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rv78

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Everything posted by rv78

  1. rv78
    So then we should assume he's just a lousy hitter and leave it at that. I can't see where striking out more like Gallo will make him a better hitter unless you think Gallo's .199 career BA is actually an improvement.
  2. rv78
    So we are not to criticize the almighty Rocco. This is the same Rocco who couldn't figure out how to rest Buxton and Correa on different days last year when their "scheduled" off days happened to coincide onto the same day. Moving one of them 1 extra day was too complicated for him to figure out. If Buxton's knee is still an issue then why is he playing at all? Buxton could rest for a week and then pull a hamstring in his first day back. What should be looked at is how many games does Rocco throw away by NOT putting his "A" lineup out there every day. They lost by 1 run the day he rested Buxton. Buxton is very capable of producing 1 or 2 runs or more in any given day that he plays. I get so tired of Rocco throwing games away. If they miss out on the playoffs by 1 game who's going to take the blame? I'm sure Rocco won't and I'm sure you won't blame Rocco, when in fact that is where it should be directed.
  3. rv78
    The usage of players is much of what I expected but I don't see Rocco sticking with it for the entire season. Unless Buxton is going to be the permanent DH, usage of players through the DH role will rotate and the positional fielding roles will as well. The return of Polanco, Kirilloff, Lewis will require even more changes. My biggest gripe so far was resting Buxton on Tuesday. There was an off day on Friday and another shceduled off day this week Thursday. Can't he play 6 days in a row? Is DHing that strenuous? How much of a baby does he need to be treated like? There's only one explanation for it and that's just Rocco being an idiot.
  4. rv78
    I think the exact opposite of what you just said is the problem. Most every time Kepler swings he does try to murder it and his swings are too hard. Much like Sano was. You can't be a good hitter if your only instinct is to swing with all of your might and pull it every time. Good hitters use the whole field, slap the ball the other way. When was the last time you saw Kepler take something off his swing and hit singles to LF? Only by accident when he is fooled and is late with his swing, not making good contact, does his ball end up on the left side of the field somewhere. Last year with the shift, if he would have known how to bunt he could have pushed the ball towards 3B and walked to first everytime he came up to bat, but failure to adjust and not take what the defense is giving you led to a worthless season. Who's fault is it that he struggles? His own. The organizations by not teaching players how and when to bunt. The managers by not using the bunt, especially last year when it was obvious you could have easily made it to first base. I've heard it said too many times..... He's a pull hitter so you don't want to take that part of his game away from him, he'll lose his aggressiveness. So instead, let's let them be mediocre at what they do. His approach at the plate hasn't changed since 2019 when the juiced ball made him better than he actually is. The mindset that he needs to change is... to hit to all fields. Don't try to hit a HR every time. If you want to become a good hitter and improve your average and worth to your team the last thing you need is to be a free swinging all or nothing hitter. The Bomba Squad did nothing in the playoffs. It's time to give up on the dream that HR hitters will win you Championships. You need players that can hit for average, get on base, manufacture runs, and hit the occasional HR. "Complete" hitters, not one dimensional hitters.
  5. rv78
    I still don't see a problem. It's not like either one has to play SS every day. Can't they play 2B or 3B too alternating certain days at one or the other until one of them outplays the other at SS? Isn't that what the minors leagues is about? Finding out who is better at a position? Or should they wait until the next level or the majors to see if they have what it takes? This is just dumb.
  6. rv78
    Why is this a conundrum? Does having Correa, Lewis, and Lee all able to play SS at the big league level very soon a problem? Sorry, I don't see it.
  7. rv78
    The first game of the season against KC he swung at the first pitch and hit a lazy fly ball to CF. I said to myself, that's exactly what you DON'T want your leadoff hitter to do. Comparing anyone especially Kepler to how Ted Williams hit is like asking someone to be a rocket scientist or brain surgeon when all he is good at is cleaning out horse stables. Really? Generally speaking, some guys can't be fixed. Kepler has never been much of a hitter for average. His entire career is .232. Take away the juiced ball in 2019 and it drops to .227. Maybe everyone should quit trying to make him into something he isn't!
  8. rv78
    Yep, some of them definitely are. Gallo is an all or nothing hitter. Kepler continues to flounder. Correa isn't half as good as what they are paying him, off to an abysmal start hitting barely above the mendoza line. Rocco gives his best player a rest day in yesterdays game so he can theoretically make it a throw away game. Had Buck played they might have been able to win a close 1-0 ballgame but not a chance with Rocco running the show. Yep, there are exactly what we thought they were. Had it not be for playing and sweeping the weak Royals the first 3 games of the season this team would be .500 at best, which is where they will finish the season if they are lucky. Now on to some real competition against the Astros, WhiteSox and Yankees.
  9. rv78
    Rocco needs to have a different lineup every day, if possible. Putting players where they aren't needed accomplishes this.
  10. rv78
    Can anyone explain the reason for NOT playing Buxton. Is DH that demanding that playing in 3 games straight warrants rest already? Rocco needs a kick in the head. You play your best players against the other teams best pitcher or else it looks like you are throwing the game away. Which may have been exactly what he did. At the DH spot you get what?.... 20 minutes of actual game time? How can anyone need rest after 3 days in which you did your job for a total of 1 hour? Quit babying him and play the man.
