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Otaknam

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Everything posted by Otaknam

  1. I’m with you. No one in their system seems to be a frontline ML starter. And keeping the 21 year old Raya in such a low pitch count is baffling, unless he has arm issues that no one is talking about. Why don’t Twins beat writers ask that question?
  2. Let’s hope Zeb keeps improving and can be a viable option late this year if needed. The Twins need some potential front of the rotation starters, not just number 3-5 starters.
  3. As long as they don’t do another failed experiment and put Lewis in the outfield. Miranda might find himself back in AAA because of his lack of versatility.
  4. The list doesn’t excite me. I don’t see any top of the rotation starters here. Soto has the highest ceiling, but he is very young. SWR has pitched well so far but his history makes me cautious about his upside. Festa is now exhibiting command issues, so let’s hope he gets a handle on that. Raya is a head scratcher because he is 21 and they still limit him to 50 pitches for some reason. Does he have an injury or medical history to be concerned about? While he may be young for his league, he is still 21, not 19. So why the cautious pitch count? Lewis might have the greatest upside as a starter, so let’s hope his shoulder issues subside and he can build on an excellent 2023.
  5. It’s a little early to believe that Falvey has created a pitching pipeline to the majors. SWR has shown dramatic improvement so far this year and has been a godsend. Hopefully he continues on that trajectory. But I don’t see a lot of minor league starters in the system who look like top of the rotation starters, which you need at the ML level to be a serious contender. Festa is the one who considered the most ready, but he has been inconsistent. Raya never pitches more than four innings for some reason that is never explained. Who else from High A and above looks like a top flight starter?
  6. This loss is on Baldelli. Ober was cruising and Baldelli took him out after 82 pitches because his computer analytics told him to, again showing he doesn’t trust his starters and manages by algorithm rather than by trust and instinct. Fire Rocco!
  7. The Polanco trade was a good one IMO. The Twins had Julien as a replacement so that didn’t leave a hole at second, especially with Julien’s obvious power potential and Polanco’s salary and injury history. Gonzales is a highly rated prospect. Topa may help the bullpen this year, given Baldelli’s lack of trust in his starters to go more than five innings. So lots of arms are needed to fill in for starters. DeSclafani fits the profile of the FO acquiring injured or soon to be injured pitchers, so no surprise there. His injury means that some minor league starters better be ready, like SWR.
  8. Nowlin has 91 walks in 191 minor league innings with a WHIP of 1.403. So unless he is a reincarnation of Randy Johnson I am not as optimistic that he is an intriguing prospect, despite being a lefty.
  9. Is there any baseball statistic with less relevance than “win probability”? We all know that when you have a five run lead in the third inning your chances of winning are pretty good. But it’s baseball, a game that doesn't have a timer that ends the game. Anything can happen. I do get tired of the over analysis by those who think it makes them look plugged in.
  10. Duran’s return will be irrelevant if the strikeout inclined offense doesn’t start producing. And it’s beginning to look like Lewis is injury prone like Buxton, and he is the new face of the franchise. Yikes!
  11. My question as well. Why is their top pitching prospect limited to three inning and under 50 pitches? There must be an injury concern that they are not willing to disclose. Why isn’t someone asking this question of the FO?
  12. Despite his up and down career so far, there is no reason to move SWR to the bullpen just to get him to the big leagues. If his starts go off the rails this year then make the bullpen move.
  13. Festa pitches four innings and throws 57 pitches and the Twins top starter is taken out? Their handling of starters continues to baffle.
  14. Dobnak has a history of being a three or four inning pitcher. Long relief seems to be his best role. I never understood why the FO would give him a multi year $9+ million contract for accomplishing so little.
  15. It looks like the Twins think Festa has the highest ceiling. But who gets the first call up will depend on where they are in the AAA rotation. SWR needs to show some progress this year. Dobnak always seemed like a long reliever, not a starter. And his $9 million contract was alway a head scratcher because he didn’t really accomplish that much IMO. It is disappointing that the wealthy ownership didn’t step up to acquire another starter free agent, given the strong young core of this team.
  16. Agree! But that’s where we are, at least with Buxton. Celebrating that he got through one game without an injury. Let’s see if he can get through one month.
  17. This is one area I trust Baldelli to make the right decision. Pitching not so much.
  18. Festa is potentially a solid mid rotation guy, but I’m not enthused about SWR and Headrick. Neither has shown any consistency so far, but maybe the off season focus on adding or improving pitches will add another dimension to their repertoire.
  19. I hope you are right that the Twins are seeking more contact and willing to sacrifice some home runs if they have fewer strikeouts. Watching hitter after hitter flailing away in the playoffs rendered it almost unwatchable. It is the opposite of the Tom Kelly philosophy of focusing on hitting line drives, not home runs. That especially hurt future HOF David Ortiz and led to him leaving the team. We know how that turned out. You need on base guys like Arraez and hopefully Austin Martin. Somewhere in between seems like a good compromise.
  20. The Polanco trade was also about dumping a $10 million salary and having playing time for Julien and eventually Lee. Maybe that Polanco salary can be used to sign Lorenzen for a year.
  21. I’m not convinced the bullpen will be lights out. And I’m not a fan of pulling the starters after five innings, as Rocco frequently likes to do, which further taxes the bullpen. Show some confidence in the starters to get a few more outs and stop managing totally by algorithm.
  22. AK may not be a gold glover at first but he’s not a butcher either, like Sano was. I still think he will be a very productive player offensively if he stays healthy.
  23. Hitting the ball hard is important, but getting hits is more important than speed off the barrel of the bat. Arraez comes to mind as an example. Let’s hope Miranda has an excellent season.
  24. We don’t have to over think this. It’s about his health. No pulled hamstring running to first base. No concussion running into the wall. No broken hand when hit by a pitch. Sarcastically no hangnails or mystery injuries that keep him on the injured list for a month. He needs to play 140 games, with at least 120 in the outfield. 260 BA, high OPS, 25 home runs, 90 RBI.
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