Can we stop this nonsense about benching kepler against LHP?

[DaveW]

At least non elite LHP.

 

This kid is as raw as they come! The only way he is gonna improve against LHP is actually facing them! Been pretty sharp the last few games.

[drjim]

They were absolutely right to bench him when they did, Kepler was atrocious. But makes sense to give him another chance if he succeeds.

 

But he'll get a full reset in the offseason.

[DaveW]

You know who else was atrocious...against everyone? Buxton.

 

Letting him work his way out of the funk worked, ditto with Kepler! Young guys need at bats.

 

Especially if your front office isn't "all in" on the season to begin with and wants to get the young core experience. It's not like they have some great platoon partner for him to begin with.

[drjim]

You know who else was atrocious...against everyone? Buxton.

 

Letting him work his way out of the funk worked, ditto with Kepler! Young guys need at bats.

 

Especially if your front office isn't "all in" on the season to begin with and wants to get the young core experience. It's not like they have some great platoon partner for him to begin with.

I agree with this up until about mid-August. It was winning time after that, not time to give everyday at bats to work through it. They gave him the occasional start to see any progress, and it's worked for a couple of games.

 

I highly doubt he'll be a straight platoon to begin next year.

[Platoon]

Some look at this season as a playoff run. And some take the longer view. Could the FO have done more to make THIS years team a little better? You betcha! But it would have come at the expense of next year, and the years that follow. For reference see the 20 win May of 2015. It caused a faux playoff which certainly cost playing time for some rookies and likely set this group back close to a year with missed playing time for guys who are now expected to be the leading core. At this time with this team the future should still be the focus. If we stumble backwards into a WC game, yippee. But it's the guys like Kepler who will get us past that level in the future, not a utility IF playing LF.

[drjim]

Kepler sitting for a handful.of games down the stretch this year is not going to make it harder to hit LH pitchers in the future. Benching him might allow the Twins to steal a game. It was worth it.

[Linus]

They were absolutely correct in sitting him against lefties- they need to win games and he had no chance. Next spring, now that's a different story.

[DocBauer]

Down the stretch of this season, trying to win every game you can, I get days off or postponing. I really do. And maybe this is something, as suggested, that should wait until next season, at this point.

 

Regardless, this kid is the next prospect ready to explode. And his talent level is as high as just about anyone on the roster. And next year just might be his year to do so. But I am frustrated he hasn't been allowed to learn and develop as much as he could have this season.

[ND-Fan]

`I agree in keeping  on the bench where we are trying to win a games. Second i think Kepler could use the rest he has shown siigns of wearing down again. I looke at last two days hes had better games hitting and i think the rest is  helping. We going to need every one at top there game if we make the playoffs. Having some positive games will do more good than few extra bats against left handers. Kepler going to play in big games but playing the percentages to gain a win is smart baseball move now and I bet he gets  to bat again against left handers again regularly next year.

[old nurse]

 

Some look at this season as a playoff run. And some take the longer view. Could the FO have done more to make THIS years team a little better? You betcha! But it would have come at the expense of next year, and the years that follow. For reference see the 20 win May of 2015. It caused a faux playoff which certainly cost playing time for some rookies and likely set this group back close to a year with missed playing time for guys who are now expected to be the leading core. At this time with this team the future should still be the focus. If we stumble backwards into a WC game, yippee. But it's the guys like Kepler who will get us past that level in the future, not a utility IF playing LF.

2015 Rosario had steady time after may, Sano came up that year after May.  Anybody else of the young group of position players were starting AA that year.

[Platoon]

2015 Rosario had steady time after may, Sano came up that year after May.  Anybody else of the young group of position players were starting AA that year.

You are correct. Rosario and Sano games in 2015 helped get them to where they are now. That extra experience helped. (Sanos injury noted). Even Mauer sits against some really tough lefties. But Kepler is currently more or less a straight platoon. Lastly there is this thought. Andrianoza (sp) is a supposed defensive whiz, who can't hit enough to play SS, the supreme defensive position in baseball. But he can hit enough to play LF, the position where the Twins hide outfielders they think can hit, but not field. Those two thoughts do not equate.

[Major League Ready]

 

You are correct. Rosario and Sano games in 2015 helped get them to where they are now. That extra experience helped. (Sanos injury noted). Even Mauer sits against some really tough lefties. But Kepler is currently more or less a straight platoon. Lastly there is this thought. Andrianoza (sp) is a supposed defensive whiz, who can't hit enough to play SS, the supreme defensive position in baseball. But he can hit enough to play LF, the position where the Twins hide outfielders they think can hit, but not field. Those two thoughts do not equate.

 

I have been a big Kepler supporting since before he came up.  However, this is not a real accurate portrayal of the situation.  Adrianza was in LF primarily as a result of Grossman being injured.  Adrianza is hitting 280 against LHP and Kepler had been REALLY bad. 

[diehardtwinsfan]

It's definitely too soon to make it a permanent thing, but Kepler has had issues there. I agree though with Dave that he's not going to figure them out sitting on the bench. Given the wild card race, it certainly makes sense that his days off come against lefties... but it's too soon to say he's Jacque Jones.

[Riverbrian]

I'm a play-em when they are hot and sit-em when they are cold guy.

 

And I don't care if they are young or making 23 million a year. Kepler was cold against lefties. 

 

 

 

1. Many say that Kepler will never learn to hit lefties if not allowed to face lefties.

2. Kepler was frequently benched against lefties. 

3. Today we have a thread that implies it was stupid to bench him in the first place because it looks like he can hit lefties after a couple home runs against them.

 

How did he learn to hit lefties all of a sudden?

 

 

[ashbury]

I'm as stats oriented as the next geek, but there's a psychological side to the game, and I have no reason to believe Molitor can't read what's going on in a player's mind to some degree. Maybe sitting a few games against lefties shifts the player's attention away from "Ugh, there's another lefty going against us today" and toward "Ugh, I'm not in a major league lineup today." Does that make a guy hit better? Maybe not directly, but getting one's mind off one thing ("lefties") and focusing on another ("I like having a job") sometimes helps.

 

I don't see a reason to believe Kepler's been given up on as a fulltime player, and I'm not inclined to quibble about small-bore decision-making.

[drivlikejehu]

A handful of games won't make any long-term difference in Kepler's ability to hit lefties.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Agreed, especially since the righty off the bench is Adrianza, which doesn't help that much anyways

[Craig Arko]

I expect Kepler will be in the lineup the rest of the way.