  11. rv78
    It's the "HITL" watch, which means, holes in the lineup. Two worthless hitters (IMO) that are being paid $19.5M for what? The what is the numbers posted as we go thru the season.
  12. rv78
    First real true test for the lineup against a quality top-notch pitcher. They failed. Thumbs up to a great outing by Maeda. Pablo verses his old team tomorrow, We'll see if he can return the favor.
  13. rv78
    4 games in and they've face a weak KC team and a washed up sore armed Cueto who was replaced by a rookie pitcher. A real test for this lineup happens today against Alcantara with a rehabbed Maeda going for the Twins. One good thing, the strong arms in the bullpen are rested. Hopefully Duran will be available if they need him. After the Marlins series the Twins have 19 games against much tougher competition before facing the Royals again to close out April. Those 19 games will tell us more about this team than the first 6. Kepler/Gallo HITL watch;. 187-BA, 6-K, 2-BB, 4-HR, 8-RBI, 13-LOB.
  14. rv78
    I'm not sold on Buxton in the #3 spot. Typically you want your best hitter there to not only score runs but to drive them in. Gotta have someone on base first before you get an RBI unless all you're doing is hitting solo HR, which is what Buxton did a lot of last year. If his power is going to be his forte going forward then he needs to go to the cleanup spot. I move Correa to the #3 hole and either Gordon, Farmer, Solano in the #2 spot until Polanco comes back. If Larnach continues to rake he should go to the #1 spot in the order especially against righties. It surely looks like he's a WAY better option right now than Kepler. It appears that Rocco has a hard time seeing a game, understanding it and making adjustments. Evidently his spreadsheet still says Kepler is a leadoff hitter even though that hasn't been the case for 3 years now.
  15. rv78
    Using Kepler or Gallo in the leadoff spot is totally brainless. I'm not looking for the guy who can just get on base, I want my best hitters at the top of the lineup so they get the most at bats. Like someone said, the guy hitting 1st in the lineup is only guaranteed to leadoff once per game. Kepler and Gallo need to be in the 7, 8 or 9 spots or on the bench. Get a clue Rocco.
  16. rv78
    Bats break loose finally. All or nothing Gallo gets the point for the Game 3 victory on the offensive side of the ball. Ryan gets it for the pitching. Kepler/Gallo HITL watch thru 3 games: .130-BA, 2-HR, 4-RBI, 6-K's, 2-BB, 13-LOB. Off to Miami to see Arraez torment the Twins pitchers.
  17. rv78
    2 games in and the Twins have a whopping 4 runs against a lowly Royals staff. I'm not overly impressed that the pitching staff has thrown 2 shutouts as well again against a lowly Royals lineup. If they were playing one of the better teams in the league they are 0-2. 2 games on the base paths and it looks like it is only a matter of time before Buxton is injured running the bases. He gets the game ball on the offensive side for both victories. Buxton = 2 points. Pitching has PLopez for 1/2 point and the Bullpen 1/2 point for Game 1. Gray =1/2 point and the Bullpen1/2 point, now at 1 point total. Kepler/ Gallo "2 holes in the lineup" watch, 2 games in = 0-15, 5-K's, 7-LOB.
  18. rv78
    Until Kirilloff is ready, Gallo's the main option at 1B. Doesn't mean we have to like it or even that it is the best option. One thing is for sure, the Twins don't give a guy $11M to sit on the bench and Gallo won't be an exception. If he isn't at 1B he'll be in the outfield. I doubt we will ever see him at 3B with Miranda, Farmer and Solano on the roster. Besides all 3 of them hit much better than Gallo. So, if/when Kirilloff comes back and if/when he starts hitting with reckless abandon, Gallo will take playing time away from an outfielder or two, and if that is Kepler who is just as inept at hitting, then nothing will be lost. If it is Larnach, Gordon, Lewis, or Martin then someone will need to have their head examined. The Gallo/Kepler watch line is 0-7 with 2-K's, 0-BB, 0-HR, 0-RBI and 5-LOB.
  19. rv78
    Literally speaking, the Twins are carrying 8 pitchers in the pen. I suspect and hope that "The Plan" this year is not to use the starter for 5 innings and then 4 relievers every night. That would require each reliever getting used at least every other day. = Recipe for disaster. It also exposes your weaker pitchers in the bullpen to be used as often as your good ones. = Recipe for disaster. Assuming Rocco has changed his plan and the starters will now go 6 innings possibly 7 or 8 is what would be needed on a daily basis if all you are going to use your relievers for is 1 inning at a time. I think the goal here should be, not to use the long reliever just in blowouts to save the rest of your bullpen but to also pitch much needed innings in high leverage situations to rest the bullpen, especially if the high leverage arms have pitched in back to back games. A long reliever that can come in and effectively throw 3 or 4 good innings at a time at least two times a week dramatically changes and improves the workload on the bullpen. Just filling a mop-up role shouldn't be the only priority. If you have a long relief guy and the game is close with your high leverage arms used up from the previous 2 or 3 games played then having one who can finish the 7th, 8th and 9th innings effectively is only a win/win situation. Think how good it would be to have a guy like Duran, (not saying it IS Duran but another pitcher like him), be able to do that twice a week. A long relief pitcher doesn't have to be, or even should be, a mop-up pitcher.
