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rv78

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Everything posted by rv78

  1. rv78
    You hit the nail on the head with that first sentence. Although I don't think it has so much to do with the pitchers as it does with the lineup. Rocco thinks he is outsmarting the opponent by creating lineups that should be favorable matchups against the starting pitcher they are facing that day. Kaat explains why it isn't a good thing to do, which is what I've been saying since Rocco has become Manager. This year he is taking his daily lineup changes to the extreme. Kaat also mentioned the other day that in the first 49 games the Twins have played this year that they have had 45 different lineups. I would like to think Kaat has seen more good baseball in his lifetime than Rocco ever will. I'll believe Kaat on this one.
  2. rv78
    1.Sometimes you get more than what you pay for and all of what you Hope for. 2.Sometimes you get exactly what you pay for. and not quite what you Hope for. 3.Sometimes you don't get what you pay for. or what you Hope for. I think Archer falls somewhere between #2 and #3. The Twins didn't pay much for him and I'm sure they Hope he'll be the Pitcher he once was, making them look like geniuses. It's the ol' Terry Ryan "Hope and a Prayer' signing that very seldom if ever works.
  3. rv78
    Bottom line is, the Twins won't spend for quality arms. Bundy and Archer were cheap and like someone said above are possibly heading towards Shoemaker and Happ status here very quickly. Gray was the best signing/trade and he's not much above Berrios talent wise at this point in his career so they really didn't upgrade much there. I wasn't upset they traded Rogers. Coming off a finger injury who knows how effective he'll be. What was upsetting was what they got in return. Of all the relievers they have returning from last season, Alcala was the only one who showed much upside. Guys like Duffey, Thielbar, Coulombe, Stashak, are as good as they'll ever going to be and unfortunately it isn't good enough for as much as they are used and needed. To top it off, a tough part of the schedule is coming and the Twins could be tied with the WhiteSox at .500 before you know it. Struggling to beat teams like the Royals and Tigers shows where they are headed.
  4. rv78
    Unless Smeltzer tells me he's gassed he goes out to pitch the 8th. At least to start it. Rocco has it in his head that pitchers can't go beyond a certain pitch count no matter what and if they are close he'll replace them with another pitcher to start an inning rather than let them go 5 or 10 pitches past his predetermined cut off point. That is not good game management. The only way to stretch him out is to have him throw more than the last time. Seems that isn't or wasn't being done. Not only is it poor game management but also poor player management. Is bringing in a reliever and having him throw 2, 4, or 5 pitches and then getting pulled for a different pitcher good management? Don't think so. Pulling guys in your starting lineup for pinch hitters that aren't any better hitters makes no sense. His constant rotation of players playing and then not playing and then getting pulled for pinch hitters and such only shows his inability to go with his best lineup everyday. Don't tell me he is only resting his players and keeping then fresh. It hasn't kept injuries away so that is not a legit argument. What it quite possibly has done is deter the hitters from getting in any kind of a groove hitting wise since they don't get repetitive at bats on a consistant basis. Maybe that is why they are struggling to get the big hit when they need it. They have played 45 games and my guess is he's used at least 40 different lineups. A good manager plays the best players every day possible to give your team the best chance to win. Does putting a .200 hitter at DH every game when you have a .300 hitter sitting on the bench tell you his level of competancy? Kinda makes you wonder why they can't score runs, right?
  5. rv78
    Imagine how you would feel as a player when you get pulled by the manager in that situation. It's got to make you wonder if your manager has any confidence in you at all. It would be one thing to get pinch hit for by someone like an Arraez but Gordon? Really?
