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jkcarew

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Everything posted by jkcarew

  1. jkcarew
    More articles on Failing Offense please!
  2. jkcarew
    Agreed. FWIW, the offense is right about at league average overall, and the pitching overall has been solidly below league average. Record-wise, they’re right about where they should be, I think. As a group, the pitchers (the ones that get the most innings) are also ‘solidly young’ for low A.
  3. jkcarew
    No, I wouldn't bet on that continuing. I'd just as soon see Kepler in center and Wade or Cave in RF. But, it's pretty obvious from the lineups the last three nights that the first option/plan is to have a center fielder in center field. They started LaMarre in all games since Buxton's unavailability, including yesterday against a right-handed pitcher after he had gone a combined 0-7 with 4 strikeouts the first two games. As long as that approach is in place, it's LaMarre or Granite. So, LaMarre. I guess until he fails offensively more/faster than he has to date. As for having Wade/Cave up, but still playing LaMarre (or Granite) mainly in center? I just see this as less likely, especially in the case of Wade. You just don't often see AA/young prospects come up to supplement bench/depth. Can you figure out how to mix and match in that scenario so that Wade is playing most days? Debatable....probably easier with Mauer out for an extended period. Should that even matter? I don't feel strongly one way or the other. But it usually matters to those that have the job. Again, based on my (lengthy) record for deciphering what's going through the minds of the clubs brain trust, I'd say it's pretty much a lock that Kepler will be in center and Wade or Cave will be up within the week.
  4. jkcarew
    Looking at last night's box score. I notice that at the end of the game, LaMarre has the highest OBP of any Twin that appeared in the game. And he bats right-handed...and he's a real center fielder. Inconvenient facts. I'm sure he'd apologize for all this if given the opportunity. It just doesn't seem likely that LaMarre is going away real soon. Seems more realistic that it would the the scenario that I think Mike mentioned where you'd have Wade basically replacing Grossman...playing somewhere, including turns at DH, almost every day. That's the key for Wade, there has to be a scenario for him to play most every day before you're going to bring him up. I think. Granite has really only hit one year of his professional career. Not optimistic that he's going to be a player that you want in the lineup every day.
  5. jkcarew
    The dilemma is that I don’t think the Twins want to play Wade in center field. I mean, they aren’t even playing him in center ar Chattanooga, so it just seems really unlikely that they’d be willing to play him in center for the big club. At the same time, I don’t think they want to play Kepler in center every day either. And if that’s the case, we’re looking at LaMarre or Granite...neither of which do much for my excitement level. At a corner, Wade is behind our two healthiest and steadiest performers. There, I’ve done my part....Wade will be called up any day now.
  6. jkcarew
    Promising signs of professionalism. True professionals committed to excellence share many ‘high-character’ traits...the ones that lead to results.
  7. jkcarew
    I have to agree with I tend to agree. The bar has sagged pretty low here pitching-wise. Basically, we finally have starters that, more often than not, are giving us a chance. The starters are slightly above average by most measures. We're definitely not used to that, and it's encouraging heading into the heart of the season. Meanwhile, the bullpen, while not a disaster, has so far been slightly-to-solidly below average by most measures...so, not sure how we get to a description of excellence for the bullpen. Although, this too should be improved, at least from a depth/options standpoint, as the season progresses.
  8. jkcarew
    I don’t suppose now would be a good time to mention that Jon Jay was the 74th overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft.
  9. jkcarew
    That was 4 innings in 1 hr, 20 minutes...with no runs, no pitching changes, no injuries, no replay reviews.
  10. jkcarew
    It's a sign of how desperate we are that we're spending time lamenting how much offense we can squeeze out of the catcher position. That position didn't figure to provide much offense in 2018. But now that about 5-6 other position players are producing offensively what you might expect from a catcher...and at least one producing offensively what you'd expect from a pitcher...yeah, might as well find out how much Garver can improve defensively.
  11. jkcarew
    Two "likes" for dying (and counting). We really need to start hitting, and soon.
  12. jkcarew
    Since the door has been opened, who would we bring in for Buxton's ghost? Mario Mendoza? Maybe more position-relevant....Jordan Schafer? Sam Fuld? Peter Bourjos? The idea that player A has inferior attitude, work ethic, or self-discipline because he's "fat" or because he has a certain type of body language or even because someone said he did something bad...and that player B necessarily has superior attitude, work ethic, self-discipline because he's fit, or because he "looks like he's always trying really hard", or because "he never gets in trouble"; that failure for player B is acceptable, but not acceptable for player A...I feel this when I read some articles and/or responses here. It's a dangerous and slippery slope...simply because we don't know. We think we know. But we don't know. Results are the only thing that matters and the only thing verifiable. No matter how talented you are, it's hard to be a great MLB player. It just is.
