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Riverbrian

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Everything posted by Riverbrian

  1. Riverbrian
    I'm guessing a month in the minors would keep him from Arbitration. Disclaimer: Don't trust my math.
  2. Riverbrian
    I agree with you. If he can play in St. Paul. He can also play in Minneapolis or Red Wing. If he's healthy... he's healthy. He isn't having any timing issues in AAA apparently. He doesn't need to be able to prove that he can play every day to get called up because he won't need to play every day when you have Taylor, Larnach, Gallo, Kepler, Solano and Gordon along side him on the roster and the flexibility that they demonstrate. What he needs to do... is simply show that he can help our offense be better than it has been. We need it today and we will need someone better for all the tomorrow's to come. If he shows he can help us be better, give him as much playing time that he can handle. We sat Polanco yesterday, Correa will get his days off, Buxton gets his days off. Kirilloff can take some days off. He won't rust. He shouldn't be stashed for depth because the offense shouldn't be in stash mode based on performance so far. The starting pitching can be in stash mode... they are crushing it. The offense should be in open competition, let's find someone who will help mode.
  3. Riverbrian
    Being a 57 year old male I've never given birth to a child. I've been in the room twice. I've witnessed all 9 months of the process, I've watched the facial expressions when the pain hits, I've heard the moans, the breathing exercises, the ice chips, the discussion on if pain medication is needed, I felt my wife squish my hand with each contraction. I've listened to my wife talk about how painful it was afterwards and from what I saw... I believe her. Women are tougher than Men from what I witnessed those two times I stood by. 3 months later I've heard my wife say that "It wasn't that bad". She seems to forget what she went though... I didn't. Much like my wife forgot the pain of childbirth. Twinsdaily posters seem to forget that we needed 9 or 10 starters just to get through EVERY YEAR and the pain of not having 9 or 10 capable starters.
  4. Riverbrian
    From what I see so far. Pagan is the immediate question mark. Moran looked real bad against the Yankees just mopping up. He needs to work on something. He has options he can be sent down and somebody else can get the opportunity to show they can be counted on. I don't know who... but anyone else. With Pagan. He can't be sent down... So you either trust him or you cut him. There is one thing that kills your team. Bad Play is the thing that does it. Average play doesn't kill you... It's bad play and If the manager doesn't trust a player to not play bad when the chips are down. He doesn't belong on the roster. Go find someone else. I don't know who... but anyone else. We won't survive with 4 that we trust in the bullpen. Finding a 5th and 6th person to trust is an immediate need.
  5. Riverbrian
    Like I mentioned in my reply to DLJ44 above. The starting pitching has been the one thing that has shined in the month of April. I wouldn't be in a hurry to deplete that depth because we know that harder times are coming. Pitchers will get hurt... we will need that depth. So unless Maeda is stinking up the joint when he comes back from the DL. I have no problem letting a "Better Pitcher with options" hang in AAA. The only thing that would change my mind is if Ober or Varland is really really really better. If Maeda has a sub 4 ERA and Ober is tossing a sub 3... make the move. You don't take numbers like that for granted. If Ober or Varland is only a little bit better. Keep your depth... you will need it. In other words... it would take special performance from the youngsters or clear below average performance from Maeda. It would need a clear separation to sacrifice that depth early.
  6. Riverbrian
    I wouldn't argue your point either. I'm excited about Ober and Varland. However, we can hold Ober and Varland in AAA and we can't do that with Maeda. So, I wouldn't make hard decisions or sharp adjustments to Maeda at this point in the year. Now... if he is getting lit up more often than he is not getting lit up when he returns from the DL... Yes of course. Apart from that... Come the trade deadline, when the injured have been injured, when small sample stats have been stabilized and we know exactly how the pitching stands going into the stretch run. At that point, If you have to make a hard decision... then you make it. Until then... I wouldn't be in a hurry to deplete the depth on the one thing that has been working extremely well for the club in April.
