got hurt and Bundy was the only one who stayed healthy all year. That's not a great recipe for success. Ultimately they got about what they expected from Bundy and Archer (a few really good starts, a few bad starts, and a lot of mediocre starts). The problem is all the guys they were expecting to take their jobs half way through the season got hurt or regressed.
Lineup-wise, Kepler has fallen off the face of the planet from his peak a couple years ago. An OPS of .666 is embarrassingly bad. Particularly from an everyday corner outfielder. Hopefully between Larnach, Kiriloff, Wallner, or Free Agent RF X they can find a viable replacement to start out there and move Kepler to a spot starter/4th outfielder role.
I like Urshela well enough to want him to stick around, Polanco is fine at 2B (not spectacular but not going to kill you).
They need to find a solution at catcher because Sanchez and Jeffers both looked pretty brutal this year.
The Twins need to move on from Kepler IMO. They also need to figure out that planning on Buxton staying healthy is idiotic at this point. As far as pitching goes, if they are going to continue with the strategy they’ve been using, why bother investing in starting pitching as much as trying to get a loaded bullpen?
No wonder Arraez won the AL batting title. Good luck trying to shift against him. #ASpecialTalent
I believe the Twins had had 15 of the AL batting champions since they became an MLB team. About 25% of the batting champions.
I believe the Twins had had 15 of the AL batting champions since they became an MLB team. About 25% of the batting champions.
Correct. Carew - 7, Oliva - 3, Mauer - 3, Puckett - 1, Arraez - 1.
The Twins need to move on from Kepler IMO. They also need to figure out that planning on Buxton staying healthy is idiotic at this point. As far as pitching goes, if they are going to continue with the strategy they’ve been using, why bother investing in starting pitching as much as trying to get a loaded bullpen?
It isn't just the Twins using this strategy, for the record. The average IP/game for starting pitchers wasn't even 5 and a third innings across all of baseball (officially 5.2 innings - not 5 and 2/3rds but actually 5 and a fifth). The highest of any team was 5.9 innings (Houston) and nobody else was over 5.6 (so roughly 5 and two thirds innings).
The Twins were on the low end of that (4.9 IP) but that's weighed down heavily by Chris Archer and his 25 starts with 102 IP, along with Dylan Bundy (29 starts, 140 IP for an average of 4.8 IP/GS) so 54 starts combined for 242 IP between those 2 drags the team average a bit.
I'm not necessarily crazy about the "get them out before the 3rd time through the lineup" strategy either, personally. But it's been adopted more or less league wide, not just here in Minnesota.
Another reason fans find the game disinteresting. 12 thousand pitching changes makes games longer and way more boring.
No wonder Arraez won the AL batting title. Good luck trying to shift against him. #ASpecialTalent
Special talent? Until Analytics ruled the roost this was called "being a hitter".
No wonder Arraez won the AL batting title. Good luck trying to shift against him. #ASpecialTalent
Special talent? Until Analytics ruled the roost this was called "being a hitter".
Guys have been spray hitters, slap hitters, and dead pull hitters long before "analytics ruled the roost" 😉 Killebrew was largely a dead pull hitter. So was Ted Williams (look up the Williams Shift - it was even put on a baseball card).
Jake Cave has been claimed by the Orioles
https://twitter.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1579979137569415168?t=8uyyJLHRb-kLroh-ptXAJg&s=19
No wonder Arraez won the AL batting title. Good luck trying to shift against him. #ASpecialTalent
Special talent? Until Analytics ruled the roost this was called "being a hitter".
Guys have been spray hitters, slap hitters, and dead pull hitters long before "analytics ruled the roost" 😉 Killebrew was largely a dead pull hitter. So was Ted Williams (look up the Williams Shift - it was even put on a baseball card).
I dont think you understood what I was saying. collegehockeyaddict was acting like it is some sort of special feat to be a spray hitter like that. That isn't special, that is just being a good hitter in the game of baseball. Analytics has changed how people view stuff like that...
BTW yesterday John Bonnes was already spouting the usual Twins BS although he skipped the "we will make a splash in the offseason" step because apparently the Twins have no glaring weaknesses as all so they likely won't make a move. Yeah there is definitely nothing on this team that needs an upgrade...unless you actually want to win in the playoffs.
BTW yesterday John Bonnes was already spouting the usual Twins BS although he skipped the "we will make a splash in the offseason" step because apparently the Twins have no glaring weaknesses as all so they likely won't make a move. Yeah there is definitely nothing on this team that needs an upgrade...unless you actually want to win in the playoffs.
At least he didn't talk about the Twins signing Aaron Judge 
@handyman More than historical, pitchers came in to start an inning. The three-player minimum rule has clearly reduced the number of in-inning pitching changes.
Correa opted out. He surely behind closed doors told the top brass to bring in some real pitching or I'm out, and I don't blame him one bit.
@handyman More than historical, pitchers came in to start an inning. The three-player minimum rule has clearly reduced the number of in-inning pitching changes.
Funny how pitching changes were never an issue for the first 120 years or so of the game. ?
