Tag: Mike Napoli

How long can the Twins keep selling “the future”

According to Twins Notes in todays Star Tribune Sports section the Minnesota Twins have contacted Mike Napoli‘s agent about signing with Minnesota. Napoli would be a bench player with power who can still play first base every now and then. The big reason for signing him according to the Twins is that he would be a clubhouse leader to replace Chris Gimenez who is a free agent.

Kennys Vargas

Clubhouse leadership is a job that is earned, not bought on the free agent market. Why the Twins want to waste their money and a roster spot on a 36 year-old player that hit .193 in 485 plate appearances and struck out 163 times in Texas is beyond me. Kennys Vargas can do what they want Napoli for and he is much younger and cheaper. 

The Twins don’t need a clubhouse leader, the Twins need some pitching that can help them in 2018, signing Michael Pineda who is coming off TJ surgery and won’t pitch until 2019 does not help the team now. There have also been reports that the Twins were in on Drew Smyly before he signed with the Cubs and are nosing around Trevor Rosenthal. Both of these pitchers are coming off TJ surgery and likely won’t pitch in 2018 either. What the heck is up with that? Are we collecting injured players who can maybe pitch in 2019?

When does this organization quit talking about what they hope to have in the future and start adding pieces that can help them in 2018? The current group of players is young and talented and could use some help with their pitching staff. I know, I know, they just signed Fernando Rodney a few days to be their closer. The team still needs one or two good starters and another reliever and so far they have done nothing to help that problem. 

I am not a huge free agent fan and wouldn’t pay the bucks to sign Yu Darvish or Jake Arrieta but there are a number of pitchers like Gerrit Cole and Chris Archer out there that could be had in a trade for prospects. How about we trade some futures for some pitchers that can pitch now and won’t need to be salary dumps in a few years? I am not getting any younger…

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have done a lot of talking but so far it has been just that, talk. You don’t get a “W” for talk, you need real live pitchers to get that. How much longer can the Minnesota Twins organization keep selling the future to Twins fans? The future is now Mr. Falvey and Mr. Levine, please act like it.

According to Elias – Fenway not a great place for the Twins

The Red Sox entered the bottom of the 10th inning trailing, 1-0, but David Ortiz tied the game with a home run and Mike Napoli followed that up with a game-ending blast in Boston’s 2-1 win over the Twins on Wednesday afternoon. That marked only the third time in the Red Sox franchise history that they hit consecutive home runs – with the first one tying the game, and the second one ending the game. That also happened on July 3, 1940 in a 12-11 win against the Philadelphia Athletics (Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx) and on June 14, 1999 in a 4-3 victory over the Twins (Darren Lewis and Jeff Frye). Come on, Lewis and Frye had 7,105 career plate appearances between them and they only hit 43 home runs. What are the odds?

It is the first time the Red Sox won a game at Fenway Park after being held without a run through nine innings since June 4, 1995 when they topped the Mariners by a score of 2-1 in ten innings.