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Road trip

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Everything posted by Road trip

  1. Road trip
    Yes, Wallner K's too much. Too soon to know he won't adjust...give him another 350 at bats and see what we get. I know I wouldn't want a lineup full of Wallners, but to have one in there batting in the bottom 1/3? I'll take that any time. Totally wrong to say he hasn't had success in the majors. OPS+ of 125 this year, 131 last year. That's very good, especially for a player just getting started in MLB. 2.3 WAR in only 113 games, also very good. His hard hit rates and average exit velocity are elite. He just needs to make contact more often to become great. Even as he is today, he is valuable. If he improves he's a unicorn.
  2. Road trip
    Was hoping to see Miranda in the lineup tonight, but I guess he isn't quite ready yet..
  3. Road trip
    Ricardo Olivar intrigues me, especially because the Twins will need another catcher when Vazquez finishes up his contract next year. Olivar has obviously hit very well so far. Any chance he gets promoted to AA yet this year? That would potentially place him on a path to be ready for MLB in 2026..
  4. Road trip
    I agree with all of the defensive limitations that Martin has. It'll prevent him from being a solid starter anywhere unless his offense improves massively, which is unlikely. However, Martin actually fits ok as a 4th outfielder/platoon guy. Unlike Margot his splits thus far show he can hit righties as well as lefties, so when he pinch hits mid game for a Wallner/Larnach type player he isn't a complete liability the next time up against the inevitable right-handed closer. He's also likely a better option than a Kyle Garlick/Jordan Luplow type of player who could (theoretically) slug, but wasn't valuable to pinch run or cover much outfield ground. I also don't like what I've seen of his infield play, but in a pinch he can play a passable 2B if other options have been exhausted....unlike a Margot, Garlick, or Luplow. So, "make it" sort of depends on how you define that. I could see Martin having a career that lasts until age 30 or so when he will lose speed, run out of options, and will get more expensive. His ceiling may be a part time player that can run and hit a little. That's still valuable. Heck, the Brewers seem to have a bunch of those guys and they ran all over us last weekend.
  5. Road trip
    My dark horse pick would be Jorge Alcala. He gave up a freak HR yesterday on a pitch well above the strike zone, but he has also been dominant at times the past two months. Teams that make playoff runs often have a bullpen that can shorten the game. If Alcala can be that 7th inning guy shut down guy he will be incredibly valuable.
  6. Road trip
    Lee did botch the bunt play. It wasn't a physical error, but rather a mistake of inexperience, anticipation, and judgment. He backed off when he should have taken charge and called off Okert on the popped up bunt. Make that play and it is possible the Brewers don't score. As you noted Lee has all the physical tools to play anywhere in the infield, and he has made some outstanding plays. Problem is, Lee was exclusively played at shortstop in the minors beyond 10 games and 3b and 2 and 2b. A little more time in the minors at positions he was expected to play in the majors (because everyone knew Correa was the SS) would seem to be beneficial if you want to reduce the inexperience/judgment errors at the MLB level. It's quite likely that Lee never previously experienced that scenario in game action at 3B before last night. Little wonder he wasn't quite ready for it.
  7. Road trip
    This may be a case where both sides can be right, depending on how you are interpreting the question. It's another short term vs long term strategy issue. Short term, the Twins are plenty competitive this year. They have assembled a team that is fun to watch, have rising stars, a productive minor league system, and project to make the playoffs, where anything can happen even if they won't be favorites. They are winning some important battles compared to rival franchises. Longer term, attendance is poor and dropping, payroll is unlikely to grow next year, the young stars will start to get more expensive soon (I believe Castro, Jeffers, Larnach, Ober, Ryan, Duran, Jax all go to arbitration this winter...I might be wrong on one or two, may have missed one or two), and local tv remains a critical problem to be solved, both for the fan interest and direct revenue it generates. At best, local tv looks to grade out at about a "C", compared to the massive revenue streams of the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, etc. These are some long term problems, and winning the war to become a consistent contender is very uncertain.
  8. Road trip
    What an odd reason. I mean, Santana may be old but he played several hundred games at catcher when he was in his 20s. It isn't ideal, but surely he could finish off a game behind the plate in an emergency and do a passable job.
