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rv78

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Everything posted by rv78

  1. rv78
    This is very true and part of an underlying issue that so many who see Buck as making good on his contract ignore. Buck wasn't signed to be the DH. His games are suppose to be in CF where his value is met with outstanding defense on top of anything he provides at the plate. Playing 57 games in CF doesn't come close to half a season, which we have all become accustomed to seeing from Buck. It's truely amazing and probably more like highway robbery, that a part-time player that cannot be counted on to play his position even half of the time can get a contract of $100M dollars.
  2. rv78
    As with any season there are some bright spots to consider. Ryan looks like he will become a main piece to the rotation for many years to come. Duran likewise in the bullpen, (although I'd love to see him get a chance to be a starter again). Due to the injuries 2 more players got to prove themselves as legit roster pieces, MIranda and Gordon. Now is the time to see who else can join them.
  3. rv78
    Still think the main reason for failure is Rocco and the "Plan". Resting players when they were healthy to keep them healthy probably cost a few wins in the process by not having the best players on the field every chance possible. It surely didn't help keep them healthy anyway. Sticking with pitchers like Pagan and Duffey too long was another managing mistake by Rocco. Not using starters effectively and over-working a suspect bullpen, another Rocco mistake. Good Managers use what is given to them efficiently and by not using starters for more than 5 innings on a regular basis when you have a weak bullpen is not smart use of what you have. (Don't tell me it is the FO fault for not providing better pitchers to fit the Managers Plan. The Managers Plan needs to be flexible to fit the players). Why use a veteran pitcher like Bundy for only 4 innings against a weak team like the Royals when you know you have a 5 game series starting the next day, in which 2 games will be on 1 day, against a much better team where your bullpen will be needed much more? That move, pulling Bundy early in the final game against KC, was the biggest bonehead move he possibly made all year. It's just idiotic to wear out your bullpen the game before your most important series of the year.
  4. rv78
    Bundy has gone more than 4 innings and 60 pitches multiple times this year and in his career. Giving up 2 runs on 4 hits wasn't by any means poor pitching or reason enough to pull him in favor of using up your bullpen arms right before an important 5 game series against the division leader who you are trying to catch. Especially knowing you have a rehabbing pitcher and 2 rookies as your starters in the next 3 games. The only way the FO gets the blame for the decision to remove Bundy at 4 innings and 60 pitches is if the Manager is in direct talk with the FO at that time.
  5. rv78
    And the reason for Bundy only going 4 innings and 60 pitches the night before is? (Answer: Poor management).
  6. rv78
    Lots of anti-Rocco comments again. Couldn't agree more. Problem is he IS the guy brought in by Falvine and he IS doing what they want. If you want Rocco gone, Pohlad will probably have to dispose of the Falvine regime completely. I commented in Thursdays game thread that Rocco should have used Bundy for more than 4 innings. At 60 pitches there was no reason to pull him and use extra arms in your bullpen. I knew Ober would be on a short leash regardless of how well he would pitch due to the fact that it was his first game back. Yep, exactly what happened. Then to make matters worse he used the same pitchers Friday night as he used Thursday, even pushing Thielbar to 3 days in a row. I said he was going to over-work his bullpen to the point they would implode in the Cleveland series. It took all of 1 game to get there. Now he's got Varland and Winder for two games today with his best arms in the bullpen not available unless he over-works them again. I seriously doubt either starter today will make it past 5 innings unless the Twins are ahead by 5 or 6 runs which is highly unlikely. Watch the two managers work in this Cleveland series. One makes blunders one right after another and the other one makes good decisions that help his team win. Big difference between the two. And to all of you Rocco lovers out there, remember if he is the one who gets the credit when the team plays well and wins. he is also the one who should get the blame when the team plays poorly and loses especially when it is due to his poor decisions.
  7. rv78
    No, they are committed to playing scrubs so when they miss the playoffs they can use the injury issue as an excuse to why they didn't make it. The mistakes by the FO and Manager need to be covered up and over-shadowed so they aren't held accountable.
  8. rv78
    Some Twins fans watch the same game as Rocco. Not a clue. Letting him go out for the 5th inning and then having a short leash is the correct move, not jumping the gun and pulling him before he even gets a chance to give you another inning. Not out of the realm of possibility that Bundy who was only at 60 pitches couldn't have saved 1 arm in the pen. Rocco has done it all season and now has his bullpen NOT rested for the Cleveland series. Get ready for Pagan, Moran, Sanchez and Lopez.
  9. rv78
    The usage of pitchers continues to be a head scratcher. After 2 successful outings of 7 innings pitched by Ryan and Gray I thought Rocco had made an adjustment, but pulling Bundy after 4 shows he just can't commit to using a starter effectively. yes the bullpen did their job and they won the game but at what cost for the Cleveland series. If the bullpen gets overused the next 4 or 5 games and implodes due to it, Rocco only has himself to blame.
