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Otaknam

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Everything posted by Otaknam

  1. Otaknam
    The Twins’ collapse was caused by underperforming players like Lewis (what happened to him!), Wallner, Larnach, Paddock, Ober, and others, plus the Lopez injury. With a young core on the cusp of the big leagues, I wonder what the lineup will be for next year. Likely some trades this offseason to cut the salary structure.
  2. Otaknam
    Why Fedko didn’t get a chance at the ML level is head scratching. He had a great season, hit for power and average, has excellent speed and steals bases, and bat right handed, which they need in the outfield. Why not cut Outman, who has done nothing but strike out, and give Fedko a shot?
  3. Otaknam
    Martin has earned a roster spot and is the clear choice over Outman, whose strikeout numbers make Sano look like Arraez. Clemens has actually at times hit pretty well with RISP, despite his .220 average. Also, Wallner, Lewis, and Larnach underperformed this year. They need to bounce back next year and will be challenged by EROD, Jenkins and Gonzalez for playing time.
  4. Otaknam
    Lewis needs to learn how to hit a sweeper first. He also seems out of balance most of the time as he tries to to pull everything, which leads to missing a sweeper by six inches or more.
  5. Otaknam
    What has Outman done to deserve a roster spot. He strikes out more than Sano, a feeble accomplishment.
  6. Otaknam
    The team went from playoff bound in 2024 to downtrodden in 12 months, which is hard to do. Clearly it’s time to totally rebuild this awful team. Ryan will likely want out because he can see how far away this team is from competing. Lopez’ latest injury probably means he can’t be traded this winter. If both Ryan and Lopez are on the 2026 roster I look for them to be traded at the deadline. Who’d want to pitch for Baldelli, who doesn’t trust his pitchers. Go with a total youth movement to give the fans some hope for the future. Hopefully some young starters will be able to find the strike zone. But I’m not hopeful because the FO traded for starters who don’t throw enough strikes to be consistently effective.
  7. Otaknam
    Outman has been a disaster. He strikes out more than Sano, which is quite an accomplishment. He needs to be released to give Fedko a chance.
  8. Otaknam
    “Kendry Rojas started and gave up just one run over 3 1/3 innings. He gave up for hits and walked just two,” Since when is walking two batters in less than four innings considered a positive? Six base runners in 3 1/3 innings! Yikes! This is what we traded for! It’s time for a new front office and manager.
  9. Otaknam
    Power is overrated. If Keaschall hits and gets on base at a high percentage, that’s an asset the team can use, He can also steal a base if Baldelli still allows that. If he be a solid defender, what’s not to like?
  10. Otaknam
    Why Fedko is not given a shot after the years he has had is baffling. Not to mention they could use a rough handed bat woth power. Meanwhile, Outman is hitting .150 and strikes out more than Sano’s 45%. This FO has no clue.
  11. Otaknam
    Baldelli deserves heavy criticism for two things. First, he relies too heavily on analytics and not his intuition, especially when it comes to pitching. He seems to doggedly follow what a computer algorithm dictates. If it says remove the pitcher, he does it. No wonder Sonny Gray wanted out. Who wants to pitch for a guy who doesn't have confidence that you can pitch more than five innings? Second, the team has played Earl Weaver ball for years, sitting back and hoping for a three run homer instead of trying for force some action. Nothing makes that more obvious than how this year has gone. The team has struggled offensively all year, with very poor stats with RISP. But it took the dismantling of the team with trades before it suddenly occurred to him that they should try to steal bases, hit and run, and try to take an extra base. Now they are stealing multiple bases every game, even by some of the power hitters like Wallner. Why did it take two thirds of the year to figure out the obvious? It’s time for some new blood in the FO and at the helm.
  12. Otaknam
    It would not surprise if either Larnach or Wallner is traded this offseason to make room for EROD (if he can ever stay healthy), Jenkins or both. Culpepper seems the long term answer at shortstop, given his offensive profile and apparently solid defense, which means Lee or Keaschall at second base. Given Keaschall’s encouraging performance, he seems like he has the inside track. With Lewis likely at third, hopefully regaining his stroke, that means Lee would move to a utility role, which would be disappointing given his high draft status.
  13. Otaknam
    I concur that this is an organizational failure that can’t be pinned solely on Rocco. Analytics has its place in baseball. But I think the FO sees itself as cutting edge in its approach on analytics, and Rocco totally buys into it. Rocco seems welded to what the computer algorithm tells him what to do, instead of using his knowledge and intuition to make some situational decisions as a manager. The best example of this is how he handles starting pitchers, where he is reluctant to let them pitch to a lineup a third time, with some exceptions. The other problem is underperforming positional players like Lewis, Larnach, and Wallner who have regressed offensively. The only position players who have met or exceeded expectations are Buxton (his constant injuries haven’t helped), Jeffers, and Keaschall and bench guys like Clemens and Martin late in the season. Brooks Lee hasn’t progressed offensively, despite some homerun pop, and he plays mediocre defense at the key defensive position. And, finally, the skeletal remains of the bullpen is filled with scrap heap guys I never heard of, not a prescription for success. My guess is they trade both Ryan and Lopez, both of whom should bring a haul, and just start over. But if they do I hope they get some young arms that don’t come with control issues like the so far disappointing Abel, Rojas, and Bradley.