  9. Road trip
    Not to be all doom and gloom, but I agree with the premise of the article. Things are more than a bit dire for the Twins brand. More playoff wins would help rekindle fan interest, boost the attendance next year, and thus the payroll. Anecdotally, I remain interested and post more often on here because my cohort of friends have largely stopped paying attention to and talking about the Twins. They've moved on, some because they can't watch on cable, some because of the payroll doom and gloom, some because they would rather just spend their time doing something else. Nobody has even mentioned a Road Trip to Minnesota this year, which used to be a once a summer weekend trek for several of us from the hinterlands of Twins territory (yet still within MLB's idiotic blackout territory).
  10. Road trip
    I think this is where I'm at as well. There are so many injured infielders right now that it makes a stashed Julien in AAA more valuable than anything we would get back for him. Julien is likely the next man called up if any of our current infielders or outfielders get hurt, or even if Correa just needs a 10 day break to rest his feet from the plantar fasciitis issue. Maybe the Twins will get some guys back from the IL by end of July (Miranda? but back injuries are notably finicky and hard to project) and things will look different. However right now I think they need Julien just for depth. Otherwise the next guy up is.... a waiver wire pickup??
  11. Road trip
    What they know beyond question is that Margot and Farmer have a negative WAR this year. Farmer could conceivably get to zero. Margot.... nearly impossible because his defense is so awful. Generally, I think the Twins FO has done a good job, especially in regards to the pitching staff which is vastly improved compared to what the Twins had a half decade ago. They do fairly well with the budget constraints they have. I'm quite willing to accept that some veteran retread pitchers are necessary and even useful, esp in the bullpen. But I think it is also fair to point out that several veteran position players they have brought in (Gallo, Margot, Farmer, Vazquez) have not worked out well as expected. Correa is of course the exception. And clearly, as Mike points out, sometimes they don't know what they have. LaMonte Wade got fewer than 100 ABs in the majors before they gave up on him. Turned out he could hit.
  12. Road trip
    "That's some catch, that Catch-22". Can't cut a failing vet for an unproven youngster. All youngsters are unproven until they prove themselves for long enough to become vets. But to prove themselves they need not only a chance at success, but lots of time in the majors.... which they can't have because we have stockpiled failing veterans who can't be cut. Some catch indeed.
  13. Road trip
    Julien's spray chart would play incredibly well in Fenway. I can't imagine a better ballpark for his opposite field tendencies. Thus, it is logical that the Red Sox may have some interest. However the Twins would really be selling low if they moved him this month...
  14. Road trip
    Oh, you mean the game where Santana dropped a knee high throw at 1b that extended the inning and allowed the Giants to score? Yeah, it isn't just the youngsters that make errors.🙄
  15. Road trip
    Put it another way.... even if they were equivalently valuable thus far this year (and they aren't, its 2.5 BWAR to 1.4), Miranda is 26 and has a future with the Twins. He projects to be in the lineup somewhere for the next several years, barring a trade or injuries. He still has upside. He needs a position, as we already have a plethora of 3b guys who are superior defenders. Santana is a 1 year rental who is 38 years old. He's not the future at 1b, even if he is the present starter.
  16. Road trip
    I'll grant that Santana has been better than expected thus far with his bat, and his defense is better than other options the Twins have (despite a maddening inability to dig out some throws... multiple errors this year, even though some weren't scored that way). Margot has not been good, and the alternatives to Margot mentioned in the article weren't the only ones (example: Tommy Pham didn't sign until April, and he has hit much better for Chicago, and can't be much worse with a glove). Farmer signing didn't work out, obviously. I didn't expect Farmer to fall of the statistical cliff either, but the FO seriously misjudged the utility infielder market if they thought they could be able to trade him at some future point.
  17. Road trip
    I'd agree with this. A longer contract would likely go bad (frankly, for just about any player) and what the Giants and Mets were originally willing to sign was very risky. There are no risk-free contracts, even for 6 years, and like you I am concerned about the recent plantar news, but I'm still optimistic that this will turn out to be a good contract for the Twins, even if Carlos misses some time or has to play through pain at times the rest of the season (which I think is somewhat likely).
