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Number3

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Everything posted by Number3

  1. Number3
    Like Yogi Berra said, "90% of baseball is half mental". Do these machines have brain scans? In any case, Kyle Gibson will never be Bob Gibson but if a flaw can be detected that helps Kyle get people out I am all for it.
  2. Number3
    My first post ever on a Twins board was entitled "Joe Nathan doesn't seem like himself" or something to that effect. With that in mind, I think he should lead a workshop called "Fidgeting techniques for closers". I recall that towards the end of his time with the Twins, he seemed to lose confidence in his ability to challenge hitters and resorted to sliders in the dirt and other nibbling around the plate plus all kinds of mannerisms between pitches. Every outing was a fingernail biting adventure.
  3. Number3
    Plus most of those home runs were hit in April and May and he had to play Joe Mauer to get his average "up" to .249. If they paid Harper $35mil/yr for 2 years you might as well kiss the 2019/20 seasons goodbye. It won't happen anyway because Harper and his agent are still convinced that he is the second coming of the entire Hall of Fame. What part of the 2018 Baltimore Orioles and LA Dodgers is so hard to figure out as far as Machado is concerned? Machado piles up stats but does not come through in the clutch and is disruptive on a roster. Twins need to play up to their potential and they should stay in the playoff hunt as is.
  4. Number3
    As has been said many times, this is the year to find out whether or not Sano and /or Buxton have long careers ahead of them. They should not be on an infinite leash but the pre All Star part of the season should be sacrificed to find out one way or the other and that includes the fact that both have been injury/ailment prone. If either or both doesn't perform or goes on the (now injury list since disabled has been deemed to be politically incorrect terminology), that is it as far as I am concerned. My point is that until this is resolved once and for all, any major position player free agent signings would be a very tough call. Plus, I think the Twins also have a new manager who may have some ideas after he gets a few games under his belt. At least I hope he does.
  5. Number3
    The early season schedule is really weird maybe because of Target weather and last year's postponements. Bunch of games on the road and against Mets and Phillies early. Then a lot of games against Astros and looks like they are done with the Orioles after April. After being in FL for a month they might as well stay packed. If they can be around .500 after April, they can start the season in May in decent shape. It won't be easy.
  6. Number3
    As long as Falvey doesn't give Harper himself the $20.00 to play for the Twins I will be happy.
  7. Number3
    There are 8 position players on a team plus the DH. Baseball is in a better position than any other sport to be able to screen players because there are youth leagues, high school, college, plus a well established multi level minor league system. In addition, baseball is played world wide and the Latin American influx of great players is now a huge part of rosters. More and more Far Eastern/Oriental players are coming into the Major Leagues. Given all of this world wide exposure that players get and the ability to use technology to communicate visually with players and coaches world wide, there is no excuse for not fielding a competitive team at the Major League level and it is classic laziness to look for an easy way out. Reading data and looking at numbers is the easy, lazy way out. Staying in constant contact with coaches and teams world wide and using technology to assist in screening players the old fashioned way is the answer and always has been. Its called scouting followed by player development. Go ahead, sit in a room and look at cumulative WAR stats or whatever. Then continue to wonder why 70-80 win seasons (or worse) are the norm.
  8. Number3
    What I will miss is the simultaneous move to unbuckle the shin guard on a 3-2 pitch as the umpire says "ball 4" and Joe began his trot to first base all in one continuous motion. Pure poetry. He was able to have the guard half way unbuckled as the pitch thumped into the catcher's mitt and, on the rare occasion that the pitch was called a strike, the glare was priceless.
  9. Number3
    Seems like the hype surrounding Castro was that he would help the pitching staff with his unique ability. That arguably did not happen. Is he a decent to good major league catcher? Sure. The fact that Castro was a big acquisition going into 2017 was nothing but marketing propaganda.
  10. Number3
    The mental approach angle is music to my ears. No excuse for a highly paid pro athlete to not have his head completely in the game. Baseball is not complicated but has been made complicated by all of the metrics, shifts, attempted match ups for every possible situation. I hope his mental approach involves keeping it simple and not beating yourself. Most games are lost, not won.
  11. Number3
    Per Sahitan, "I don't know Schoop well, but I question why so many lineup predictions have him in the 6 spot. His numbers last year suggest 8-9 hole to me, unless he turns it around anyway." Schoop was a victim of what happens to a team with an overpaid first baseman (Chris Davis) and self centered so-called stars (yes, Manny Machado) on the Baltimore O's who looked fine on paper but totally tanked. The Twins are a perfect fir for Schoop and I predict he will be more than a pleasant surprise. Why the fascination with Machado on this board is totally perplexing to me. If it was up to him it would be the Minnesota Machados, or Machado plus 8.
  12. Number3
    Admittedly have not read all of the posts so I apologize of this has been addressed. The 21 lbs from lifting weights is obvious. More important is, how is the hitting going and exactly what does 90 minutes hitting even mean? I am not encouraged by this at all and now we can add muscle pulls and related injuries to headaches and busted toes. I would like to see his bat collide with baseballs more and him colliding with fences less.