  6. rv78
    Just when I was starting to think Rocco had turned over a new leaf and was actually bunting guys into scoring position and trying to manufacture runs that produced wins he wakes up and goes back to his usual incompetant self. How many mistakes did he make in last nights game? 1)Pulling Smeltzer, No reason not to use him in the 8th. 2)Using one of your least reliable relievers in a close game, aka Dud-fey 3)Not having another reliever warming up after inserting Duffey because of #2. 4)Not pulling Duffey because of #2. 5)Never bunting anyone into scoring position. 6)Pulling Celestino, one of your hottest hitters for a streaky Kepler who's hitting almost 100 points less. That does not improve your chances. 7)Not using Gordon as a pinch runner for Sanchez in the 8th. 8)Then using Gordon as a pinch hitter for Jeffers with the bases loaded. Jeffers has a .400 BA with runners in scoring position. Seems Rocco uses analytics to "try" to win games but ignores them to "actually" lose games. It's easy to win MOY when your team sets the record for HR's in a single season. When you actually have to manage games correctly to win, Rocco fails more than he succeeds.
  7. rv78
    The only one I'd consider is Lopez. Eovaldi is plodding along this year just like the Boston team as a whole and Bell would take playing time away from Arraez. I think the Twins and their thick skulled Manager have finally started to figure out that you need to manufacture runs instead of trying to win every game with the long ball. I like Arraez at 1B. He hasn't shown me anything yet that proves he can't play the position and everyone knows his bat needs to be in the lineup every day. Unlike Sano he gets on base and produces runs almost every day. I for one do not miss the rally killer and strikeout king Sano. Trade him for a bag of peanuts or DFA him. The team has proven it can win without him. He was costing the Twins more than just his $9M in salary, he was costing them wins.
  8. rv78
    Nothing surprising here with this FO. They value veterans that don't perform over rookies that do. This move proves it. It's comical they won't DFA a veteran player that doesn't produce, I am assuming, because they have millions of dollars tied up with that player, like a Sano, yet they pass over, send down, or just won't commit to a young player that does. If you DFA a player and play a different player that out-performs him isn't the cost still the same? Did Royce get a big raise when he came up to the majors and then get less money when he went back down? Don't think so. If it isn't about service time then they have a lot of explaining to do, since other players, (like Arraez, Gordon, Polonco, Sano) have learned or are learning different positions at the major league level. Lewis is more athletic than any of them but he's not qualified to do what they did or are doing? The comedy duo of Falvey and Levine have struck again. Should we say Buxton 2.0. Laughable!
  9. rv78
    I find it quite ironic that an article like this comes out after the Twins win and the players performed making it look like Rocco made all the right moves. Would it have made the column if Gordon wouldn't have executed the bunt? Or Cano imploded? Or Duffey would have blown the 9th. How many times has Rocco asked anyone to bunt before last night? I don't remember one, but now he's a genius? How many times has he wasted a pitcher on any given night by having them throw 2 , 4 or 5 pitches and then goes to someone else the next inning? A Lot! Easy part of the schedule right now followed by a run against the best of the Eastern division. Well see how great Rocco is when his team plays against the best. So far he's hasn't looked any thing like a MOTY against the them, (Dodgers & Astros).
  10. rv78
    So you are saying there are more Managers that don't know how to manage besides Rocco? Just because more than 1 person is doing something doesn't make it right!
  11. rv78
    Twins win despite another short stint from a starter and Rocco mismanaging another game. Managers worth a hoot don't have a player leading the league in homeruns batting leadoff, they bat 3rd or 4th in the lineup so when they do go deep it might actually produce 2 or 3 runs instead of one. Then leaving Jax in to pitch as long as he did was another mistake. He was clearly gassed in the 7th, waits too long to replace him with Smith and then only uses Smith for 1 out on 4 pitches. Instead of using Smith to pitch the 8th as well he uses Duran in the 8th and Pagan in the 9th. Why use an extra pitcher in that situation when you can't get 5 innings from your starters on a consistant basis? Smith hadn't pitched since Sunday and he only threw 12 pitches then so he shouldn't have been tired. Rocco doesn't know how to use a bullpen.
