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Number3

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Everything posted by Number3

  1. Number3
    I have always thought that the job of Starting Pitcher in the major leagues has become the most over paid fluff jobs in all of pro sports. Maybe not for the relative few greats, but for the many whose job it is to simply give the team innings. Even if they only last 2 or 3 innings they get the next 4 days off and go into their crazy routines. Its crazy to have 5 players on the roster who are only available every 5 games each. Anything to change that would be good but it still depends on execution, not some system. The teams with the best talent will still have the best staffs and managers will be hard pressed to not over use their best pitchers regardless of what name they give their "system" stacking, fracking or quacking.
  2. Number3
    I apologize for being too lazy to do the work necessary to even compile one of these hypothetical rosters. I guess when you have been following a team for 60+ years you've seen way to many rosters come and go lol. I just have a basic wish that the powers that be with the Twins actually have a commitment to winning baseball games. I will say that any roster that has Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano as key components is flawed from the starts. That is definitely wishful thinking if not outright dreaming.
  3. Number3
    I know there are a lot of would be GMs on this board but the fact is that the Twins will be at the mid-high .400 winning % in '19 no matter how deep into the weeds you want to go in Nov, '18. What they end up doing will probably be on none of the suggestions or roster predictions. If the Twins allow the game to actually be played on the field instead of the GMs box, they may surprise.
  4. Number3
    I posted on this thread and mentioned that no where was Mauer's name even mentioned and my post has disappeared. Evidently no one on this thread has heard of Mauer. I also said that the FO is no where near the level of planning expressed on this thread. BTW ND Fan made another great post and he may as well have been peeing in the proverbial wind from any response he got (not). The guy just makes too much sense I guess. It is also a fact that MLB in general, not just the Twins, has big problems as a result of the huge contracts with poor ROI, length of games, and lack of interest of the younger generation(s), and over exposure on TV and other media. The heyday is long gone.
  5. Number3
    Needless to say I haven't heard much of the Twins' announcers in my market but, in general, I hope its not a ex pitcher who over analyzes the options for each and every pitch and will not shut up between each and every pitch. John Smoltz is the worst. I love listening to the old broadcasts with Curt Gowdy and others who did not consider silence to be a mortal sin. I also hate the obsession with close ups of the players. Would much rather see the players positions on the field between pitches instead of the hairs in the pitcher's nose.
  6. Number3
    Maybe the Twins should have hired Dr. Phil as manager. A simple question would be "What has Byron Buxton done since the end of the 2017 season to improve himself as a major league hitter?" My guess is little or nothing. If I am right, there is no amount of counceling that Rocco or Dr. Phil can provide. If I am wrong then Rocco should be able to help him enough during the off season so that it is obvious in spring training. I just hope that the 2019 season isn't totally devoted to Rocco Baldelli getting to know his players better. Is he having a couch installed in his office? May the best players play and may the Twins simply try to win as many games as they can by playing common sense baseball.
  7. Number3
    Since analytics are based purely on numbers over any other criterion, just hire her as the manager and be done with it. Maybe she could manage in parks west of the Mississippi against left handed pitchers. The players would probably really like her and she owes the Twins something for Big Pappy so she may come cheap.
  8. Number3
    Reference Trevor Plouffe's endorsement. Now I remember, Plouffe is the one who invited Park and other players over to his spring training pad to watch episodes of "The Bachelor" on a beautiful afternoon in Fl. This was prior to the wonderful 2016 season. His use of the overused "awesome" by teenagers in his endorsement is indicative of a certain level of maturity. Rocco has the right first name but that is about it. Flop city and the exact opposite of what the Twins need. I am sure the players will love him as long as they don't mind the continued mediocrity on the field. I sympathize with his illness but how does someone with an energy sapping disease stay alert and focused through the grueling 162 game season? This is a question out of pure curiosity, not criticism in any way.
