Cup of Coffee

October 1, 2018: One More Round?

45 Comments

"If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end as to be worthy of remembrance!"

Is Joe Mauer Done?

  • Yes (94%, 16 Votes)
  • No (6%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 17

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45 thoughts on “October 1, 2018: One More Round?”

  1. I had a friend over yesterday to help move some furniture, and was not able to watch the game. Watching Mauer in catcher's gear, walking off the field to that ovation...man...that got me.

    I'm glad the team pulled out all the stops for this.

    1. I had a busy Sunday and was running all around in and out of the house. I was about to go outside when I walked by the TV and saw a really tall catcher walking to the back of the plate.

      Heh, the camera was kind of close on him and he made these weird arm motions. I wasn't 100% sure what was going on so I thought he was pumping up the crowd or something, which seemed un-Joe like. Apparently no one else had walked out onto the field and he was like, c'mon, guys, get out here!

  3. Final Twins on Leaderboards for 2018:

    Intentional Walks - Eduardo Escobar - t-8th (6)
    Intentional Walks - Joe Mauer - t-10th (5)
    Intentional Walks - Eddie Rosario - t-10th (5)
    Caught Stealing - Jorge Polanco - t-9th (7)

    WHIP - Jose Berrios - 9th (1.144)
    H/9 - Jose Berrios - 7th (7.44)
    K/9 - Jose Berrios - 10th (9.45)
    Games Pitched - Ryan Pressly - 1st (77)*
    Games Pitched - Trevor Hildenberger - t-4th (73)
    Games Pitched - Taylor Rogers - t-9th (72)
    Games Pitched - Zach Duke - t-9th (72)*
    Saves - Fernando Rodney - t-8th (25)*
    Innings Pitched - Kyle Gibson - 7th (196.2)
    Innings Pitched - Jose Berrios - 8th (196.1)
    Games Started - Gibson, Berrios, and Odorizzi - t-6th (32)
    Complete Games - Jose Berrios - t-1st (2)
    Shutouts - Jose Berrios - t-1st (1)
    Walks Allowed - Kyle Gibson - 2nd (79)
    Walks Allowed - Lance Lynn - 4th (76)*
    Walks Allowed - Jake Odorizzi - t-7th (70)
    Hits Allowed - Kyle Gibson - t-7th (177)
    Losses - Kyle Gibson - t-9th (13)
    Hit By Pitch - Jose Berrios - 6th (13)

    * Includes totals with 2 teams

    Escobar finished second in the majors in doubles, with 48. He really fell off the pace when he got traded.

    1. Saves - Fernando Rodney - t-8th (25)*

      Rodney with the Twins: 10.9 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. With Athletics: 8.7 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9. No saves because he wasn't the closer but clearly he needs the extra stress to perform well.

    2. Interesting that Good Gibby was still a nibbler. It's a big deal what else you do aside from the walks.

      Too bad PO aren't tracked for base runners -- we could have locked up several top spots, I have to think.

      2. What concerns me with Gibson is his K/9 dropped pretty close to his career numbers in the second half so I'm hoping that's not a sign that this season was a fluke. I wouldn't be locking him into a long-term deal just yet.

  5. Selfishly, I don't want him to go, but why would he stay? The only reason I can think of is the prospect that the Twins might be good enough to make the playoffs next season and he'd like to be part of that.

    Another full season would possibly allow him to move into the career top-100 in doubles, top-150 for singles, top-125 for walks, top-150 for times on base, and top-50 for IBBs. But none of those really would matter noticeably to his HOF resume. Either he's done enough or he hasn't. And, while I'm sure he has an ego, he doesn't strike me as the sort of person who would spend the rest of his life campaigning to get into the Hall.

    1. Yesterday really felt like a finale. I'd be surprised if he decided to come back next year, but agree a chance at the playoffs is the only real reason I can think of for him coming back. And, uh, I'm not super confident that will be a possibility.

    2. He won't come back simply because he loves to play ball? There are a slew of ballplayers every year that keep coming back yet are on teams with little hope of playoffs and have nothing to prove. If he decides to play more, it's because a) he still feels he has something to offer, and b) he loves the game. You're certainly right that HOF stats aren't high on his mind.

      1. I think the better question is whether he loves to play ball enough to risk leavyit on anything other than his own terms. We can’t know his mind on health issues & how his body’s handled aging & recovery (although a recent piece in The Athletic suggests he’s had to take much much more in his pre-game routine the last few years). But we can make judgments based on what he’s shown to be important to him: family, playing in his hometown. He got to go out playing his last game in front of not only his two daughters and his parents, but his grandparents. He got to go out after appearing one last time at the position he clearly loved & missed, one at which he’ll always be remembered as one of the greatest ever.

        I hope he talks with Morneau about his own retirement over the next few weeks. Short of winning it all and retiring after the World Series, I’m not sure there’s a more graceful, poignant exit from the game than the one Mauer just made.

  6. Willians Astudillo ends the season with a nifty .355/.371/.516 slash, having walked twice and struck out three times in 97 plate appearances.

    More worryingly, he logged a 29.16 FIP. I believe that if he can't lower his ungodly HR/9 rate (18!), his time as a pitcher may be short lived.

    1. I used to work for a competitor to Underwriters Laboratories, but that probably doesn't help you in any way.

      1. Nothing seems to be helping me. Working on a home loan. I run a sole proprietorship. Which means that it's just me, not a separate legal entity. But the underwriters don't seem to understand that.

          1. I'm not. Nor an LLC, partnership, or any of the other forms that take on Subchapter S treatment. The benefits of that form of corporate organization (namely, liability), aren't sufficient enough for me right now to justify the costs and hassles (which, admittedly, are few), largely because I need to have malpractice to cover my liability anyway. It's a close call, but when I was starting up it was definitely easier to just do the assumed name.

          1. I agree. It should basically look like a deranged fish version of something out of Five Nights at Freddie's.

            (Haven't played the game, and the ubiquity of the characters from it annoys me, but i think it would be an appropriate template for what we're looking for, here)

            1. I think it's a fish deliberately made to look like an sure airplane as an homage to the nearby naval air station. Or at least that's my guess.

    2. The in-laws have a beach place about thirty minutes east of Pensacola that I've visited a couple of times. Looks like I'll have something to do if we happen to visit again in the next few years.

    3. Pensacola reminds me of the movie Contact and how young Ellie pronounced "Pensacola" when talking about where a Ham radio operator was from that they had contacted.

  12. Just to clarify, I voted No because I don't think Joe is done. He might be hanging up his cleats, but he's certainly not "done".

    Also because not ready for it.

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