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Otaknam

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Everything posted by Otaknam

  1. Otaknam
    Thanks for the insight on this guy. It looks like he has a chance to be a back of the rotation starter, maybe even higher if he has a couple of above average pitches. Despite the late season collapse and ownership situation, it’s time to acknowledge that the front office has built a very solid group of potential major league starters, if not aces. Let’s hope a couple of these guys take major steps to solidify the rotation.
  2. Otaknam
    Unleash the Raya gun!
  3. Otaknam
    Clickbait. It’s way too early for any discussion on Soto. Let’s see some actual success and domination first.
  4. Otaknam
    Rocco doesn’t believe in fundamentals such as bunting, hit and run, base stealing, etc. He’s all about analytics and not much else, it seems.
  5. Otaknam
    The Dobnak signing for $9+ million was always a head scratcher. His ceiling was always as a four inning pitcher, so it’s hard to see why they gave him the contract. But good for Dobnak!
  6. Otaknam
    It’s a good list. I think Canterino and Prielipp, if healthy, could make the bullpen this year. Given the paucity of lefties, Prielipp especially is intriguing. Hopefully he is healthy and can give them some innings to build up to start by 2026.
  7. Otaknam
    Ryan’s lack of innings is about Rocco dogmatically following analytics and not trusting his starters to go through the lineup a third time, Rocco took Ryan out after the second inning in a playoff game in 2023, a game they eventually lost by a low score. Two innings! Talk about lack of trust!
  8. Otaknam
    Another cheap scrap heap reclamation project, ensuring the fans are even MORE indifferent.
  9. Otaknam
    Hard pass.
  10. Otaknam
    Eeles and DeBarge are two infielders to watch this year. I am really curious to see how Eeles does in his first full season at AAA. He might be a real dynamo!
  11. Otaknam
    Contract extensions are about cost certainty and trying to avoid future contracts that only a handful of teams can afford, like the Yankees and Dodgers. The players get life changing dollars, even if their careers go sideways or they get hurt. It can be a win win for mid market teams. So it can make sense, like it did for Polanco and Kepler, both good decisions. I don’t see Ryan as having the upside of an ace, but I think he can be a consistent 15 game winner with an ERA below 3.0, assuming Rocco lets him pitch deeper into games, which isn’t a given. And Ober seems to have FINALLY gained Rocco’s trust, and is pitching six innings and beyond on a consistent basis. So despite the negative comments here, I can see these two as extension candidates because starting pitching is the most difficult thing to develop. Lewis has shown us his potential, despite his injuries and poor production during the last six weeks of 2024. So an extension isn’t a ridiculous move. A Jeffers extension is more complicated, IMO. But he is a major league catcher with power, and has shown the potential on both sides of the plate, despite his fall off last year. So I don’t think he’s a candidate for an extension right now.
  12. Otaknam
    That’s a fair point on Rocco resting his star players on the same day. I think he dogmatically sets up a resting schedule for each player in advance, regardless of how it hamstrings the lineup on a specific day. It’s reminiscent of Tom Kelly playing two or three backups on getaway day, producing an inept lineup of Denny Hockings. I always avoided getaway day for that reason because the chance of winning was slim.
  13. Otaknam
    My take is that they paid a lot for a guy who should bring solid defense, while providing below average offense. Clearly defensive ability was paramount, given Buxton’s injury history. Hopefully Bader isn’t an automatic out. But that’s a lot to pay for a career .242 hitter, despite his defense. Dashawn Kiersey is still on the roster, with his speed and proclaimed elite defense, albeit with a lefty bat. Given the penurious ownership, it’s surprising they just didn’t go with Kiersey to save money.
  14. Otaknam
    Pretty harsh and sarcastic for some reason.
  15. Otaknam
    Eeles will be one of the most interesting stories this spring. Hoping he has a breakout year and becomes an offensive force. His speed would really help, but Rocco is pretty inept at utilizing speed, dogmatically deferring to analytics that requires him to sit back and wait for the home run,
  16. Otaknam
    Hoping he dominates in A+ and does the same in AA ball, which is usually the separating level for prospects. So far so good both offensively and defensively.
  17. Otaknam
    Yawn! Bader is a better outfield option than Austin Martin. The entire season hinges on Correa, Buxton, and Lewis staying healthy, along with the starters. Otherwise, another yawn for the offseason. A new owner who isn’t indifferent like the Pohlads can’t come soon enough!
  18. Otaknam
    These guys can slice and dice it any way they want to claim the system isn’t really broken. Yes, an excellent minor league player development program is crucial to small and mid market teams. But the fact is that when there is a handful of teams spending 2 to 4 times more on player salaries than the rest, it does create a distorted market favoring the big spenders. Right now the Dodgers are the bullies in the playground, with the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Cubs and a couple of others close behind. The rest of us are left with the discouraging belief that our team really has no chance to make a strong playoff run. When even the Yankees, who historically have outspent everyone else by a wide margin, are whining about the spending of the Dodgers, you know the system is unstable.
  19. Otaknam
    Absolutely not if it means trading Ober or Ryan, weakening your rotation. Having four good starters is more important, as that gives you a chance to win each time put. But the Twins only have three solid proven starters. Festa, Matthews, Morris, Raya, etc are all unproven, though they have an upside yet to be achieved. A solid starter is more difficult to find and develop than a first baseman, especially another left handed hitter.
  20. Otaknam
    If the Twins make a trade it isn’t a given that it is to improve the team. They have been in salary dump mode before, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they go that route again, especially to get rid of the ludicrous Vasquez contract. Hopefully, the FO isn’t mandated to trade Lopez because of his contract.
  21. Otaknam
    That is an excellent idea to highlight positional depth throughout the system, top to bottom. Keep it going!
  22. Otaknam
    The Twins are swimming in the infants pool, not where the big boys swim. The bad news is that the big boy pool is getting wider and deeper, restricted to the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, and a few others who have almost unlimited funds. We know it’s a problem when the Yankees are complaining about how much the Dodgers are spending. The YANKEES, who have bludgeoned most teams for years with their own over spending on free agents.
  23. Otaknam
    Hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see Festa as a top of the rotation starter, aka number one. In my view he’s a 3+ starter, along the lines as Ober, which is pretty good! If his fastball improves to a consistent 97 or higher, he has a chance.
  24. Otaknam
    Sands was mostly ineffective as a starter, but was very effective in the bullpen in 24, capable of pitching multiple innings if needed. Given the young starting pitching depth, with Matthews, Festa, Morris, and Raya, there is no compelling reason to move Sands from where he is very effective, the bullpen, back to where he struggled as a starter. The same for Jax, who is a real weapon in the bullpen.
  25. Otaknam
    It’s kind of a head scratcher for readers to be cranky over the content of this site. No one is forced to read it. As for this story, I hope the take on Culpepper is correct, that his defense is excellent and his offensive profile is trending up. I’m not as high on SWR being more than a number five starter. His fastball would need to add a few ticks to elevate his pitching. 95 mph seems to be the average fastball these days, and it needs to be maintained in the late innings.
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