bean5302

As somebody who's spent many a night until after 10pm at Target Field, I'm all for the pitch clock. Also, one only has to look at existing MLB rules to see the pitch clock is conservative. MLB rule 8.04 states a pitcher with possession of the ball and a batter in the box, the pitcher must deliver a pitch within 12 seconds or there will be a called "ball" for delaying the game when no runner are on base and the pitcher has the ball. A pitcher can be ejected from the game for multiple violations. I think of the pitch clock as a tool to enforce the rule more than a revolutionary concept. MLB has attempted to curb batters stepping out of the box and encourage pitchers to get the pitch to the plate faster in recent years, but just like the "sticky stuff", pitchers have refused to follow the rules and that necessitates a more stringent enforcement. The difference between a 15 second time and a 22 second time is about 0.15mph from the linked source below. The linked source explains 0.2mph = 10 runs or 1 win/WAR per season across an entire pitching staff, in theory. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/pitchers-are-slowing-down-to-speed-up/ Honestly, rules to speed up game play, I believe, will improve fan engagement.

Max effort pitching probably has the biggest impact on innings pitched, to be honest. There's also perception that pitchers become less effective as batters have the opportunity to see the pitcher's offerings multiple times through the order, though there are plenty of pitchers out there who have results which contradict that line of thinking. Based on personal experience, putting maximum effort into anything, from lifting weights to sprinting to chopping wood results in a massive drop off in stamina. Fatigued pitchers become injured pitchers.

Professional sports revenue is unsustainable. MLB owners need to cut costs. MLB owners need to cut ticket prices. MLB owners need to refuse regional sports channel money. MLB should only cut player pay by a factor of 10+ There is hyper inflation You cover a lot of ground here. I think the general idea is baseball and other sports are too expensive for you and you don't contribute significantly to the revenues for pro sports, but maybe you would if they made their sport way less expensive. I think a lot of people share your opinion in regard to the cost of pro sports attendance; however, until people who are contributing suddenly stop contributing to pro sports and new people refuse to take their place, costs will likely continue to increase. The part in bold is the major factor on whether or not MLB would, respectfully, care about your opinion. I actually think the entertainment industry in the United States is in pretty good shape for capitalism overall. Supply and demand are largely dictating the marketplace with some noticable warts (Ticketmaster, "Ebay" aka Stubhub, cable TV networks, cough, cough). In regard to hyper inflation, that's a much broader subject better to cover on a totally different site.

This is probably valid... but also makes me want to stab myself in the eyeballs.

I have no idea. I think it depends a lot on how much of the season is lost. Season ticket holders are going to be irate and rightfully so. If a significant portion of the season is lost, I'd be willing to bet many will not renew. In terms of impact to the sport as a whole, more important is game changes to make it interesting to watch and appeal to younger audiences.

Mitch Garver should play catcher as much as possible because that's where he benefits the Twins, and himself, the most.

So what you're saying is... it's horrible these families are receiving life alterning money and their teenagers are going to an academy which gives them some limited education and safety because MLB could single handedly alter the economic conditions of entire large countries. Got it. Aside from that, your position would probably benefit from some research. https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-path-to-the-sugar-mill-or-the-path-to-millions-mlb-baseball-academies-effect-on-the-dominican-republic/

The rules are being put in place to level the playing field between teams and avoid damaging MLB's reputation as international scouting and tactics become more aggressive. It's that simple.

I'm extremely skeptical Jax has any value. While Jax's slider shows great movement, it was not effective. https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/griffin-jax-643377?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb There is some potential bad luck in there, but Jax didn't have a single effective pitch last year and the expected numbers were mostly pretty poor. Duffey's curveball was far better than Jax's slider when Duffey came up while Duffey's fastball was probably in the same area as Jax's. I think it's a lot more likely Jax could fill a spot start or middle relief, low leverage role.