  20. rv78
    I understand that. However that doesn't change the fact that the same decision can end up being a mistake as well. They scored 1 run due to it. If KC would have scored 3 runs and they needed the lefties in the lineup for better matchups to make a comeback, it would have been the wrong decision. Maybe Rocco got lucky.
  21. rv78
    It worked out and the trend is for managers to pinch hit in the middle innings to break open a game. I don't like using up half of the bench with a small lead, especially when not improving the defense. It could be argued that Farmer/Solano is as good or better than Gordon/Gallo, but having Farmer and Solano face a tough righty in the 8th or 9th in a tie game is the scenario I fear. Totally agree with this. It worked out because the Twins scored 1 more run using this strategy, (which really isn't breaking the game open), and luckily he didn't need the left-handed hitters later in the game. The need for those hitters that he pulls in the middle innings, in a late game situation, will eventually happen and then, when Rocco makes the same move, it will be a mistake.
  22. rv78
    A few positives, PLopez pitched great. Larnach got a couple hits and an RBI. Buck didn't get hurt running the bases even though he hopped around 2nd and slide hard into 3rd. I think everyone watching expected him to come up lame. Rocco made 2 good substitutions pinch-hitting for Gordon and Gallo which produced another run. The negatives, Kepler as leadoff hitter. 21 LOB - 3 times with the bases loaded. No attempt to manufacture runs by stealing, sacrifices or hit and run. 2 runs against a weak KC team is hardly much to brag about. Would list using 5 pitchers as a negative also but with an off day tomorrow I can live with it. It will however, be a recipe for an over-worked bullpen if it is "The Plan" for the entire season. Lopez at 85 pitches, (and all of the other starters as well), is enough this early in the season until he/they get stretched out completely. I suspect Mahle and especially Maeda will have a shorter leash. 1 Game, 1 Win. Let's see how they do against teams with better lineups and better pitchers..
  23. rv78
    For me, this season is all about the players proving they have what it takes. I'm not buying into the hype, or drinking the kool-aid until I see actual results. All of the fancy new uniforms, a new scoreboard and added depth won't mean a thing if this team can't come together and stay healthy. The one new change that probably would have made the most difference is the manager and that didn't happen. Rocco hasn't proven to me that he has what it takes to manage a game as it unfolds before him. The Bomba Squad and juiced ball is long gone and the short covid season were his successes. He didn't have much control over either one. Otherwise he has produced 2 losing seasons. The FO has added depth on the offensive side of the ball but none of them are really worthy of starting roles on any team and will Rocco use them correctly or just shuffle them everywhere so he can fill his fantasy of using a different lineup on a daily basis? They have added another starting pitcher in PLopez but lost their best hitter. I will intently watch to see who can get on base and fill those empty shoes of Arraez. MY biggest fear is that with Gallo and Kepler there are still 2 empty holes in the lineup, probably on a regular basis. Gallo is the new Sano so nothing was gained there. Vazquez is an improvement over GSanchez and hope is Jeffers turns it up a notch. The only other new bat that must hit is Larnach and he reminds me of being too much like Kepler..... Strictly a pull hitter. Will Rocco use his starters effectively or over-work the bullpen and let his spreadsheet manage games for him as usual? A lot of things have changed but the core remains pretty much the same, so I don't see the results changing much either.
  24. rv78
    Sometimes I wonder why they play spring-training games. For the Twins it surely isn't to earn a spot on the roster. If it was Coulombe would be there. I'm not a big fan of him but it seems no matter how good some guys play, they don't make it and no matter how bad some guys play, they do. Evidently age, how the player is going to be used, and spin rate are more concerning factors, verses performance with this FO, and that my friends is why guys like Pagan, Sands, and Megill who haven't shown much success, and one could argue... if any at all, get spots they haven't earned. I suspect that Pagan will be this years Tyler Duffey getting cut midseason and Ober, Winder and SWR will get more innings combined than Maeda or Mahle.
  25. rv78
    Reason#1, WHY Kepler hasn't been replaced is because the Twins didn't make it a priority. There were plenty of options in Free Agency to sign a BETTER outfielder. Instead they chose to acquire one than is an even worse hitter than Kepler, Joey Gallo. Together they are costing the Twins $19.5M in 2023. That's a lot of money for 2 guys that strike out a ton and hit weak grounders to 2nd base. I would think for $19.5M they could have found 1 outfielder that could be better than both of them combined, (And then use Wallner, Garlick as backups). Reason#2, Kepler would have to be traded and there probably weren't any takers, which is the real proof of what he is worth, (less than his $8.5M), or released which means the Twins would get no return at all and they are not in the habit of eating their bigger contracts for nothing in return.
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