BTW yesterday John Bonnes was already spouting the usual Twins BS although he skipped the "we will make a splash in the offseason" step because apparently the Twins have no glaring weaknesses as all so they likely won't make a move. Yeah there is definitely nothing on this team that needs an upgrade...unless you actually want to win in the playoffs.
At least he didn't talk about the Twins signing Aaron Judge
Give it time...as soon as the WS is over he will probably list off a bunch of names to look at none of whom they will even really call.
@handyman More than historical, pitchers came in to start an inning. The three-player minimum rule has clearly reduced the number of in-inning pitching changes.
Funny how pitching changes were never an issue for the first 120 years or so of the game. ?
Huh? You original post was:
"Another reason fans find the game disinteresting. 12 thousand pitching changes makes games longer and way more boring."
Which indicates that you DO think that the "past 120 years" WERE a problem.
@handyman More than historical, pitchers came in to start an inning. The three-player minimum rule has clearly reduced the number of in-inning pitching changes.
Funny how pitching changes were never an issue for the first 120 years or so of the game. ?
Huh? You original post was:
"Another reason fans find the game disinteresting. 12 thousand pitching changes makes games longer and way more boring."
Which indicates that you DO think that the "past 120 years" WERE a problem.
I would interpret that as him saying the opposite - that the previous years without a million changes per game were better.
I agree. The biggest peeve in previous eras was the batter taking too long between pitches to adjust all the armor they were wearing. Now, it's 6-7 different pitching changes, ZOMG a professional player can't hit through a shift, and "BORING! This 2 hit vs 1 hit genius pitching duel sucks!"
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
No wonder Arraez won the AL batting title. Good luck trying to shift against him. #ASpecialTalent
Special talent? Until Analytics ruled the roost this was called "being a hitter".
Guys have been spray hitters, slap hitters, and dead pull hitters long before "analytics ruled the roost" 😉 Killebrew was largely a dead pull hitter. So was Ted Williams (look up the Williams Shift - it was even put on a baseball card).
I dont think you understood what I was saying. collegehockeyaddict was acting like it is some sort of special feat to be a spray hitter like that. That isn't special, that is just being a good hitter in the game of baseball. Analytics has changed how people view stuff like that...
And I don't think you understood what I way saying. Posting his hitting map was to show why it is hard to shift against him. What makes him special is his amazing eye/hand coordination which is shown by the fact that he has one of the lowest strike out rates. Pitchers now a days are really good at combining insane velocity with extreme movement on their pitches making is much harder for hitters to track the ball like they use to. How many batting titles does he have to win before I can say he is a special talent? 
@handyman More than historical, pitchers came in to start an inning. The three-player minimum rule has clearly reduced the number of in-inning pitching changes.
Funny how pitching changes were never an issue for the first 120 years or so of the game. ?
Huh? You original post was:
"Another reason fans find the game disinteresting. 12 thousand pitching changes makes games longer and way more boring."
Which indicates that you DO think that the "past 120 years" WERE a problem.
They are now...which is why the rule is being changed. Prior to managers making pitching changes every twelve seconds (in part because they dont let starters go past 5 innings cause...reasons) no one had much of an issue with pitching changes. Over-managing has slowed the game down.
No wonder Arraez won the AL batting title. Good luck trying to shift against him. #ASpecialTalent
Special talent? Until Analytics ruled the roost this was called "being a hitter".
Guys have been spray hitters, slap hitters, and dead pull hitters long before "analytics ruled the roost" 😉 Killebrew was largely a dead pull hitter. So was Ted Williams (look up the Williams Shift - it was even put on a baseball card).
I dont think you understood what I was saying. collegehockeyaddict was acting like it is some sort of special feat to be a spray hitter like that. That isn't special, that is just being a good hitter in the game of baseball. Analytics has changed how people view stuff like that...
And I don't think you understood what I way saying. Posting his hitting map was to show why it is hard to shift against him. What makes him special is his amazing eye/hand coordination which is shown by the fact that he has one of the lowest strike out rates. Pitchers now a days are really good at combining insane velocity with extreme movement on their pitches making is much harder for hitters to track the ball like they use to. How many batting titles does he have to win before I can say he is a special talent?
And again...hitting to all fields doesn't make him special, it makes him a good hitter. That used to be the ideal, only power hitters pulled the ball. Players used to go opposite field all the time. He is special because the rest of league forgot how to hit.
His batting title is great, but let's not pretend batting .316 is Hall of Fame worthy yet mmmkay.
Tom Kelly was notorious for his reliance on analytics for decision-making. 😉
They hired a new trainer!
More importantly, happy anniversary! Today is the day that Jack Morris told Tom Kelly "Don't even f*ing think about it [pulling me]" and went out for the 10th inning and won our 2nd World Series. 
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
They hired a new trainer!
More importantly, happy anniversary! Today is the day that Jack Morris told Tom Kelly "Don't even f*ing think about it [pulling me]" and went out for the 10th inning and won our 2nd World Series.
Coincidently, this was the last time in Minnesota playoff history that somebody made a good decision.