That's what OPS+ and bWAR are for. Griffey, Jr. and Mays had similar performances and similar value to each other when compared to their peers. I don't know what number either of them wore and I don't care. Justin Morneau wore #33. Does that make him better than Mays? You're free to like Mays better than Griffey, Jr. but Griffey, Jr. was just as good for the start of their careers and Griffey, Jr. is arguably more popular than Mays on top of that. I like Eduardo Escobar more than either one of those guys, haha. Personal favorites aside, your assertion that Griffey, Jr. isn't in the same league as Mays offensively, defensively, popularity-wise, etc doesn't stand up to to data.

My older brother had knee issues in sports and was told to strengthen his knees when he was in his teens/early 20s. Helped him immensely. Young or old, if the muscles around your joints are weak from not working that specific group out, the joint takes a pounding and fluid buildup, inflammation and tendonitis are sure to follow. I started having knee pain years ago and I added muscle to my legs and poof, haven't had any issues in years and years. It's crazy. Those muscles act like reinforcement for the tendons and ligaments, preventing them from stretching and pounding the joint. Such a bummer. I don't like working out, haha.

If the owners feel a deal is imminent, they could end the lockout now and get players into Spring Training while the final issues get hammered out.

Ken Griffey, Jr. was arguably just as good as Willie Mays for their age 20-29 years. After that, injuries piled up and Griffey, Jr. faded while Mays got even better in his early 30s and remained in his prime production for 6 years longer than Griffey, Jr. One of the following is Willie Mays and one is Ken Griffey, Jr. a20-29 seasons. .302/.384/.581 OPS .965, OPS+ 152, 67.5 bWAR .317/.390/.585 OPS .975, OPS+ 158, 68.1 bWAR There's no doubt Mays had the superior career, but in terms in how well they were loved and in talent and production before injuries, arguing Mays and Griffey, Jr. are in different leagues isn't reasonable, IMHO.

Arraez primarily had issues with inflammation and fluid build up after ACL surgery on a knee. In addition, last year, Arraez was dealing with knee tendonitis in his other knee. Arraez was told by Twins trainers and medical staff that strengthening his lower body and slimming up could allievate his issues from my understanding. It's straightforward PT protocol for those types of knee pain issues across pretty much any activity. Strengthen the surrounding muscle to relieve stress on the joint and trim some excess weight. It has the added benefit of increasing mobility. It remains to be seen how much work Arraez has put into it, but if Arraez does commit himself, it could have a huge payday behind it.

Any team could acquire an ace at any time. Literally, every single day of the regular or off season. The Pittsburgh Pirates could get Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers, for instance. It's all a matter of what the team wants to pay. Aside from that, what difference does it make if the Twins have Montas for 2 years? They gain two or three wins per season, maybe? They avoided 90 losses last year by the skin of their teeth and good fortune with a much more trustworthy roster than they have right now.

Because the professional coaches who are paid to identify and correct things which could lead to players being unsuccessful at the MLB level thought Martin could benefit from a change is what I'd go with. Buxton has made tons and tons and tons of changes to his swing. Some at the direction of coaches; some at his own direction.

Lots to like about Garver and I've been a big proponent of him for years. Hopefully, Garver will remain healthy this year. I think it's a big ask considering the concussion history and myriad of injuries which have mirrored Buxton in a lot of ways, but it would be huge for Garver to get a full, productive season in at this point. After being horribly mishandled by the Twins, he's finally approaching free agency. I'd imagine Garver had to have been a big proponent of the age 30 free agency change that MLBPA abandoned, but it's clear he's toting the line when it comes to negotiations. It makes me sad because I just don't see an end to the lockout when I read conversations like this. The sport is on the field, not off it.

Interpreting the data. Fielding and hitting. Also, Palacios is on a MiLB contract as he was a MiLB free agent and could have signed anywhere at the end of last year. I think it sets a bad example not to give him a shot and pass him by with a guy who didn't perform as well who doesn't need to be added to the 40 man before giving Palacios a chance to play. It's worth noting Palacios destroyed the Venezuelan Winter League as well. .351/.430/.557 OPS .987. Palacios has precious little left to prove at age 24.