  13. jkcarew
    "The two first-rounders have accounted for a disproportionate amount of Cedar Rapids’ offense." Well, they are the number 2 and 3 hitters in the line up. But, I think it would be a more accurate portrayal of the Kernels offense so far to say something like "Kirilloff has been head and shoulders the best offensive player, while Jordan Gore, Akil Baddoo, and Lewis have been good." Gore has a significantly better slash line than Lewis (in a few fewer games played); Baddoo's OBP is over 400, and his OPS is basically the same as Lewis's. Lewis's OPS is sitting at 739, with almost zero power, which is not surprising for an 18 year-old SS playing in the Midwest League. As a team, pitching has been as much of a 'problem' as hitting. It's been very mediocre...league average ERA as a team, poor WIP, poor BA against, and last in the league in strike-outs.
  14. jkcarew
    Every time a player is promoted, there are roster considerations for two teams. Somewhere upstream there has to be a corresponding reduction, which in some cases, represents the closing of the door on that player's dream. I'm always glad to see when these promotions are handled in a thoughtful and patient manner, even though that sometimes results in players 'immediately', or even 'soon' after appearing ready. Downstream there has to be a supply of players to take the place of the promoted player. Usually, after the amateur draft, that re-supply will result in several promotions being made.
  15. jkcarew
    I would like to request another article in this vein... “A Whole New Buck” No later than the end of June, please.
  16. jkcarew
    Interesting to hear the talk/speculation centered on Gonsalves moving up to the big club and bumping Lynn into the long spot that opens with the departure of Hughes. Slegers has been better than Gonsalves...is all of 25 years old and was drafted one round lower than Gonsalves. To be fair, Gonsalves has been border-line spectacular pretty much his entire minor league career, and has a better K rate than Slegers. But Slegers also walks fewer batters, and has been a very good minor-league pitcher for a while now, as well. It's amazing to think that this team is about to reach a phase where one can make an argument that Aaron Slegers is a couple weeks away from being the number 9 starter on the organizational depth chart. (Assumes along with Santana, Gonsalves and Trevor May are/will be ahead of him.) No stud number 1...but there hasn't been this type of legitimate depth for quite some time. Of course, meanwhile we can't score.
  17. jkcarew
    Also...in 4 at-bats tonight, Sano hit 3 balls to the right side, and 1 up the middle. Two were struck well. We can only hope he is consciously trying to make some adjustments. (He DH’d)
  18. jkcarew
    The game situation made it a good risk to take.
  19. jkcarew
    Already up by a run, with 2 outs, and Adrianza and Buxton due up. Exactly the right time to take a chance.
  20. jkcarew
    He’s 24 1/2...in his fourth season and was OPS’ing 476 before the toe and migraine. But no, I don’t think anyone wants to give up on him yet.
  21. jkcarew
    Now 203. Highest it's been all season...and coming off a spring where he slugged about 160. He went on a fairly lengthy DL stint right after the Rochester season got underway...so, there is that. But has literally not been getting the ball out of the infield.
  22. jkcarew
    I would have gone with Earl of Weaver as manager.
  23. jkcarew
    120 games to play and 52 against Detroit, KC, and Chicago. That’s 43% of the remaining schedule. Of course Cleveland has basically the same schedule, and the Twins are 6 back in the wild-card...so, not in a great spot to be sure. But, if this team could get its act together...particularly offensively...it’s still possible that wins would come in bunches.
  24. jkcarew
    It’s probably good for all of us to remember that some scouts questioned the upside of his bat right from the beginning and maintained that stance even when he was raking in the minors. Probably also worth reiterating that he doesn’t have to be a league average hitter to be a good player. If he’s within 10% of that, he’s a good player. If he’s an OPS+ 95 guy, he’s basically Paul Blair...a near perennial all-star. Hype aside, that would be a good outcome even for a number two pick.
  25. jkcarew
    In the 7 games Buxton has started in Center since his return, he’s had 22 fly balls caught and zero assists. It would be a stretch to say he’s save the Twins 2 outs and 4 bases in that time (relative to what, say, Kepler would have benn able to accomplish in those games). Meanwhile, he’s had 24 plate appearances resulting in 3 bases and a walk. That’s about 5 extra outs and 6 fewer bases than a league average hitter. It’s a fallacy that good defense has the same value as a good bat. It doesn’t...not over time. It a matter of opportunity. On the other hand, he doesn’t have to be a league average hitter to have value...but he has to be way closer to league average than he’s been this year to have value.
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