  14. Otaknam
    IMO the knock against Baldelli is his slavish devotion to analytics. I believe this is dictated by the FO, but I think Rocco is completely onboard with it. This is especially relevant to how he handles the starters, preferring they not pitch to a lineup for a third time. This is understandable with the young starters, who are tying to figure out how to get big league hitters out. But Rocco needs to show some confidence in his players. I think that’s why Sonny Gray wanted out, as there were too many games where Rocco pulled him after five innings. Ryan, Lopez and Ober have earned the right to pitcher deeper into games, IMO. Another valid criticism is Rocco’s Earl Weaver approach to base running: just wait for a three run homer. The team has struggled ALL YEAR to score and hit with RISP. A two out rally to score several runs is a rare commodity with this team. Since the trade Rocco has had an epiphany: stealing bases, an occasional hit and run, and utilizing speed is the way to score. The team has become very aggressive ALL OF A SUDDEN, when they needed to do this all season with their sputtering strikeout prone offense. The fact that it took him four months to figure this out is a fair criticism.
  15. Otaknam
    Curious sure why Olivares is on this list. His hits per inning pitched numbers are way down, but he averages 6 walks per nine innings, not a prescription for success moving forward. Great stuff doesn’t do much good if he can’t throw strikes. The Twins are learning that with all three high end arms they traded for in Abel, Bradley and Rojas.
  16. Otaknam
    Martin and Clemens have both shown that they have a role with this team, capable of playing multiple positions to fill in as needed. So some positive news in an otherwise lost season.
  17. Otaknam
    The team is populated with fringe major league bullpen waiver claims and several bench guys who shouldn’t be on the roster. Yuck! The trades indicated a rebuild, so why have the aforementioned players instead of younger prospects like Sabato, Fedko, and maybe some AAA pitchers? I would watch the young guys trying to establish themselves. Otherwise there is no reason to watch.
  18. Otaknam
    I don’t recognized half of the bullpen of waiver pickups and discarded fringe AAA guys that now populate it. It makes no sense to have a bullpen of castoffs and low performing position players like Outman, Julien and Fitzgerald. Why not give Fedko, Sabato, and Gabriel Gonzalez a shot to see if they can help next year? This team has descended into chaos and appears to have no plan.
  19. Otaknam
    Then why point it put if it means nothing, which is true.
  20. Otaknam
    Agree! Why have non performing players getting playing time. Fedko is another who should get some playing time instead of Outman, who is doing nothing..
  21. Otaknam
    At this point in a lost season, why would the team keep Outman and his .130 average instead of giving Fedko a shot? And the same with the disastrous bullpen filled with waiver wire pickups and discarded pitchers too horrible for other teams. Is there no one on the AAA roster who deserves a shot? In baseball there is not much incentive to tank for high draft picks because it’s so much harder to project baseball players than basketball and football. Is there some financial incentive to finish out the season with this bunch, especially in the bullpen. They are unwatchable! Fire the front office and Rocco!
  22. Otaknam
    What’s the point of choosing a pitcher of the month from this Sad Sack bunch? Sands was the most effective and the only choice. The others have command issues and a high WHIP that aren’t acceptable.
  23. Otaknam
    I have a different perspective from the post that “Relievers don't make the majors, except in the rarest of circumstances.” Everyone wants to start, of course, as all pitchers have done in their earlier careers. But analytics has changed the approach to pitching and offense, for better or worst (worst IMO). Since complete games are now as outdated as a Model T, many minor league pitchers are being groomed to pitch 2-3 innings following a starter. This helps them maintain maximum velocity that they lose when starting. Years ago, even in the minors, it was not unusual for starters to throw complete games. The approach in the minors now seems to be to limit starter innings by slowly building them up for six innings, minimizing overwork injuries. This stretches out the BP to allow more pitchers to get more innings. Then the organization can make more informed decisions about who has potential as a starter and who can be an effective reliever.
  24. Otaknam
    The three high profile starters they got in the carpet bombing trades, Abel, Rojas, and Bradley all have control issues. Hopefully one of these guys develops into a number three starter, but trying to correct command issues is difficult. Let’s hope the franchise has a pitching guru somewhere in the system.
  25. Otaknam
    As far as Wallner’s batting average, I agree with you. A batting average hovering just above .200 is unacceptable to me. Wallner has 20 homers and 35 RBIs, indicating that his RISP is pretty low, with 33% strikeout. But the MLB analytics has discarded some of those previously established ideas on performance, including batting average, focusing instead on OPS and how hard the ball is hit. Wallner’s OPS is near .800, which the analytics crowd loves. But he still has a lot of holes in his game. I do think Wallner can be a 30+ homer/ 90 RBI guy in the right lineup. Ext year is the time to show it.
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