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jkcarew

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Everything posted by jkcarew

  1. jkcarew
    Nice article. Don't you think 'hope' has been the standard here for a long time? Don't you think 2020 is going to be more about 'expectation'? I'm not sure hope is going to have much of a shelf life in heading into 2020 coming off a 101-win season.
  2. jkcarew
    Defense is not the key to solving run prevention problems. That would be pitching. The defense can help...it's secondary. The problem is primarily on the infield, and it starts at short-stop. It's likely to get worse before it gets better, as you will continue to play your best offensive players...and Arraez is a down-grade from Schoop. The guys that are there will simply need to play better. You're not going to put a glove that OPS's .700 at short, third, or second...when you have guys there that OPS .850-.900+ And Crom was not a problem defensively. Although, if the Twins see someone available that they think can hit more at first than Crom...or someone that would be a legitimate corner bat at third...I could see them either going a different direction at first, or moving Sano.
  3. jkcarew
    I guess. Game 1 would be the game where one could catch at least the hint of the odor of victory. I'm not one to buy into the "if they had only won game one" theory, they had time to show they were ready for this level/stage, but the outcomes speak for themselves. Oh, well. Maybe Steven Tyler had it right back in the early 70's... I know nobody knows Where it comes and where it goes I know it's everybody sin You got to lose (in 3 straight humiliating games to the Yankees) to know how to win NEXT YEAR, baby!
  4. jkcarew
    I'm thinking there are two takes on the season... One, the Twins were a great team...about as good as any team in the league...and choked horribly in the playoffs. Two, the Twins were a good, not great, team...who's statistics/numbers were inflated due to the schedule...and went limping into the playoffs against a superior opponent Scenario One, you chalk it up to inexperience; you try to put another version of the 2019 pitching staff together, and you have another run at it. Scenario Two, you are forced to at least consider big hairy moves. To, me..even if you believe what happened is scenario One, you hope the FO believes it was Two.
  5. jkcarew
    Really? Mixing one win around the three losses we saw would have made a difference? I think I'd make a large wager that, while that might be the case for fans, the players/team wouldn't have looked at it that way. I certainly hope they wouldn't have looked at it that way. A series win would have been great, next a truly competitive series loss...but they'll have to settle for that late series in Cleveland for the division as their inspiration. There's always something to build on...it's the execution part that's hard Could argue that the utter failure makes it more, not less, likely that aggressive moves are made to get the club to a championship level. OK, that's ridiculous. I'm just up here trying.
  6. jkcarew
    Hearts not into something that's usually fun. Sigh. Too many fielding mistakes, too many bad decisions, too many poorly executed pitches, too many instances of batters not being able to hold their water. Honestly, it takes a dozen examples to rationalize even a sniff at one win. And that would be one win. Did I say sigh yet?
  7. jkcarew
    The team that had no relationship, in any way, to the clubs of past post-season failures...that team is suddenly somehow 0-16 in the playoffs? No this team is 0-3 in the playoffs. Maybe this club will never break through, like the others...but maybe they will. IMO, the take away for the front office (and objective fans) should be: the modern post-season is not at all a "just get there and anything can happen" proposition. That narrative has been myth for a while now. You don't get through two rounds, winning 7 games, against the best in baseball without having multiple players capable of dominating very good opposition. And I'm not wasting time getting worked up about the sweep or the scores. It was painful, yes...but you either win or you lose. You were either good enough or you weren't. Maybe the flop works in fan's favor. Based on the level of play they had established in the second half (to say nothing of other issues) this club wasn't sniffing the WS this year. Meanwhile, the FO should (I hope) be forced to acknowledge that the current club...despite the gaudy regular-season numbers, really isn't that close. That would be a good thing...not a bad thing.
  8. jkcarew
    Huh? The Yankees competition in the East was a collective 46 games under .500. The Twins competition in the Central was a collective 104 games under. The ALE wasn't as strong as it's been in the past...but it was easily more competitive than the ALC.
  9. jkcarew
    Disgrace baseball? No. Embarrass their fans, maybe...although I don't know why. Sometimes the other team is better. Sometimes you play poorly, and make things worse. And the Orioles of the late 60's beat the Twins in back-to-back series 6 games to 0...total runs were 43 to 15.
  10. jkcarew
    Anyone who thinks the Twins were a legitimate "100-win" team this year....in the historic sense of what it has meant to be a 100-win team...might be susceptible to unrealistic expectations for this post-season. The Twins were 5-games under 500 against teams with winning records. 10 teams were better than that, but the Twins got to play an AL Central schedule Having said that, I do think there are a number of Twins struggling under the harsh lights, making the match-up worse than it needs to be...Rocco is probably one.
  11. jkcarew
    I'm somewhat surprised by the first two games, but not that surprised the Twins are 0-2 at this point...and it has nothing to do with curses or the Yankees 'being in the Twins heads'. It has to do with the 2019 Yankees being better than the 2019 Twins. I thought the gap was relatively narrow, but maybe not. After all, the historic weakness of the Twins 2019 schedule warps perceptions. Fact is, there has probably never been a 100-win team in the history of MLB with a worse record against +500 teams than the Twins had in 2019. Over 40% of the total wins were recorded against Det, KC, and the White Sox. The schedule probably didn't just skew the win totals, but individual and team stats as well. Match-ups that look even, really aren't. Doesn't mean the Twins aren't good...or good enough to win a post-season game or two. Just not THAT good...and not nearly as good as the super-teams that exist in 2019. Gotta get top-end pitching in 2020.
