Riverbrian

Abel... He looks real good. The guy has stuff. I think a healthy Abel would have done wonders for the pitching staff. Emma... his injury last year was really unfortunate. With last year being his last option. I really wanted to get a look at him. Get him the exposure he needs. When they called Gabriel Gonzalez instead of Emma in September...That really bugged me. A left right decision instead of a talent decision or instead of a Arbitration clock ticking decision. Two considerations that are more important than a left right decision that rules the world. Roden... He really struggled statistically for his first 37 AB's. He may have struggled statistically... however... he looked good doing it. He was was making decent contact... he wasn't chasing. He looked professional. Then the hits start to fall and his stats went off like a rocket (still inside a small sample). And as soon as he started to hit... he is sent down. Left/Right thing cost him the chance to continue and that's not how you treat a hot streak or a developing player. I agree with this list... these are 3 players that I would have liked to see more of.

I liked the @tony&rodneypost but I like yours better. I have no idea if Roden can actually play 1B. And no... we shouldn't force it. However... as you point out... The presence of Vlad Jr at 1B. Moving him to 1B in that organization would have made it hard to make the major league level. Chances are he can't so Tony or Rodney might be right but he would slide in nice there if he could.

It isn't really justification of either. At best it's acknowledgement of how hard it is pick talent out of a pile. The roster limitations leads to hard decisions. We had a pretty good bullpen when they dfa'd those guys. However... It's criticism. Ultimately... It's the choosing of a 35 year old Tonkin over young arms with potential. I want them to choose potential talent over old and crafty. I'd like them to consider years of service over one year blah. They haven't been doing that and our development has been a pile of non-developed players for too long now.

I still haven't forgiven them for Nick Anderson. 😉 If they make mistakes... and they make mistakes. Every club makes enough of these type of assessment mistakes to know... without a shadow of a doubt that they will make these types of mistakes. And if they know and they have to know... how can they lock in like they don't make mistakes.

Front offices get it wrong often. Not just the Twins but all teams. Front offices get it wrong a lot and they are making decisions on the margins as they try to maintain rosters with 26 man and 40 man limitations. Brent Headrick striking out 98 hitters in 78 innings for the Yankees should have never happened. This is a LEFT HANDED pitcher with that ability. A left hander that you have had your exclusive eyes on for 5 years. In an organization that lives in fear of left handed batters facing left handed pitchers so it clearly understands the importance of LEFT HANDED pitchers... Yet they can't identify a pitcher with the capability of striking out 98 hitters in 78 innings when he is STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM and throwing with his LEFT HAND! It happens because the job is hard and front offices get it wrong quite often.

Great post For the past decade. We have had a top ten ranked farm system year after year. Having a top ranked farm system for a decade running doesn't mean much because it hasn't really born fruit in over a decade. Other teams have oranges and blueberries on the table. Strip mined left handed hitters with no trade value despite being successful at the limited role we trained him to be. That's our success story. You reap what you sow.

Love the perspective. 162 games - 137 stolen bases - 22 Caught stealing. 159 attempts. Less than one attempt per game. The 14% CS is last and it is awful but only awful to the tune of 27 extra stolen bases from league average. Thats 1 stolen base every 6 games. Perspective. Its important.

You are absolutely right. This will most likely result in overpays to just reach the minimum. There will be teams that will just want to clear that minimum by as little as they can. The A listers will not be available to them, they won't want to sign if you went for them, they will have choices and there isn't enough A listers to go around so you fish in the same pool. The only solution would be to add money to the contracts of B the listers to stay compliant.

Thumbs Up. I know he's played a little of it but I don't know if he can... But... if he could... If he has any 1B skill at all. Roden at 1B could give us a shot of producing something at the position. I'd like to see some more home run pop at that position but we don't have that guy in the system. I think Roden can hit. When he started the season after 37 AB's. He still looked good doing it. He was making contact... he didn't look fooled. I wasn't worried about that early sample. Things started to bounce his way.

Everything is faster and the balls break a little sharper. His hard hit rate is going to come back when he gets adjusted to where the slider is going to land. With those hands, that bat speed. Let him adjust to that breaking pitch and figuring out where the barrel needs to be on the slider. He has KA BOOM potential. I really liked what I saw

There is a lot to like about him. He looks like a ball player. I'm genuinely excited about his future. He will quickly become one of my favorites.

It has my vote. Years of control if you do straighten him out with some more exposure. He may not be expensive to acquire.

Managers tend to get a little more careful come playoff time. Milwaukee certainly platooned less thus far. Frelick sat against the only left hander they faced. Lara subbed in. Prior to that Bauers was sitting for Vaughn against lefties at the end of the season. Which is odd because Bauers splits are pretty neutral this year but that's Vaughn forcing that substitution. The Dodgers have platooned Muncy against lefties for Rojas and Kike and they have faced a lot of left handers. in the playoffs. The Braves have never been a heavy platoon team. Yaz sits against lefties and they have Lane Thomas chained to him for those lefty moments. The Padres were pretty low on options so the platooning they are doing revolve around Samad Taylor, Dustin Harris and Ben Sheets who is dealing with injuries but they could barely staff 9 in the playoffs. The Yankees were locked in. They just got frustrated with Chisholm and McMahon as they started getting desperate for offense. The Rays are just doing a platoon with Simpson and Vilade. The White Sox are platooning the hell out of this thing. They have Antonacci, Benitendi and Tristan Peters subbed out for Grichuk, Pham and Doyle. Pham and Doyle were picked up at the deadline but it's important to point out that the White Sox are a left handed heavy team. They only bat two right handers against right handed pitching. They are left handed. And then there is Cleveland. They are even more left handed heavy than the White Sox are. They have 2 pure right handed hitters on the roster. Adell and Fry... that's it. And Fry has only played one game in the playoffs. They have chosen the left handed hitting Lowe over Fry. While Venable is attacking with left handed bullpen arms instead of standard starters. You are right... this is dear to my heart and I watch it like a hawk and when I watch the playoff behavior under pressure... I can't help but wonder what they hell we are doing during the regular season.

Yeah but teams are using the platoon to staff their rosters. If they platoon... They are looking for role players. They set their rosters for it. If they staff in this regard and they do. It would be odd to be dismissive a players who is performing in that exact role. So his role would be DH against Right Handers which is the role he is useful in. So when the D Backs take on Yammamoto in the playoffs next year. Larnach would be in the lineup. 😄

Agreed. Specific players destroys the concept or the idea because the player takes over the discussion. The concept will not work if the specific player is subjectively dismissed. Although... I admit... my consistent specific chime in's in Trevors defense makes it hard for me to discuss concept because in this regard... I'm willing participant in a specific player... so I guess I ask for it. All in all... I just find the opinions on Larnach to be... a little unfair.