  12. rv78
    Do the Twins really think they can be contenders this year? The Dodgers and Astros have pretty much shown where they stand in that department. I too am getting tired of seeing Sanchez get an over-abundance of at bats in the DH role when there are other options. I'm fine with him catching every 3rd or 4th game but that's all he deserves at this point. Gordon, Arraez, and Celestino have been much more productive when given the chance to play yet Baldelli seems to find reasons to limit their playing time. With Lewis. Miranda and Arraez all able to play 3rd base, and I wouldn't count Gordon unable to play there either, they should be getting more playing time in the field also. I am all in favor of a total youth movement for this season. Why not give these youngsters the benefit if playing more in a season that will likely die in the playoffs anyway, if they get there, to the likes of the Astros and Yankees, so we know what we have for 2023 and beyond. I know no one wants to throw a season away in May or June but we have seen what this team can do against the power teams and that has been little to nothing. Let's give the young kids a chance to prove themselves instead of wasting another season playing guys that continually struggle or under-perform like Sanchez, Urshela, Sano, Kepler.
  13. rv78
    I suspect the only reason why he was brought up was because Luis Arraez got sidelined due to Covid. He needs to go back down to AAA and stay there until he gets his groove back, if it is possible. If not, his days of playing professional baseball are numbered. I definitely hope that is NOT the case.
  14. rv78
    It will be interesting to see how Lewis does. I hope for the best. If he takes off with a great start both offensively and defensively does anyone else besides me then consider signing Correa a $35M mistake? That money could've been used to sign an Ace pitcher. Correa hasn't exactly been raking it so far this season and might actually have just been starting to get where we were hoping he'd be from the start. A hot start by Lewis could make everyone not miss Correa and make Falvine wonder why they did what they did and spent what they did for Correa. Garver with Jeffers behind the plate with Donaldson at 3B and Lewis at SS might have been better with an Ace in the rotation.
  15. rv78
    You can hang this loss on the coaches. Having 2 runners thrown out at home is strickly a 3rdbase coach problem. Also, why was Thielbar the choice to pitch in the 5th inning when the first batter (Mateo) is a right-handed batter, the only lefty he was going to face was Mullins. Wouldn't Joe Smith have been a better choice? Even using Duran I go to Smith instead if I haven't used him already. What about Pagan? He had 2 days off like Smith verses Thielbar at 1 day off. The starters also need to start pitching into the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings. These 4 inning stints are not going to work long-term. We are a month into the season. If the starters are not stretched out enough to start throwing 90 pitches or more by now then something is wrong with their conditioning.
  16. rv78
    The Twins need to move away from the bomba squad mentality and take good hitting players and let them be good hitting players instead of trying to make every one of them Sano type strikeout/homerun machines. Maybe thse young players would make it to the majors a lot faster if the Twins wouldn't try to make them into something they aren't. Larnach is a great example. Last year he was trying to pull everything to right-field and into the seats. Who's idea was that? This year he is spraying the ball all over and hitting .300 and helping the team win. Let Martin be a hitter, not a homer,
  17. rv78
    Extremely disappointed in Bally Sports coverage of Twins games so far this season on my local broadcast network. The Guide shows that the Twins game is scheduled to be broadcast only to find other programming instead. I will not pay additional fees to watch Twins games in addition to my local network fees. I am sure my local network, supplying the Bally Sports channels is paying their fair share to have them available to their customers. Now it feels like we are being targeted for more fees just to get what we already are paying for. The Twins organization needs to take a long hard look at this. Alienate your fan base and your customers and they will go elsewhere.
  18. rv78
    Twins are 2-5 against teams with a winning record and 9-4 against teams with a losing record. So they can beat the bad teams but can't beat the good teams which means they will finish somewhere around .500 unless they get better. Can't blame Bundy since everyone knows he is going to have games like this. He isn't an Ace and won't pitch like one every time out. The offense needs to get better and be more consistant or every time they face a Kershaw or a Kluber type pitcher this team will lose.
  19. rv78
    "If Kepler can adjust his launch angle slightly, he may see better results that correspond to his increase in average exit velocity. " If Kepler can adjust his launch angle slightly, he can go back to hitting weak popups.
