Twins baserunning.

[darin617]

I know this will get buried and probably get a very few responses, but I will still ask this simple question. Why do so many players not know how to slide into a base without either getting hurt or simply over sliding the base. This has been a big frustration for me watching the Twins lately. You would think this could be corrected pretty easy but I will continue to wait for improvement. Come on Molitor teach these guys a simple fundamental of the game that they should have learned in their teens.

[Linus]

Actually sliding late, which tends to cause over sliding the base is the fastest way to get to the base

[darin617]

 

Actually sliding late, which tends to cause over sliding the base is the fastest way to get to the base

Ok, but how hard is it to understand you need to keep contact with the bag at all times. With instant replay these guys are toast when they can't control themselves.

[sane]

It is not about understanding. It is about the tradeoff between:

1) sliding early (which results in the tag beating you to the base)...

or

2) sliding late (which is more likely to beat the tag to the base, but increases the risk of oversliding and being tagged later)

 

It is a risk/reward decision that can help you or burn you whichever of the two poisons you pick.

[darin617]

 

It is not about understanding. It is about the tradeoff between:
1) sliding early (which results in the tag beating you to the base)...
or
2) sliding late (which is more likely to beat the tag to the base, but increases the risk of oversliding and being tagged later)

It is a risk/reward decision that can help you or burn you whichever of the two poisons you pick.

Byron Buxton makes me think of a 16yr who just got his license and is driving a sports car for the first time. Too much speed and still needs to learn how to control it.  He will became a great player for many years when he can stay healthy.

[h2oface]

Sliding late, or sliding early...... neither seems to be working for the so called speedy Minnesota Twins. Our catchers can't throw runners out, and our runners can't steal. I know that is a generalization, but that is how it seems. In the last few games, even though we won with plenty of offense, we lost several runs and outs because of caught stealings.

[stringer bell]

I love seeing a run that is "stolen", but the fact is that stolen bases are pretty overrated. Unless the inability to throw out runners is rampant, throwing out base stealers is less important than calling a good game, working well with the pitcher and blocking pitches. Base stealing has to be successful 70-75% of the time to be an asset.

 

It is more important for runners to take as many extra bases as is possible, without getting thrown out often, especially for those guys who aren't going to be stealing bases.

[darin617]

Talking about speed look what Billy Hamilton did to Kurt Suzuki. 4 stolen bases. enough said Twins need a catcher who can throw out at least 40% of the baserunners not the 20% we are getting now.

[DaveW]

Billy Hamilton literally does that to every pitcher, I don't think Suzuki is some elite defensive guy, but you need to find a better example then a guy who is probably the best base stealer since Ricky Henderson.

 

My bigger issue with The twins that series vs Hamilton is how the hell do you manage to walk him multiple times!?????

[stringer bell]

Hamilton, Byron Buxton and a couple of other players have the explosive speed to totally disrupt the opponent and change a game. There just aren't many like that in baseball. Of course, Buxton hasn't developed his game yet to the point where he can change a game, but he has the speed to do so.

[twinsnorth49]

Meh, for all Hamilton's speedy ways he only ended up with one more run plated than Dozier that series.He has more SB's than runs scored, so if his team can't hit behind him it doesn't do a whole lot of good.

[sane]

"That series" = small sample size

[spinowner]

Getting caught stealing is a lot worse than not stealing, whereas stealing is only slightly better than not stealing. Running the bases well is much more important than running the bases fast. Fast is better than slow, but I don't think it's as big of a deal as some do. That said, if you can bother the other team's pitcher with a reputation for speed, so much the better.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Getting caught stealing is a lot worse than not stealing, whereas stealing is only slightly better than not stealing. Running the bases well is much more important than running the bases fast. Fast is better than slow, but I don't think it's as big of a deal as some do. That said, if you can bother the other team's pitcher with a reputation for speed, so much the better.

Agreed. If the Twins don't improve on the basepaths in the long run, they need to stop stealing... But I'm willing to show a little patience here and see whether the young players improve in time. If this is a learning period, I'm fine with letting the kids screw up on occasion. If it's a larger problem with coaching and strategy, then Molitor needs to adjust his strategy and that probably translates to "stop stealing".

[DaveW]

The pick offs have been increasingly annoying as well, plus getting thrown out at third as the first or third out seems to be happening more than it should as well. They need to focus on this in the 2nd half of the season IMO.

[USAFChief]

I like aggressive base running, and if you are aggressive, that means you are pushing the envelope enough to get thrown out once in a while.

 

However, theres a fine line between aggressive and wasteful. I think the Twins have pushed a bit too hard and have lost too many runners. I would like to see them tone it down just a tad.

[darin617]

 

Billy Hamilton literally does that to every pitcher, I don't think Suzuki is some elite defensive guy, but you need to find a better example then a guy who is probably the best base stealer since Ricky Henderson.

My bigger issue with The twins that series vs Hamilton is how the hell do you manage to walk him multiple times!?????

What better proof than the 20% baserunners thrown out by Sukuki. Billy Hamilton is not the only player to steal a base off him.