  10. rv78
    Even if they don't make the playoffs I don't see the FO making any big changes to the coaching staff so unfortunately he will be back for 2023. The FO and Rocco are on the same page as to how things are done so it will take a disaster for them to replace him. Besides the INJURY excuse is alive and well and for that reason alone they will give 2023 to Rocco. The only other scenario would be is if JPohland decides he doesn't like what he is seeing and cleans house. It is interesting how much Toronto improved when they fired their Manager, Montovo who had them playing .500 ball and the new Manager Schneider has them at .630 and closing in on the Yankees.
  11. rv78
    If Rocco makes the right moves, isn't that is his job? Obviously the victories were from the "right moves". I said "most, not all" mistakes cost this team wins. To flip the script and say good management decisions led to victories is what is suppose to happen, every game. That is the sole purpose of the manager and should be expected of him, again ... every game. I'm not going to give him extra credit for doing his job "some of the time". I will give him "extra" credit when he starts doing it "ALL of the time". I don't expect every move to be the right move. No one ever knows until after the fact if it was the right move or not. But when he makes the same mistakes over and over which lead to the same dreadful outcomes then he needs to be held accountable. Remember, this is the guy who said he couldn't figure out how to give Correa and Buxton a day off without them missing the same game if their scheduled off day fell on the same day. Any 12 year old knows enough to push the day of rest for 1 of them either back or forward 1 day. And kudos to the FO for getting Jhoan Duran. Thanks for doing your job. It is... what is expected of them, so we should be grateful. They have produced 1 pitcher that is of Ace quality in 1 season since they arrived and he is relegated to the bullpen where he exceeded expectations and will now remain for the rest of his career since they will never give him a chance to be the Ace starter that they so desperately need.
  12. rv78
    I think one thing that has to be mentioned is the fact that, despite all of the injuries that have contributed to the losses this team has endured this year, the team still could have won more games with proper play and management. I know the data isn't anywhere to be found because it just isn't there, but if most, not saying all, the misplays and poor management decisions were removed how many more wins would this club have with all the injuries they incurred? I'd be willing to say at least 5 and maybe as much as 10. And they are how many games out of 1st place?
  13. rv78
    Tell us who we should be excited about for the future of the Twins outside of Arraez, Miranda, Duran and possibly Gordon? Everyone else has issues that are concerning. Can some of them over-come those issues? Absolutely, but to count on it is a huge mistake. This Franchise needs to re-evaluate its conditioning program, its teaching of fundamentals, how the team is managed on a game by game basis, and how it evaluates players they are trying to acquire in trades. All 4 need major upgrades and if the current regime isn't capable of addressing these 4 things that are the core of the current teams problems then they are incompetant and should be replace immediately. The injury excuse only goes so far when you acquire and resign injury prone players, don't play sound fundamental baseball, and manage all of the games the exact same way regardless of the situation.
  14. rv78
    The disappointing part of this season beyond the failure to take control of the division albeit injuries and or poor managing is that they traded away some really good players at the deadline for what? The crap they have now. This FO needs to go along with the entire coaching staff and half the players. Just looking at who they acquired this year alone was a bust. Urshela, G.Sanchez, Archer, Bundy, Paddock, Pagan, Cotton, Fulmer, Lopez, Mahle, A.Sanchez, Leon, B.Hamilton. Not a difference maker in the bunch with Correa being the only new solid player who is really more expensive than what he is worth. The injuries of Maeda, Alcala, Coulombe, Stashak, Ober, Larnach, Kirilloff, Jeffers, Buxton, Polanco made them non factors for parts, if not all of the season. That left Ryan, Gray, Arraez, Miranda, Gordon, Duran, Jax, Thielbar as the only guys you could count on and none of them are stars that can carry the team for any significant length of time. This team needs lots of help and changing personnel from top to bottom is the only way they will ever become a serious "Contender" if they ever reach the playoffs again.
  15. rv78
    The Twins just announce a new promotion give away for every game against Kansas City in the next home series. It's called the brown bag special. Get yours and wear it appropriately.
  16. rv78
    "Kepler has had a below-normal batting average (.230) than previous seasons." Sorry but not correct. This is not below average for him. His batting averages over his career have been .143, .235, 243, 224, 252, 228, 211, and this year .230. Collectively he is hitting .233. It is normal for him. Be it bad luck or not being smart enough to adjust to a shift he has become the new Sano when it's time to kill a rally and the brilliant Rocco who supposedly goes by the numbers ignores his ineptitude and continues to bat him in the middle of the lineup.
