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Otaknam

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Everything posted by Otaknam

  1. Otaknam
    My two cents. Any Ryan trade should include a top pitching prospect who can make the big league team in 2026. Maybe Red Six power lefty Tolle and righty Witherspoon, a first round college pick in 25, and a lower level lottery prospect would get the job done. Tolle has overpowering stuff and made a handful of starts for Boston in 2025. Witherspoon is highly regarded college prospect but didn’t pitch in the minors after being drafted. The Twins don’t need another outfielder in the mix unless they move on from Larnach, and move Wallner to first.
  2. Otaknam
    It’s true that minor leaguers should have solid fundamentals by the time they make the bigs. But they need to continue to work on fundamentals once they make it, and that’s up to the coaching staff. That’s not an impossible task. That’s the coaching staff’s job, to improve and solidify fundamentals.
  3. Otaknam
    Of course the Twins are in rebuild mode. That’s not even debatable after the carpet bombing the roster and the massive underperformance of Lewis, Larnach, Wallner and others, and no real first baseman, The only question is will they tear it down to the studs, which would be confirmed if they trade Ryan or Lopez, or both, which is possible. The hiring of a new manager was never going to be exciting. Even if it was Tori Hunter, which would have been stimulating in the short term, the team will still have the same issues with the current roster. The reason for optimism is that there are several high profile minor leaguers ready to make the jump like Culpepper, Jenkins, and Gonzales. And due to the trades they now have young starting pitchers with the POTENTIAL to be successful, though that’s not a sure thing.
  4. Otaknam
    I’m indifferent. I just hope Shelton will use some intuition in making decisions, instead of just following what the computer algorithm says. But I think Falvey is so welded to analytics that he will require complete adherence to it, like Baldelli did, especially with pitching.
  5. Otaknam
    Not sure why they would protect a guy whose walk rate and ERA are as high as Klein’s, even with a denuded bullpen.
  6. Otaknam
    MFL! That’s a good one! So many stats to deny the eye test. For Wallner his massive strikeout numbers, low RISP and batting average are what are the most relevant to me. Let’s hope Wallner has a massive bounce back season in 2026.
  7. Otaknam
    I agree with Mr. Sheehan post about the “Twins way.” Swinging for the fences with 2 strikes.. No oppo field hitting.. Missing cutoffs.. Bringing the infield in when a double play gets out of an inning.. Different lineups everyday.. Pitchers who can't field... Fielders who can't pitch.. Please!! Let's find a better "Way" than the current "Twins Way" I would add a manager who : Will utilize the speed they have, instead of doing an Earl Weaver and just waiting for three run homers that don’t come. Who isn’t totally welded to analytics and making every decision based on a computer algorithm, especially with pitching. Who will utilize his intuition periodically when making in game decisions, and is not afraid to communicate that to Falvey. Show some trust in your starting pitchers to give you an extra inning or even two when they are doing well. What starter wants to be yanked after five innings when things are going well because the algorithm dictated it? I think that’s part of the reason Sonny Gray left. Also that helps to save the bullpen from overuse.
  8. Otaknam
    If they get an offer they can’t refuse take it But I would be surprised if that would be for positions players, first and catcher as other have suggested. You would have to get at least one top pitching prospect in a trade. Lefties Tolle or Early from the Red Sox are intriguing in a package with another high level prospect or two makes sense to me.
  9. Otaknam
    Shortstop is kind of a black hole for the Twins over their history. Aside from Versailles’ MVP outlier season in 1965, IMO Correa is clearly the best shortstop in team history when considering offense, defense, and leadership. Too bad his injuries hampered him while here, especially in 2024. Gagne gets a nod for his great defense and decent offensive numbers, Smalley for being consistently good but not great over multiple seasons. Leo Cardenas had 3 excellent offensive seasons with the Twins, and I believe his defense was very good too. And he played almost every games over three seasons, which doesn’t happen much these days so players can rest and recharge.
  10. Otaknam
    Not sure why Fedko was not brought up. Teams used to reward breakout seasons in the high minors, though the limited roster call ups are a major factor now. Power and speed are a good combination, and Fedko surely earned a spot, maybe in place of Outman, who did nothing. Might be a 40 man roster issue, but still…..