  9. Number3
    I want a manager who just gets along with ownership and upper management and who is not all wrapped up trivia like wins and losses. I especially want a manager who is concerned about the players' personal lives and their day to day activities off the field and who wants the players to consider him (or her) to be a friend above all. On the field I want a manger who shows no emotion in the dugout and who rarely protests a call or the opposition's antics. The manager should remain stone faced in the dugout and concentrate on the lineup card, not action on the field. Post game press conferences should always emphasize that the players are trying hard and there is no issue with effort on the field. Losses are simply part of the game and the result of a bad break here or a bad pitch there. Finally, the manager should consider club house relationships to be far more important than what happens on the field. I hope the Twins are fortunate enough to find such a manager for 2019 and far into the future as the year 2030 it will all come together.
  10. Number3
    Per ashburyjohn "Concur. An answer I'd probably like to hear is, "some players need a pat on the back and others need a kick in the butt,......" Exactly-relative to their play on the field, not as a shrink analyzing personal issues or whether a manager even likes or dislikes a certain player.
  11. Number3
    None of the names mentioned are familiar to me but I will say one more time relative to the interview process. Interviewer question, "If hired would you consider yourself to be a players' manager?" Answer, "Yes" Interviewer, "Interview over, next candidate please" Answer, "No, our collective job is to win ball games and I don't care to get involved in their personal lives or be a club house buddy. All I care about is what they do on the field." Interviewer, "Ok you are on the short list".
  12. Number3
    My response to the general replies to "get the geeks out of baseball" is do they also have analytics for high school and college players? Do the Epsteins and the like sit in rooms full of computers all day until they see the right statistical information or do they simply negotiate for the known good players using ownership's deep pockets to get the players they need? Then you have the "on the field"analytics that uses all of the shifts, matchups with relief pitchers and outfielders with the cards in their pockets that is comical to see. Where is the analytic that shows the real benefit to all of this and how it actually effects wins and losses? Probably no where to be found. Lies, dam lies and analytics.
  13. Number3
    I said great. He had a very modest career and hit .213 at age 33 in his final year. Didn't come close to playing a full season. If he is the poster child for analytics then my point is made.
  14. Number3
    No matter what they do they will get more production out of the position than in recent years.
  15. Number3
    I refuse to believe that sitting in a room and staring at computers is the way to fix a baseball team. The key to athletic performance is execution; not reliance on a spreadsheet formula. The Astro's pitching success can be summarized in 2 words: Justin Verlander. He is an example of what happens when a player goes from a franchise with a losing attitude (recent Tigers) and one with a winning attitude (Astros). Name one great player who was discovered as a result of analytics. I am waiting. Kevin Millar went on a tirade the other day and basically said that analytics is ruining baseball and managers are trying to plug parts into every conceivable situation instead of just playing ball. Of course, the MLB dependent hosts tried to refute that and went on to another topic. Outfielders have cards in their back pockets like golfers and refer to them every time a new batter goes to the plate. shifts are used on practically every player and then pitchers get upset when a routine ground ball is hit and no one is there to field it. I totally agree with Millar. Get the geeks out of baseball. They are ruining it and many probaly don;t know the difference between a wild pitch and a suicide squeeze.
  16. Number3
    If visible evidence means anything, there absolutely is none to indicate that the Minnesota Twins had any strength and conditioning coaches to fire. These weren't paid positions, were they? I wouldn't be any less surprised if they had fired their scuba diving coaches. I distinctly remember, prior to the fantastic 2016 season, there was an event at one of the player's apartments during spring training that involved getting together to watch "The Bachelor". Passing the TV remote around is great aerobic exercise. "Hey Joe, do your pushup before you tee off. Don't forget".
  17. Number3
    Whatever they do it will be none of the above. They will make a few patchwork moves and pray like they always do and then decide where to go for lunch depending on when the tee time is. What they can do is hire a manger who throws objects when they don't win, kicks dirt on umpires and gets tossed from at least a half dozen games per season. That, in itself is worth about 10 wins (and 10 fewer losses).