  17. rv78
    Is Sano or Kepler or Buxton or Kirilloff or Larnach or Jeffers or Alcala or Ober or Paddock or Mahle or Lewis or 9 out of 10 other players who we thought they would be? Expectations and reality very rarely coincide. Arraez loks good, Miranda looks good, Gordon looks good, Duran looks better than what we thought he was however he was suppose to be a starter, not a bullpen bulldog. Will the Twins ever give him a chance to be a starter again. I would bet against it. He could be the ACE they have been craving since the departure of Johan Santana. They won't ever move him back to the rotation. That's why this organization flounders more than it flourishes, they have tunnel vision. Go for the cheap, the lightning in a bottle, the hope and a prayer, and once a pitcher flourishes in the bullpen he can never be a starter.
  18. rv78
    It's the time of the season when the cream separates from the milk. That's why they play 162 not 140. Yet a lot of the Twins players won't even play 140 (Arraez leads the team with 123 games played to date) so they should be able to handle the last month of the season. Yet, where are they? Rocco has babied this team all season so they would be fresh down the stretch and most of them are AWOL. Great job Rocco implementing that part of the "Plan". It did you NO Good!
  19. rv78
    I think the headline was suppose to read "The 2022 Twins are now built for October 2023".
  20. rv78
    Such optimism for a team that constantly makes mistakes from the Manager down to the 3rd string catcher. This Franchise will never win another World Series if they don't learn how to play fundamentally sound baseball and get a Manager that knows how to use his players. Major league players (Celestino) should not have to be schooled on how to advance on passed balls. The Manager should be smart enough to use his best hitter (Arraez) against his toughest opponents verses resting him when he just had a day off 2 days ago and play his best fielding starting shortstop (Correa) instead of a AAA guy (Palacios) verses putting him at DH. Or starting his worst hitting outfielder, (Hamilton) then pinch hitting for him with another poor hitter (Cave) when his best hitter (Arraez) is still sitting on the bench. Yes, the Twins finally beat the Yankees despite their best efforts from the Manager and poor play on the field to lose again.
  21. rv78
    Unless Gray can go 8 or 9 innings Game 4 is a bust. Rocco has the bullpen gassed. Course we all know Gray will never be allowed to pitch 8 or 9 innings so we should start a pool where everyone guesses which guy in the bullpen will blow the game if the Twins have the lead when Rocco pulls the starter. Based on the bullpen usage chart it looks like it'll be Sanchez tonight.
  22. rv78
    I'd have to say #1 would be the FO and the Manager. Their "Plan" has been a failure that they won't deviate from no matter how bad it is. Having starters go 5 innings then turning to a suspect bullpen to try to finish every game for a W is not a good plan. Sure, no one expects them to win 162 games with that kind of plan, but half way through the season they should have been able to see the plan is not working as good as it was expected. Was there any change to the "Plan" at any point of the season to correct it? No. Case in point in todays first game. Varland is pitching great, and here comes the third time through the order. Rocco goes to his bullpen and there goes the lead and the game. When the bullpen is losing as many games as your starters the "Plan" to go to the bullpen no matter what should be trashed. The numbers don't lie. Be the analytic people you claim to be and use those numbers too. Why are they ignored? If they don't fit the narritive that the "Plan" was built upon at the start of the season does that mean they are wrong? Hardly. Why is the race for the division so close? Is it because the bullpen and the "Plan" to use it so extensively was wrong? I think so. If the starters would have been allowed to pitch deeper into games when they were pitching well, how many more games could have this team won? 5? 10? 15? The bullpen would have been rested more. With rest being so important for most of the players why is the "Plan" to over-work the bullpen a good "Plan"? Playoffs or not, the FO, Rocco and the "Plan" have been the biggest failure.
  23. rv78
    I totally agree. Celestino has gone unappreciated and recognized as a valuable 4th outfielder all season. And while I appreciate the improved play at shortstop defensively by Correa his bat has not been much of a difference maker.
  24. rv78
    Unfortunately NO. He's got 1 more year on his contract and I expect they will keep him around for the 2023 season especially since he's also of the same mindset as Falvine. 2023 will be the determining season. If both Rocco and Falvine don't take the club to the next level such as a deep run in the playoffs in 2023 they both may be gone, as they should be.
  25. rv78
    Totally agree with mikelink45. Has this team been able to beat a good team consistantly since the additions? No! You say they got everything right yet state the failures by both Lopez and Fulmer. Mahle has been good but is now absent with a questionable timetable for his return. They went out and got backup catcher Sandy Leon, who was in AAA and hasn't hit above .200 since 2017. The Astros went and got catcher Vazquez from Boston who was hitting .282. If Vazquez was available why do they settle for a Leon? Why is Pagan still here? Sorry, I'm not on the "They did everything they could" ship.
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