  7. Riverbrian
    April 27, 2023 - OPS Numbers (Close to everyday players): Correa - .608 Miranda - .628 Kepler - .647 Taylor - .705 Larnach - .746 I understand that Correa is going to find it and get it going. We assume that Miranda will avoid the sophomore slump and two dingers yesterday was hopefully a sign that he is finding it. I also understand that Larnach has been nothing to complain about. I also hear that Kepler and Taylor are the greatest defensive outfielders in the universe. However... these are 5 players who are playing almost every day and none of these current OPS numbers justify keeping anybody else from playing. I do not understand any talk of stashing Kirilloff in the minors. You bring him up to see if he can join Gallo and Polanco as players who actually deserve to play every day by actually producing at a level that justifies it.
  8. Riverbrian
    It's nice to have a couple decent options to consider for Maeda's spot in the rotation. We should be able to seamlessly take time not rushing Maeda back. Now before we get too rough on Maeda. Lots of comments about moving him into a LR role. Before yesterday. Maeda's numbers were not horrible 13 IP 12 K's WHIP 1.00 His average velo has dropped a couple of cents since his first start at 91 to 88 in yesterday's game but fighting injury could possibly explain that. Anyway... Just want to state that Maeda hasn't been horrible... At least not yet. We don't need to make a hard decision on him at this point in time.
  9. Riverbrian
    4 deep in the bullpen is not a deep bullpen. I don't care how good those deep 4 are throwing and we do have 4 throwing very well. 4 won't be enough and we should all know this by now. We need a bullpen from top to bottom. Any thought that we can simply absorb Pagan and Moran into low leverage usage is wrong. One injury to those deep 4 and that low leverage redshirt gets ripped off immediately as they are thrust into high leverage. If Rocco can't trust Pagan and Moran in high leverage and right now he can't. Their replacements should be immediate. Keeping players that you can't trust in big moments is exactly how you end up needing Celestino in September with a playoff berth on the line.
  10. Riverbrian
    I predict that somebody will go on the injured list before both Kirilloff AND Farmer arrive. If that doesn't happen. Gordon? Personally, I wouldn't be hasty with him. I'd give him some playing time to see if the bat warms up. Gordon was decent last year and we are way too early into this year too be hasty. However... and this is a big However... Gordon is currently in a long stretch of barely playing. If Rocco can't find playing time for him. He isn't worth worrying about. Think about it... We are playing players who are not playing well enough to keep anybody OUT of the LINEUP but Gordon is being kept out of the lineup anyway. If this is the case and right now it is the case. Gordon is nobody that you worry about losing. Castro? Has one option... Can be stashed in AAA. Larnach? Has two options... Can be stashed in AAA. Kirilloff? Has one option... Can be stashed in AAA.
  11. Riverbrian
    What they should do? They should call KIrilloff up to the big club to see if he can help jump start the offense. Somebody will get hurt and placed on the DL... I don't know who will get hurt. If nobody is injured. Send Castro down to AAA. What will they actually do? Someone (don't know who) will tweak something and Kirilloff will take his 26 man roster. If nobody is injured. I think they will stash Kirilloff in AAA until someone is injured.
  12. Riverbrian
    Kirilloff Target Field please.
  13. Riverbrian
    Rarely have I seen so many bloops land so i'm gonna give the pitching a pass across the board. The Nats didn't exactly crush our pitching. Defense... no such pass. The bats.. no such pass given. 11 Strikeouts in the game and the biggest issue with those K's is that most of them appeared to be right down the middle. It wasn't Sale painting the corners like he did the other night in Boston. The Nats pitching just wasn't good enough for 11 K's. For perspective by comparison with other teams. The Twins hitters are averaging 9.67 K's per 9 innings. Only the Giants are worse at 10.80 per game. (Tigers are at 9.68 I'll say that's a tie). The Best K per 9 team interestingly belongs to the Nats with 6.95 per 9. Putting the ball in play was the difference in that game... putting the ball in play may not be the difference in the next game. Anyway... Players strikeout in today's baseball. It's frustrating but the Twins are not alone walking back to the dugout. However... yesterday... they were whiffing on pitches down the middle. They need to stop doing that.
  14. Riverbrian
    Careful with all that Medulla Oblongata talk.