Cavaco = PTBNL at this point. Can't hit. Can't field and 3 years in the system. It looked like he was maybe turning a corner around mid-year when he tanked hard again. It will take a small miracle for Cavaco not to wash out of baseball this year.

Of the entire Twins roster, here are the guys I believe they can count on to be productive, pull their own weight players. Donaldson Polanco Kepler Buxton Here are the guys who will probably be productive, pull their own weight players. Ryan Ober Arraez Garver That's it. The every day guys who will probably produce 2 WAR or more. All 8 of the 14 positions you'd want to be confident in. Like half the roster is filler or unproven. Here are roster filler guys Sano Gordon Dobnak Strotman Jax Here are question marks Larnach Rooker Kirilloff Celestino Miranda Winder Balazovic Rortvedt Thorpe Bundy Jeffers I think the Twins have a few things to figure out before they sell the farm for an ace. I think fans believe the Twins are close or "hey, they did it in 2019 and 2020!" but the AL Central is nothing like the division it was when the opportunity to "put the boot on the neck" was casually passed on by this front office. The White Sox look potentially elite. The Tigers look very good and have more payroll to play with. The Royals have a better farm system as well, and an owner more willing to spend than the Pohlads. Actually, only maybe the Guardians are as tight fisted with money as the Pohlads, but Cleveland was clearly a better team than Minnesota last year, finishing 7 games ahead in the standings. The Twins are not as good as they were last year on paper. No Berrios. No Maeda. No Cruz. Questionable on Rogers. Those are big shoes to fill and right now, Minnesota is filling them with "ifs"

Not sure what that would prove about Palacios since he already played primary starting shortstop for the Wind Surge all last year. If there's anything to learn about Palacios, probably not going to happen in Wichita. I do still suspect Martin would get the nod for AAA despite being outplayed by Palacios.

Maybe prospects who are rehabbing long term injuries who will now not miss as much time due to injury because they're missing time due to the lockout like Blayne Enlow. Otherwise, it depends on the delay. If a large chunk of the season is lost, close players like Palacios or Martin who are not on the 40 man roster and could potentially play their way into a roster spot before the MLB season starts.

I mean... it's a little ironic you talk about just letting him play and then writing several paragraphs lavishing praise and accolades upon him before coming to the conclusion he's a future stud.

Absolutely possible to not have the arm for SS, but an arm for OF. I'd rank arm strength as important in order for the positions. Shortstop - Fields more balls than any other position, often plays deeper than other infielders and strong arm needed for double plays and far throws to home and first. Catcher - Controlling run game. Third Base - Similar to shortstop, but fields far fewer balls. Right Field - Controlling runners attempting to make triples or tagging and advancing to 3rd or home. Center Field - Fields more balls than other outfielders, controlling advancing base runners tagging up, mostly to home, but occasionally to 3rd. Second Base - Long throws are not needed, but arm strength helpful for double plays. Left Field - Fields far fewer balls than 2nd base, only needs plus arm strength to control potential tags at 3rd to home. First Base - Rarely needs to throw to any base. Something like that.

Top 100 includes high ceiling and high floor guys and there's little difference between a player ranked 100 or 200. It's all subjective. Winder and Balazovic are both potential mid-rotation guys, maybe even higher than that. The Twins don't even know what they have to know what they need, but one this is for certain... if there isn't an utterly massive turnover on the roster or a bunch of players taking huge steps forward, the Twins don't stand a snowballs chance in hell of competing against what look like very good Tigers and White Sox teams this year. This isn't 2019 where everybody else in the entire division was hot garbage in the sun. Falvey was brought in to develop the minors and especially pitchers. Gutting a farm system for some medicore pitchers? Anybody can do that. Considering how little the Twins know about what they have on either side of the plate, the suggestion to gut the farm system's pitching in the hopes a couple mediocre to good arms can save the day seems more like flailing around without direction to me. If that's what Falvey brings, I'd rather somebody bring him a pink slip today.