  11. Otaknam
    It would be silly for the Twins to “cut bait” with Lewis, as was suggested. They wouldn’t get much in a trade right now, he’s still pretty young, and there is no better option for third base. What I saw from Lewis in 2025 was Miguel Sano syndrome, an attempt to pull everything, which resulted in him flailing away at sweepers he would miss by ten inches. But baseball players can bounce back from a down season, and we have seen what Lewis can do when healthy and locked in. So he’s at third for 2026. For a realistically competitive team Lewis would be a concern. But this team has a lot of more immediate concerns than Lewis, despite his poor season. Rebuild a bullpen, better hitting with RISP, improve defense, productive seasons from Wallner, Larnach, Jeffers, and young players making the jump to the bigs.
  12. Otaknam
    Unless he has no other options, I doubt that Hoskins is interested in one of the potentially worst teams in 2026. And I doubt the penurious Twins would pay him $8-10 million for two years.
  13. Otaknam
    Young pitchers develop at different rates. They can spend the offseason adding a little more zip or movement to their fastball. Or learn an entirely new pitch that complements their repertoire. Or change an arm slot or some mechanical fix that helps with command. I’m looking for Matthews to make a solid jump in 2026. What the team really needs is for Abel and Bradley to show significant improvement in command. Someone from the trades needs to step up to a number two starter, like Ryan or Lopez.
  14. Otaknam
    Suzuki must have been desperate for a managing job to accept an insulting one year contract. That just shows they don’t really have confidence in him.
  15. Otaknam
    Ozzie Smith is a HOF outlier, mostly based on his wizardry on defense and sufficient offensive numbers, .262 BA and 25-30 stolen bases per year. But great defense is not the usual pathway to the HOF. Most players need to hit too. Hopefully Houston can hit enough to be a regular shortstop.
  16. Otaknam
    Having a great glove and defensive chops is really good. But as a first round pick he needs to hit enough to be an everyday infielder in the bigs or the pick is wasted. Nick Gordon is an example. 2026 should answer the question of whether he can hit enough to be a starting infielder. Let’s hope he gets stronger and develops more power.
  17. Otaknam
    Castro isn’t the missing piece of a team destined for the playoffs, which the Twins aren’t. Martin showed what he can do as a utility player during the last half of the season. Castro has more of an upside, but money will be the driving factor in every offseason decision. Martin or someone else will be cheaper than Castro.
  18. Otaknam
    They have drafted two shortstops recently, with Culpepper seeming to be ready. So I see no reason to bring in a veteran SS as a bridge for a season that is likely to be devoted to developing younger players.
  19. Otaknam
    Obviously Lee still has time to improve and get stronger. Bat speed is an issue, so strength training is one thing he should focus on this offseason. At this point he is marginal major leaguer, slow footed, with mediocre defense. So his offense needs to carry him.
  20. Otaknam
    Ball players bounce back after a down year. Ober has been pretty consistently good until this year.
  21. Otaknam
    I don’t see the penurious Pohlads giving any pitcher on this team a 7 year contract. But they might do four years. Really, no pitcher should get a 7 year contract.
  22. Otaknam
    It’s too early to project him as a utility player. He’s young and has a lot of tools, especially power and speed, as his stolen base totals would confirm. Hopefully he can improve his contact rate and batting average.
  23. Otaknam
    Whoever they hire as manager has to wonder how much longer Falvey, who has lorded over what has become a dumpster fire, will keep his job. The new guy would need a four year contract to accept the job under these circumstances. I doubt this will be Hunter, and they will go with Shelton or someone with actual managerial experience.
  24. Otaknam
    Agree. While some analytics are clearly helpful, overthinking everything with arcane analytics is an issue that infects baseball. Baldelli’s seemed to follow analytics for every in game decision. Just do what the computer algorithm says, no thinking or intuition required. By the way, I think it’s time to remove the Baldelli survey from this website.
  25. Otaknam
    Appreciate the summary of Twins players in the AFL.
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