  15. Riverbrian
    I shouldn't step in here but I can't help it. They have a training complex down in Ft. Myers. They have a main field and a bunch backfields along with a bunch of baseball players hanging around all trying to get prepped for the start of the season. They have coaches and all kinds of simulation equipment and stuff. They are going to get a lot more work on timing on the backfields then they do in the stadium with umpires, a scoreboard and fans purchasing hot dogs watching them in the sunshine. They spend a month down there to get ready. With all due respect... Using playing time in spring games is a little tiny branch to hang on to. It isn't going to hold.
  16. Riverbrian
    It's been a long time since I've read a post as fantastic as this one.
  17. Riverbrian
    Everyday playing time goes to players who produce at a level that deserves every day playing time. It is senseless to play Max Kepler like he is Mike Trout. He isn't. At this point, early in the season, with K's off the charts, nobody on this roster has produced at a level that they NEED TO BE in the lineup EVERY DAY. Jose Miranda - Current OPS .503 is that every day playing time deserving? Max Kepler - .545 is that every day playing time deserving? Kyle Farmer - .641 Larnach - .672 It's early in the season so the numbers are volatile and a hot streak can turn those numbers around quickly but until someone starts playing like being out of the lineup could hurt the team... nobody deserves every day playing time. Who on this roster deserves every day playing time so far in the season? If nobody deserves every day playing time... they can all yield playing time for those coming off the disabled list and spread the "losing out" around. The "losing out" doesn't have to absorbed by one player.
  18. Riverbrian
    For anyone who typed "Washed Up Sale" or the equivalent sentiment. You didn't watch the game. If you watched the game... you wouldn't have typed it. Sale was painting backdoor sliders from the 1st base line all game long. The umpire was consistently giving strikes at least two inches off right side of the plate and Sale was painting that area with his fastball. With that said... The K's are too much. Our Twins need to figure out how to put more balls in play. On Kepler and that final play. Yeah. I'm Kepler disappointed upon further review. The degree of difficulty to catch that ball is probably off the charts... IMO very few if any catch that ball.... It would have probably required a Derek Jeter type full speed run with momentum taking him directly into the stands to make that catch. However... Kepler clearly slowed up BEFORE the warning track. He thought it was out of play? he thought something but he clearly slowed up before the warning track. I'm not a fan of slowing up before the warning track.
  19. Riverbrian
    Headrick is a long relief arm. I've heard rumor he is on the 26 man roster. 😉
  20. Riverbrian
    And in order to be fair. The Twins team OPS fell from .701 to .664 since the Thursday night big show. The Twins have fallen from 23rd ranked to 28th ranked.
  21. Riverbrian
    Yep and I have no use for either right now. Earlier I chose Garlick to be sent down for Gallo but he will at least play against lefties. So Castro moves to the top of my list. At some point we will need the 40 man spot. Castro can be removed without much thinking about it when that time comes.
  22. Riverbrian
    Indirectly his position does have something to do with how the season has gone. Apparently he can't be trusted to help right the ship. We need someone to hit the ball. Rocco and the front office apparently can't turn to Castro when the offense is under performing and over injured. No matter what... they are not going with Castro when they need players to rise up. This indirectly has something to do with how the season has gone because players not getting the job done have to stay in the lineup and not get the job done. Polanco, Kirilloff, Kepler, Gallo and Farmer all on the disabled list and the remaining starters struggling pretty hard and Castro can't be turned to for help. This loudly says that Rocco and the front office don't believe in him. They would rather stick with 2 for 22 or 4 for 40 instead. If he doesn't play with this much injury and offensive under performance... he will never play when things are better and therefore a waste of a roster spot. He should be sent down when Gallo returns. I don't care if he is exposed to other teams when removing him from the 40 man.
  23. Riverbrian
    Day Nineteen: I've never seen so much corn.
  24. Riverbrian
    I did catch the clever pun in the title "German HANDS Twins loss in suspicious fashion" That title would have been a lot scarier in the early 40's. Also noticed that it was written by a fella by the name of "Hans". Probably went out for Handburgers after he wrote it.
  25. Riverbrian
    My wife is always telling me to wash my hands. I wash them. She asks if I used soap. I smell them... I say... "They're fine". She says "Let me see". I hold my hands out and she lets me continue my day. Today at Yankee stadium was a normal day to me. Never had anybody tossed out over it. So that's new I guess.
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