Jon Grilz: Punto is a liability when it comes to his bat, but his ability in the field should overlook that at this point. We brought in Lamb primarily for his defense and to have a better bat than Punto, but if he can't step it up, we need to have someone in the field that is as lights out as Punto is (wherever we put him). If Punto could even get his batting average around .260-.275 I would see him as a consistent All-Star, with his ability to make headline-making plays.
Jon Bartsch: I think it will take a lot more than a slow start for us to demote Lamb. After all, we let Punto keep the job for most of last year, and his slow start became a season-long slump. Punto is great where he is right now, in the utility role. Lamb has the power potential (he has yet to show it) to hit 20-30 home runs. If he can start producing some power, this won't even be a question.
His defense isn't great, which is the main concern in him keeping the job, but if his bat gets hot, he's here to stay. The Twins have needed a power-hitting third basemen for years. Lamb may not be the answer, but I don't think he is in danger of losing the starting gig anytime soon.
Kelsey Hakes: Recently getting moved up in the batting order to change things around, Lamb went 2-4. Perhaps he is finding his groove. As of right now, he is safe. Nick Punto has all of the material for a starter, but he can't handle the pressure. He proved that last year when he was full-time third base. He went from batting No. 2 to batting No. 9. Lamb had a good year last year with the Astros batting .289. We know he can do it, it's the matter of getting it done.
Marty Andrade: They should both be fired, along with Adam Everett. Brian Buscher or Matt Macri could play third for the Twins and be just as inept as Lamb or Punto. I'd prefer Buscher at the moment, but I'm flexible on the matter.
Tolbert could play SS (though I worry about his .781 Zone Rating, which is lower than Punto's or Everett's), and we'd need another utility guy. It doesn't matter, I would take whatever replacement player I could find at SS over Punto or Everett, and I'd take just about any of the guys with decent arms at AAA over Punto or Lamb at 3B.
It's harsh, but I'm tired of incurable offensive inferiority. Lamb might lose the job to Punto soon, like next week even, but the Twins will probably hold on to him far too long after he's been benched. I don't see him leaving the Twins until after the All-Star break.
Andrew Kneeland: If the losing continues, I say bring up some minor-league kid who looks promising. Matt Marci, Brian Buscher, or even Trevor Plouffe would be great additions to the team, and I would love to watch them play.
Gardenhire needs to get over his love for Punto, and he needs to let him go. Punto just doesn't have what it takes offensively to compete in the big leagues.
Now a fun one: If you had the choice, what would you rename the Minnesota Twins (team movement is allowed)?
Dan Wade: The Twins have got to stay in MSP, but they aren’t a team that belongs to just the city. So, the Minnesota part stays. Sadly, a lot of the good MN related names have been taken: The Wild, Wolves, and Moose are all great names.
As far as the fan base is concerned, the Twins have very strong regional following, unlike the local followings common to more densely populated areas in the East and West. So I propose a name that acknowledges Minnesota’s preeminence among the Midwest states: The Minnesota Regional Hegemony!
Jon Grilz: I would have to be the Minnesota Casseroles or Minnesota Dontcha-Knows.
Jon Bartsch: I'd steal the Lakers name back from that Los Angeles basketball team that's always in the headlines. They moved to the ocean and kept the best name a Minnesota franchise ever had.
Kelsey Hakes: First off, they would move to Jackson, MN where I currently reside, so I can go to all of the games and get season tickets and maybe a date ;).
As to what they'd be called, to stick with a small-town atmosphere: the Minnesota Corn-Growers or the Minnesota Hicks. Both are pretty catchy and would have awesome logos.
Marty Andrade: I'd like to see a return of the Minneapolis Millers or maybe something like the Minnesota Minneapolitans. I have a certain disdain for St. Paul and I never liked the term "Twin Cities" (where we get the present nickname "Twins") anyway as it's misleading, the two cities are nothing alike.
Andrew Kneeland: I would love to see the return of the Minneapolis Lakers, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I would be in favor of some kind of animal. Enough time has passed since more than the Timberwolves and Gophers had an actual animal as their mascot.
Bobcats? Grizzlies? Eagles? Rabbits? Anything would do just fine for me.
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