Since I’m not with the team in Chicago, it seemed like a good time to take a few questions. So here it is, my first mailbag newsletter. From Emma Iverson on BlueSky: What has been most surprising to you about the Twins team/operations/fan base coming in as an “outsider”? From Garrison Anderson on BlueSky: As a new beat writer with experience covering other teams, any early impressions of the Twins as an organization that stand out? One thing that has struck me is the degree to which Rocco Baldelli delegates to his lieutenants. Pitching coach Pete Maki and his staff have a great deal of autonomy. The hitting staff, likewise. I think that’s healthy, but it really stands out in contrast to the previous manager I covered, Tony La Russa, who very much had his hands in everything. A few other things: • There’s more pitching in the pipeline than I realized. Looking at a prospect list doesn’t do justice to it, since David Festa and Zebby Matthews are no longer prospects. The depth is impressive. |
• It’s just a good organization to cover. The manager and front office are reachable and respectful of the job of covering the team. My hope is that I’m able to turn that into better coverage for you. • Lee Health Sports Complex is a much nicer facility than I remember from 15 years ago. From Red via email: Are they going to give Trevor Larnach more playing time vs LHP this season? I think it’s likely, yes. For one thing, there aren’t a ton of alternatives. There’s Harrison Bader, but the other outfield option, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., is left-handed as well. Willi Castro won’t be available to play a ton of outfield, though he did on Monday. I still think he’ll be primarily a platoon player, but I think it will be less pronounced. |
From Joe S. via email: Ty France bats sixth, Jose Miranda bats eighth. Miranda is better. Why? My first response is: is he? Miranda probably has a higher upside, but if you believe you can chalk up France’s 2024 to his right foot injury, then over his past three healthy seasons, France had a 118 OPS+. Miranda has never posted that number in any full season. I understand aging curves, and if you were picking one of them to be an All-Star this season, you’d take Miranda. But I don’t think it’s unreasonable to view France as the better hitter right now. From krayg on BlueSky: Are we going to see Bader in left regularly? Short answer: Yes. I don’t think he’ll play there more than Larnach, but I do think he’s going to play quite a lot. We know he’s going to start in center when they rest Byron Buxton, and we know he’s going to start in a corner when they want to sit Larnach or Matt Wallner against a lefty. But there’s a third way he’s going to get used that I’m not sure we foresaw when he signed. It will not be an uncommon occurrence, I believe, for Bader to start in left field against a right-handed pitcher, while Larnach or less often Wallner serves as DH -- as we saw on Opening Day. |
From VikesIn26 on BlueSky: I’m curious why Edouard Julien is only player to not get a start in St. Louis, especially with a LHP in Game 1 against the White Sox. Part of that was health: Julien was sick for a few days. But it also might be somewhat predictive. For now, Mickey Gasper seems to be higher in the pecking order than Julien at first, second and DH. Julien is likely going to have to force his way into the lineup by doing the one thing he does best: hitting. From Dan D. on BlueSky: Not a Twins fan, but what coffee haunts were you excited to hit in STL? I always enjoy getting back to Kaldi’s, which was one of the first places I ever really learned how interesting brewed coffee could be. And Sump was absolutely sensational. From Mike Bjorkman on BlueSky: If we were on a road trip and I told you Bruce Springsteen was my fav, what are you going to suggest I listen to? "Mike, have you heard of...?" "The Gaslight Anthem" comes immediately to mind. If you love "Born to Run"-era Bruce, Gaslight is the way to go. Others of various flavors and levels of fame would be The Killers, Jason Isbell, the Hold Steady, and Sam Fender. |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Were you confused by the “reward” Randy Dobnak received for his showing in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals? Dobnak pitched 5 1/3 quality innings and was designated for assignment the next day. Often, DFA moves mean that a player is on his way out of the organization. However, Dobnak’s contract, which he signed in March 2021, pays him $3 million this year plus buyouts on future options totaling $1.2 million. So the Twins can be confident that they can pass him through waivers and maintain his rights. |
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TWINS ANNOUNCE FREE OVER-THE-AIR GAMES |
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The Twins announced Tuesday that for the first time since 2012, some of their games will be available on free, over-the-air local television broadcasts. A total of 10 Tuesday night games -- nine home games plus the Aug. 12 game at the Yankees -- will be carried on FOX 9 as well as select Gray Media stations in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa. That’s in addition to five games that will be carried as part of the national coverage on FOX Saturday baseball, bringing the total number of games on FOX 9 to 15. The Tuesday night games will be simulcasts of Twins.TV broadcasts. |
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AND, FINALLY, THE PLAYLIST |
As I write this, I’m preparing for a very long drive. So here’s yet another compilation of favorite driving songs: • Edwin Starr, “25 Miles” • Pearl Jam, “Rearviewmirror” • Bruce Springsteen, “Darlington County” • Molly Hatchet, “Dreams I’ll Never See” • Sisters of Mercy, “Lucretia My Reflection” |
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