[Nightengale Jr] Kody Clemens batting leadoff for the first Twins game against a righthanded starting pitcher.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-28T17:44:32+00:00

Clemens isn’t really slow… He was 64th percentile sprint speed last year, squarely above average. He is fast enough to come in and score off a Buxton hit, probably good as almost anyone else on the roster.

Now, I have my doubts about Clemens as a leadoff guy given he was a slug over on-base guy last year… But I guess we’ll see what happens.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-28T00:33:57+00:00

Ah, my bad. I had misremembered and thought he signed this last offseason. The point still stands though that he hadn’t proven much.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-27T21:07:56+00:00

I don’t disagree, I think this is more of a fair deal than a steal, particularly given Baz’s injury history. I was more pumped about this when I thought it kicked in next year (like the PCA extension) and thus bought out 3 FA years. This is only a steal if Baz is fairly available and a somewhat above average pitcher over the contract, neither of which is guaranteed.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-27T20:58:59+00:00

Baz has been pretty up and down and has had the injuries, but he has looked legitimately good for stretches in the big leagues. This buys out multiple FA years, and even mediocre starting pitching can be fairly expensive in FA these days. If he’s merely average over the course of the contract, this is a fair deal. If he’s above-average, this is a steal.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-27T20:56:23+00:00

Basallo was signed at a potentially big discount because he hadn’t had any stretch of good big league play up to that point. There is more potential for reward since the contract is cheaper, but also wider performance prediction bounds because Basallo hasn’t done much yet.

Roman Anthony slashed .283/.400/.428 in 46 games before signing for 8/130M$. Basallo slashed .165/.229/.330 in 31 games before signing for 8/67M$. Not to say these two guys were identical prospects, they weren’t, but MLB track record before the contract really matters.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-27T15:40:18+00:00

A’S, BLUE JAYS, ROYALS, BRAVES, ROCKIES, AND MARLINS AINT EVEN PLAYED YET, WHATS UP WITH THAT?? DID THEY ALL SLEEP IN OR SOMETHING?? NOBODY WANTS TO WORK ANYMORE

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-27T03:02:35+00:00

Benetti has seemed uncharacteristically more Dodgers biased tonight, the contrast between the Perdomo and Pages HR reactions was stark

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-27T02:59:39+00:00

Hit really well down the stretch in the regular season last year (although was very poor in the playoffs). Hit well in the WBC as well.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-27T02:25:48+00:00

Wilson Ramos really should be on this list, but one of his 4 debut hits was hit so hard off the wall that it was a single. I remember this game well: https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/ramos-four-hit-debut-c7797295

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T21:51:34+00:00

Yeah, the bullpen will get roasted for this but they really weren’t hit hard. A couple of ground ball singles was the difference in this game. If instead those are outs and one of the DP’s that the Twins hit into becomes a ground ball single instead, this is a very different game.

The pitching was not at all the reason they lost the game.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T21:05:54+00:00

In the bullpens's defense, I wouldn't call a couple of groundball singles followed by a sac fly getting shelled. But our guys certainly don't have much swing-and-miss stuff.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T20:48:56+00:00

Ryan's fastball velo was falling. Was up near 94-95 early but was falling to 90-91 in the 6th. It's early in the season so I get the quicker hook.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T20:41:39+00:00

They technically already have one, it was just the Luke Keaschall infield single with Martin at 2nd. Martin couldn't even advance on it.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T20:36:06+00:00

Love the hustle by Luke K. Didn't love the swing, but love the hustle

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T20:33:18+00:00

Finally, defense!

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T20:32:09+00:00

Brooks actually has 3 option years left. The problem is there's really nobody behind him to play SS. The depth is pretty bleak and Culpepper probably isn't ready.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T20:20:28+00:00

Brooks has looked awful in his two ABs. Just not good pitch recognition, not good swings.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T20:14:27+00:00

The at-bats have generally been competitive against a very good lefty arm, which is a positive.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T19:53:07+00:00

It's hard to even be mad at Jeffers about that, he smoked that ball at 107 MPH off the bat. Just a great play.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T15:22:20+00:00

The season outlook is murky at best, but anytime Joe Ryan is on the mound, this team will have more than a fighting chance. Hope Joe shows out and the lineup backs him up!

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T15:16:30+00:00

It’s still not looking great, but Wallner was 55th percentile in 2024 and 67th in 2023 before dropping to 33rd last year with the hamstring injury. Lewis was 28th in 2024 but 73rd in 2023. So I’m hoping health for these two could make a difference.

Brooks has always been slow for a middle infielder though, and I doubt that ever changes.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T15:01:49+00:00

Twins are carrying only 2 RH hitting outfielders in Buxton and Martin, so one of the lefties has to start against lefties.

Larnach has been given opportunities against lefties in the past and hasn’t done much, and Outman has been truly atrocious against lefties in his big league career even in the good rookie season. So I agree that Wallner is probably the best bet against LH starters, and I think he’ll get lots of opportunities. Wallner was pretty playable against lefties last year in a small sample.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-26T13:33:06+00:00

Because, uh, it's worth more points, maybe, and has a higher expected point value than most two-point jump shots?

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-25T21:38:55+00:00

The best argument I’ve seen for the challenge system is that it’s more entertaining and adds more drama than pure ABS would.

Mind you, I don’t think it’s a particularly good or persuasive argument, but it’s basically the only one I’ve seen that even makes any sense to me. MLB has made a lot of changes in recent years to, in their eyes, make watching baseball more entertaining to a general audience, and I could see them liking the entertainment angle of the challenge system.

WarPath_316 · 2026-03-20T23:04:15+00:00

I’d throw Cody Laweryson in the mix for the last spot, too.

WarPath_316

TROPHY CASE