  20. rv78
    Talk about bad luck. If the Tigers would have had a good rightfielder in the game Sano's hit would have been another out and the Twins lose. Bad luck for the Tigers. We've seen Robbie Grossman play defense and he doesn't belong on the field. All of the numbers you throw out about exit velocity and hard hit rate only mean to me that he is the same ol' Sano and won't ever be a good hitter except for those 2 or 3 weeks when he finds a good luck streak and can raise his batting average to .190. Are we to expect Sano to get off to a good start, ever? Do the games in April mean nothing? He has struck out in his career at a rate higher than anyone ever has in the history of the game. I've watched him so many times swing at pitches he shouldn't and watch pitches go by that he should swing at that I can't stand to watch him bat anymore. His approach at the plate is almost exactly opposite of what it should be. Let's face the facts, he's always been an average to poor hitter regardless of how hard he hits the ball and that is what he is. If he hasn't changed by now he never will. I say good riddance and the sooner the better.
  21. rv78
    How do you put a value on rest verses consistant playing time? Would the players benefit more from playing every day and getting consistant at bats to get their timing down by seeing more pitches? Having fresh players at the end of the season has done nothing for their post season games. With all the rest they have been getting have the injuries went away? As a Manager you should establish a starting lineup and stick with it every day with only 2 exceptions... 1. Injury and, 2. If a player tells you he needs a day off. The manager doesn't know how tired you are, only you do. If you have a guy that can't hit a lefty pitcher or a righty pitcher and you need to platoon them then they should be replaced entirely or on the bench. I understand there is more than just playing the game each day but c'mon, the games last roughly 3 hours and most of the time these guys are standing on the field waiting for the ball to be put in play or sitting on the bench waiting to get up to bat. I've worked 8-5 jobs that would put most of these guys in a wheelchair if they are getting tired playing ball. For being superb atheletes these guys are wimps if they can't play every day. It's not like they don't have scheduled off days for rest.
  22. rv78
    Let's just say the Twins got lucky. Rocco was proud of the way his team played. Despite his efforts to blow the game, yes they managed to take the win due to the Sox handing it to them yet almost taking it back in the 9th. Why was Larnach lifted for Garlick when he is one of the few actually hitting the ball? Why do you trust Duffey to pitch in a game this close after his last performances when you had at least 3 other options? Where was the next pitcher in the 9th to relieve Pagan if he got in trouble? Rocco was going to stick with him no matter how it turned out. There was no Plan B in the 9th or we would have seen it or can't Rocco make a pitching change anymore in the middle of an inning? I'll give credit to Pagan for not giving in and to the Ump for making the correct call on a close pitch for strike 3 to end the game. But overall it was another dismal performance by the offense. How many games is this team going to win 1-0 or 2-1? Not many.
  23. rv78
    Rocco's brilliance or lack thereof was on display again last night. The offense continues to sputter and he has his best hitter (Arraez) sitting of the bench. I guess a .414 batting average at Kauffman stadium isn't good enough to warrant playing time there. For someone who is so into analytics how can you make the decision not to have him in the starting lineup? If righty verses lefty matchups is the only deciding factor he uses when he makes out the lineup card he is worthless. He's all about creating favorable matchups alright, even if it means benching your best players for guys that can't hit. I'm not sure how much more of his ineptness I can handle. This is bad with no end in sight.
  24. rv78
    Is that why he brought Theilbar in to face Hernandez and Boegarts, two good right-handed hitters the other day against Boston? IMO that is not creating a matchup that favors Theilbar.
  25. rv78
    Rocco is going to use a veteran who is bad in a high leverage situation over a young arm that is good time after time. He showed it last year with Alex Colome to the point it single handedly probably cost the Twins the season. This year he is doing it with Tyler Dudfey. I know spring training was short. I know Rogers got traded at the start of the season but Rocco doesn't have a feel for the game. Last nights game is a very good example. Joe Smith whos' been very good so far threw 2 pitches and gets pulled for Dudfey who's been terrible. Makes no sense. Also, I always hear the praise of Wes Johnson and how he can get the most out of these pitchers that were once stars and need to turn themselves around after the Twins sign them when no one else wants them. Why not sign good pitchers to start with and have Wes make them even better instead of signing crap pitchers and have Wes try to make them average?
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