  13. Number3
    "His presence seems to energize the lineup and in big spots he doesn't have many........" Per the Whizzanater (won't ask for any background on that name lol) This is a subjective trait that I have always thought was a must in any lineup and definitely picks up the rest of the lineup. Doesn't show up in a spreadsheet but does show up in the eye test in actually watching games instead of deciphering acronyms and abbreviations. Polanco does have it and there have been players on the Twins held in high esteem that did not have it. Glad the "Whizz" recognized it. BTW, Machado has the opposite effect. Polanco is a ball player (sorry for using that term). Machado is a sausage on a bun. Just ask the Os or the Dodgers.
  14. Number3
    Harper expects to be the highest paid top dog on a guaranteed World Series champion in a big market town and will settle for nothing less. Machado would probably accept the highest bidder but would be a disruptive force on a team with no other big contracts on the roster. Twins don't need or want either. But no worries; neither will come anywhere near the Twin Cities. The outside chance that Machado may accept an overpriced deal from a team like the Twins does scare me a little.
  15. Number3
    "You don't even need the explanation. He makes sense because he would be the best player on the team. Full stop." Change "best" to "disruptive" and you're right on.
  16. Number3
    Anyone who thinks that signing a Manny Machado into the Twins' roster with the huge, out of proportion contract that he would receive, would be a plus for the team is just looking for a simple solution to a long term history of mediocrity. Acquiring a Machado (or a Harper) would set the Twins back; not move them forward. They both think they are the team; not part of a team. All you have to do is look at the teams they have played for and how they have performed when it really counted. Also look at whether these teams have gotten better or worse during their tenure. They are both a representation of a popular baseball fan food served in a long narrow bun usually with mustard.
  17. Number3
    Doomtints ..."Hm. When I look at his numbers from 2018, I don't see any down months at all, in fact he probably outperformed any Twin in any given month. If he had a slump, it was no more than around ten days in length and he more than made up for it." Harper hit 18 home runs in April and May and finished with 37 while struggling to hit .250. What am I missing? On top of that his mere presence dominates a dugout and the persona of a whole team. He would destroy the "new" Minnesota Twins until they can establish their own identity and be able to absorb a Bryce Harper or anyone like him. Unless you want the Minnesota Twins to be the Harper Twins, stay away.
  18. Number3
    It won't happen. It shouldn't happen. The Orioles let Machado go and now the Dodgers. So he is a savior for the Twins? I don't think so. Take away Harper's stats for April and May and you have a run of the mill player. Even at his still young age, he gets worse as the season progresses. Last year when his average was teetering near the Mendoza line, he started flaring balls to left just to get his average up to a semi respectable level knowing it was free agent time. Do not come anywhere near either of these two. They are both toxic.
  19. Number3
    I keep practicing that trick but can't quite seem to master it. Hopefully persistence and repetition will pay off.I'm glad this event is called the Winter Meltdown. What I hope we don't get in 2019 is another summer meltdown. Somehow, with absolutely no common sense basis, I don't think we will.
  20. Number3
    Please, no one like either one on the 2019 Twins until we see who the 2019 Twins are. Harper has peaked and should be called Mr. April. What he would cost would be a clubhouse disaster. Same for Machado, to a lesser degree, whose middle name(s) should be hot dog. Both think they are walking.championships and neither will ever play on a championship team. Either would cause big problems especially for an essentially new team with a new manager to boot.
  21. Number3
    I know I am the least qualified from an expertise standpoint. However, it is a given that depth is key on any roster in any sport so I am not sure what the point here is. When a team starts a season with 2 penciled in starters in the "unknown" category, that speaks for itself. The only certainty in the Twins' 2019 season is Joe Mauer day. 2019 is a transitional, if not outright rebuilding, year for the Twins and they won't even know what kind of team they have until this year is over. I do think they will be competitive and fun to follow on a game to game basis with no expectations whatsoever. I am glad they have a new manager and I am glad the Joe Mauer era is over. Time to move on.
  22. Number3
    "Sano is not facing any legal situations in his home country. Earlier in the off-season, he ran over a police officer, breaking one of the officer's leg" Was Sano driving a car or did this happen on his daily 5 mile training run? Sorry, but there is just something about this guy that does not bode well for any long term success. He is an accident either waiting to happen, or already has happened, to himself or those around him. Lack of focus doesn't just apply to detecting a curve ball during an AB. It applies to daily life as well and I think he is just one of those happy go lucky type of people who doesn't take much very seriously. I hope I am wrong.
  23. Number3
    Twins are turning a new page in 2019. No Mauer, a new manager, and fish or cut bait for Sano and Buxton. Parting ways with Santana should be part of this process. Shouldn't even go as far as wondering whether or not his fast ball will come back. As far as his effort in the playoff game was concerned, I seem to recall that the strike zone was a place that he was afraid to go anywhere near.
  24. Number3
    Problem with Santana is you never know what you are going to get. I was done with him after the 2017 wild card when he was posted a 3-0 lead and acted like he had no idea what to do with it.
  25. Number3
    What I like is what they have NOT done as much as what they have done. They have not come anywhere near these supposed superstar free agents who demand multi $10mil long term contracts. To me, what they have done is make very reasonable moves to improve the Twins for 2019 and not claim to be shooting for the moon in some future year. No one is totally happy with their pitching and, for some reason, I think the Twins' pitching staff will be ok.
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