  12. jkcarew
    The Twins chances are based on getting big leads early...which by definition means a starter going at least 5 innings in a somewhat effective manner. Our best starter didn’t really come close to doing that. That’s probably the most disappointing thing to me in a disappointing game.
  13. jkcarew
    Arraez in the lineup and batting 9th. I was wrong-er than you were . Does beg the question...how/when/why would you use Schoop, then? Pinch-hit late against Britton/Chapman? Which of our left-handed bats would you do that for? If Castro is in the game, you're pinch-hitting Garver. Maybe Kepler given his rust? Maybe a late-inning defensive replacement for Arraez?
  14. jkcarew
    With his current swing/approach, I don't see Arraez developing Altuve's power. Of course, Altuve didn't develop his power until later...so, maybe. But, I think Arraez would need to change his approach, and he doesn't have much incentive to do that...yet. Altuve developed power later...but he was also more or less 'forced' to make aggressive adjustments after OPS'ing 740/678 in his first two full seasons. Also, Altuve is much faster than Arraez. Much.
  15. jkcarew
    My bet's rest...with another left-handed bat used to PH if/when the situation dictates (Adrianza filling in defensively). But, I wouldn't bet much.
  16. jkcarew
    If Adrianza is healthy, that's a nice development. And Arraez too, of course. I'm assuming Arraez gets another day to rest the ankle today. Rust is a factor for everyone given the way the post-season schedule plays out...but especially for Kepler, Adrianza...and even Gonzalez and Cron.
  17. jkcarew
    "Arraez is the most traditional leadoff stud that you can think of." - huh? A 'traditional' lead-off guy would be able to run. Arraez is almost exactly a traditional number TWO guy...bat control, put the ball in play, hit-and-run, etc. Given the way the modern game is played, however...I have no problem leading him off. Give that we still have Schoop, I don't think Arraez is as vital to have against lefties/Paxton...but, you still want him, obviously.
  18. jkcarew
    If you absolutely ignore Severino...which this article basically does, yes, the Twins might have an advantage in the starting pitching. Severino first pitched in a competitive game back on Sept 1. Five weeks ago. I'm guessing he worked out once or twice beyond the game action he's seen. Can the Twins get to him? Of course. But, they'll have to deal with him and I'm sure he'll be ready to go as deep as any Twins pitcher (other than Berrios) has a reasonable chance of going.
  19. jkcarew
    About those 80 pitches: 5 innings, 3 hits, 9K, 0BB I'm hoping Odorizzi has the 'stamina and length' to do that with 130 pitches.
  20. jkcarew
    Biggest difference maybe is how their managers use them. Sanchez missed almost 7 weeks this year with various IL stints...yet still ended up with almost 100 more PA than did Garver. Neither is anything more than endurable behind the plate, but I don't think it's possible to be worse than Sanchez back there. Yet, when healthy, Boone pencils him in there on a regular basis, doesn't 'rest' him other than maybe the day game following night scenarios.
  21. jkcarew
    Nice piece. Interesting...always love to hear the stories behind the guys that didn't come from the CA/FL/Dominican hotbeds...(not that there aren't great stories there, as well.) The story makes me wonder about a couple of things... Given his background of playing multiple positions and being a good soccer goalie...kinda begs the question of why he couldn't play first base more this year. I get the rest thing for catchers...but Garver didn't appear in any capacity in 69 games this year. This remains a mystery. Given the pride factor regarding New Mexico kids on the UNM baseball team...so, how does Garver not then get a scholarship coming out of high school?
  22. jkcarew
    The way to ensure that Lewis is NOT as defensively flexible as he could be in the majors, would be to waste significant time developing him at 2nd, 3rd, and center field in the minors, to later find out you want/need him to play every-day SS in the majors. SS is by far (other than catcher) the most difficult position to play from a technical standpoint. The Twins will be smart to let that development run it's coarse before moving him around significantly.
  23. jkcarew
    Interesting...thanks for this! You really do have a bias for catchers ...you discount Sano as an MVP because he missed too many games...but give team MVP to Garver who played in significantly fewer games than did Sano. The top 3 MVP are Polanco, Cruz, and Kepler...almost any order, IMO. You’re pretty hard on Berrios. 200 innings pitched alone has to have him near the top. Sano belongs above Kepler in most improved. From .679 OPS in 299 PA to .923 in 439. He’s probably ahead of Polanco here, as well.
  24. jkcarew
    If Rocco’s willing to put Arraez in a major league lineup at a position he’s never played in his life, he won’t bat an eye at doing so with Lewis if the situation necessitated it...recognizing that Lewis, by all accounts, is in a completely different class athletically than is Arraez. But yes, I’m sure the Twins don’t really mind seeing him play a handful of games in the AFL at different positions.
  25. jkcarew
    Yeah...he won’t be there.
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