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Counterpoint: Let’s NOT Trade Ervin
Last week I linked to an ESPN story where the author thought the Twins should trade Ervin Santana as soon as possible.
Not to rain on his parade, but [Ervin Santana] didn’t suddenly turn into the most unhittable pitcher of all time. So the rebuilding Twins should cash in and obtain younger parts that fit their long-term plans.
1500 ESPN’s Derek Wetmore offers an opposing view:
They’ve got a young star third baseman in Miguel Sano who is playing like an A.L. MVP candidate right now. Santana is pitching like an ace. Hector Santiago keeps posting good numbers. Phil Hughes turned in his best start of the season in his last time out, changing his pitch repertoire along the way.
I say, step on the gas, not the brakes but they won’t let me valet park anymore so there’s that.
Why Tarry With Berri, Derry?
Mike Berardino at the Pioneer Press asks Derek Falvey why Jose Berrios is still in Rochester if he’s dominating AAA? One reason is he apparently isn’t passing the “eye test.”
“A lot of it is a bit of the eye test when you watch the video and you see, ‘Is he tracking the glove? Is he following the catcher?’ “ Falvey said. “There are some metrics for that but I think the reality is a lot of it can come from watching video. We want to make sure he’s putting his fastball where he wants, when he wants to and then using his full complement of secondary (pitches).”
Yeah, but what’s his girlfriend look like, Falvey?
Danny Goes to Atlanta
Bad news: the story we were all told that Danny Santana was living on a farm in the country with a big yard and other infielders to play with was a lie. The good news is he’s in Atlanta and already has friends there, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I was happy — that was my first reaction” after hearing he’d been traded to the Braves, Santana said. “Then I was also glad to know that I knew a couple of guys on the team here, so that was comforting as well. More than anything else it’s just a new, fresh opportunity.”
Good luck, Danny!
The Twins Way™ but with Math?
Phil Rogers at mlb.com writes that a big reason for the turn around for the Twins this year is the emphasis on “run prevention.”
[Signing Jason Castro] was the first major move for the Twins under chief baseball officer Derek Falvey, and it demonstrated the regime's commitment -- you could almost say devotion -- to run prevention.
Rogers gives Terry Ryan his due though.
It's worth pointing out that Ryan valued fielding as much as anyone. The 2016 Twins were more of an outlier than the norm during Ryan's era, as Ron Gardenhire's teams compensated for their low payrolls by having pitchers who threw strikes and fielders who rarely made those pitchers get the fourth out in an inning.
So “run prevention” is basically The Twins Way™ but with more charts and tables? I’m okay with that.
They Say the Neon Lights are Bright on Midway
A story by Mike “Fake Name” Max at WCCO about Brandon Kintzler’s journey from the St. Paul Saints to the Minnesota Twins.
.“You always have in the back of your head that some day, getting there really is a reality. When you’re there, the big leagues are so far away but you realize you’re so close,” Kintzler said. “You’ve really got to try to remember that.”
The House That Cost One-Third of a Mauer Year
Tom Pohlad, son of Bob Pohlad, has paid $7.2 million in cash for a 1.35-acre estate on Minnetonka Beach.
[The estate] includes a 8,467-square-foot house, 160 feet of lakeshore real estate, an outdoor pool and an eight-car garage. The house, constructed with a brick and stone exterior, features five bedrooms and eight bathrooms, a study, exercise room, office and amusement room.
The story in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal notes that the Pohlads are reportedly worth $3.6 billion. You can buy a lot of Mauers with that.
Song of the Day
Inspired by myjah’s Trainspotting comment in last night’s faux gamethread.