Article: Gleeman & The Geek, Ep 253: Winning Without Aaron

[John Bonnes]

Aaron leaves the state and the Twins go on a winning streak. John breaks it down with special guests Parker Hageman and Jeremy Nygaard as they discuss Joe Mauer's and Miguel's Sano hot bats, wonder what is going on with Phil Hughes, summarize how the Twins are getting squeezed by money in the MLB draft, note Pat Dean's surprising strikeouts, review options for replacing Kurt Suzuki, and discuss the Twins future starting rotation and Brian Dozier's obliques. Thank you to MNCorngrowers at MNFarmTeam.com for their support of this show.You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click the Play button below.

 

   

 

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[jimbo92107]

This "surge" is due to a combination of factors. Obviously Sano and Mauer are hot, but for the last few games we have seen an outfield that hits, a catcher that hits, and pitchers that don't get blown away in the first four innings. 

 

I'm going to give Robbie Grossman and Juan Centeno a little love here. Both guys have been around a while in the minors, and both of them are good, steady ballplayers. Centeno especially has impressed me with good at-bats and solid catching, including a remarkably good arm. Been a long time since I saw a catcher make his presence known in a ballgame, even if he's pretty bad at blocking balls in the dirt. With Centeno behind the plate I feel no sense of desperation to get Kurt Suzuki back. With Grossman in LF I feel no desperation to get Rosario back.

 

Let's leave this lineup be for a bit. I could get used to watching a team that competes.