  18. Road trip
    I wish I could give this an upvote, but that was certainly not my experience with plantar, nor that of many other sufferers I have known. Obviously Correa suffered from it all of last year on the other foot, so I doubt his problem this year is "bad footwear"...surely he has been broken of that habit. I absolutely hope you are correct but for many this is a life-long condition, even with the best doctors and treatments. Any flare up is frankly very bad news for Correa and the Twins.
  19. Road trip
    I mean, if cost doesn't matter, sure, I'd love Snell. But if they get him on August 1 he is still owed $10 million for the duration of the year, which the Twins claim they won't/can't spend. And then there is next year's $30 million if he doesn't opt out. The Giants are only 3 games out of the NL Wildcard so they aren't exactly in sell mode yet. To talk them into it they will want....idk, 2 of the top 5 prospects in the system, plus a major league ready player like SWR? Snell is great when healthy, but he's caviar for a family on a meatloaf budget.
  20. Road trip
    I wouldn't advocate this every year, but this year I think they need to roll with the players they have. The busted TV deal and poor start (at least relative to Cleveland) led to lower attendance which leads to even lower revenue which means they can't even afford the players they have next year. Can't/shouldn't be sellers with a playoff contending team. Can't/shouldn't trade low-cost youngsters for a high quality rental when you need those youngsters next year after the Twins shed payroll yet again. Beyond the can'ts/shouldn'ts above, the FO doesn't have a great track record exchanging prospects for rentals... and that is putting it kindly. Grit your teeth, hope the existing players get/stay healthy, hope the youngsters and a few underperforming vets improve, and hope you somehow catch fire in October. That's a lot of hope, and hope really shouldn't be a plan, but I don't see a lot of good alternatives unless you want to mortgage the future for a shot this year with a somewhat flawed team and very flawed organizational approach to increasing revenue (i.e., the broken tv deal).
  21. Road trip
    A good gig if you can get it. Kinda like a 3rd string NFL QB. Collect salary, hold the clip board, stay awake, endure boredom.... until those fleeting moments of sheer terror when you suddenly realize you may have go into the game. 😁 Actually, I'm sure Camargo woke up this morning hoping he would be in the lineup somewhere..
  22. Road trip
    Buxton not in the lineup again. Hope he is ok. That wall crash Friday looked a little rough.
  23. Road trip
    Yunior may not be in the doghouse, so much as Yunior is not considered to be a reliable glove at 2b or 3b at this point in time. Right now they rather desperately need an infielder who hits right handed (because lefty on lefty matchups are an abomination, I guess), and Yunior has mostly been playing 1b at AAA. It makes me think the Twins have decided his glove just won't play at 3b or 2b, even though he has played there a lot in the past. I think his glove has always been rated as shaky, at best. Castillo is a placeholder. Looks like he will give the Twins adequate defense and likely won't hit much, but he probably is only on the MLB squad until someone comes off the IL, and perhaps not that long. He can then be removed from the 40 man when a spot is needed.
  24. Road trip
    2nd base is pretty much the last position I would move Lewis to. Although sliding hard to break up double plays is no longer part of the game, 2nd base remains a position where there is greater injury risk. It requires significant nimbleness, lateral speed, and range, which isn't really Lewis's strength. Lewis has plenty of arm for 3b. IF he has to move off of 3b, it probably would mean going to the OF (assuming Correa is at SS for a while). Brooks Lee looked like a gold glove player at 2b yesterday. He's sneaky athletic, much more so than his body type appears. I'd have no concern playing him anywhere in the infield, so if 2b is open he will be great there.
  25. Road trip
    So, not an MLB move, but an interesting one. Twins signed Wynton Benard to a AAA contract. Who is Wynton Benard? A right handed hitting center fielder with good speed, and frankly a pretty decent AAA hitter. He was briefly at MLB with the Rockies in 2022, but has spent most of the past half decade at AAA for more organizations than I wanted to count, waiting for a chance. He's neither young nor a prospect, but he has options and can be stashed at AAA and called up and then sent back whenever needed. Basically, he's Buxton insurance.... or just maybe a 4th/5th outfielder if you absolutely positively feel the need to carry a platoon guy for the lefties. It's entirely possible we never see him put on a Twins uniform.... but he does provide a kind of security blanket for a FO that likes to stash depth. It could, just possibly, mean that the FO is preparing to trade one of the current outfielders.
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