  18. Number3
    I guess you are satisfied with the status quo as far as the Twins are concerned. Its up to those 4 to connect with the baseball, not the manager to connect with them. Maybe the Twins should hire a shrink as manager. As far as analytics are concerned, as ND-fan wrote, they are just an excuse to save money and not do the old fashioned leg work necessary to actually scout a player in person. Please don't use either of these "new age" criteria. This is still baseball. As Dick Williams said to a new team in spring training, "I am not here to be your friend. You are here to help me feed my family". (paraphrase)
  19. Number3
    2 words....Alex Cora. Hire Alex Cora? Of course not. Hire a fiery manager like Alex Cora? They had better. No more milk toast managers. Last night with the Red Sox about to close out the Yankees, Cora showed more fire and animation than Molitor or Gardenhire did in a Twins' entire season. I don't think any of the mentioned candidates meet that criterion. Even TK really did not but he did have a kind of presence in the dugout. The Twins must hire a manager who assumes the role of the team personality that will rub off on the players over time. Anyone can fill out a lineup card.
  20. Number3
    To ND-fan: One of the best posts I have seen on any board on any topic. I usually don't read the long posts verbatim because same old same old. You have bulls eyed so many aspects of the Twins and MLB in general and the summation is that the bean counters rule and true baseball people are a thing of the past. I argued on other boards that going over spreadsheets does not replace doing the leg work and the eye test is the ultimate test, not the obp+ analytic. There is a subjective aspect to a true winner (which is what counts) that can't be formulated into a spreadsheet formula and that includes the stupid WAR stat. Ditto on use of many young pitchers, injuries, too much emphasis on the home run, on and on. Just sign good ball players(I was actually ridiculed for using that term), a GOOD MANAGER and play to win (I assume ND stands for Notre Dame. They did a number on out local VA Tech team last Sat. If that lineman down field penalty hadn't been called early in the game on VT it might have been different but I doubt it.)
  21. Number3
    Admittedly did not read every word of every post but I did not see one word about getting the right MANAGER. That is item number one. If they hire another "players manager", they could sign Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax and it won't make any difference . The idea of the Twins getting either Harper or Machado is comedians' material and another long term contract with either could be another disaster. I hope the Yankees blow about $100mil (minimum) on Harper because I truly believe his best years are already behind him. Twins need to focus on starting pitching and hope that young talent can finally come through. The free agent position player route will not work.
  22. Number3
    I have posted several times that Sano is injury prone below the neck and lacking in true desire to excel and very immature above the neck. Twins should put the baseball totally in his court. No special treatment one way or another. Off season.....totally on Sano. Whether or not to even show up for spring training.....totally on Sano. How he performs and/or listens to coaching during spring training....totally on Sano. Who goes north in 2019 on the final roster....totally on Sano. Time to act and perform like what he is supposed to be or go back to DR and play slow pitch softball.
  23. Number3
    I have no idea what Buxton's and/or Sano's plans are for the off season but they had best show up next February ready to reassert that they belong in the Major Leagues. This has nothing to do with talent. It has everything to do with attitude and desire and physical/mental makeup. I have no idea about Buxton's background but its easy to believe that Sano could be very comfortable going back to his home country and playing the rock star role. Maybe he doesn't have the makeup to face bases loaded 2 outs tying run on second base for the rest of his young adult life. This needs to be resolved by their performance and only their performance and the Twins need to head north next March with the decision made. Unfortunately, I think they both have fragile physical and mental makeups. Who ever heard of a player going on the DL with headaches and then fouling a ball off his toe in a rehab game and missing the entire season? Sano seems to be too big for his physical frame makeup and will remain injury prone.
  24. Number3
    I don't think whether or not to keep a player like Grossman even needs to be discussed ahead of time. It totally depends on how the roster shakes out. He is a true pro who can reliably fill out a roster but the amount of PT he had this year and even being the 4 hitter in the lineup is indicative of a team that probably was not playoff caliber. If he makes the team that heads north in 2019 that is probably not a good sign.
  25. Number3
    Molitor should have been fired after the 59-103 season. Ironically, that is what led to the MOY award in 2017. All that matters now is who they hire and if it is a "player friendly" manager, forget 2019. (See Dave Martinez, Washington Nationals who said at the start of spring training, (Paraph) ""I'm just going to let the players have fun and play". Speaks for itself.)
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