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Riverbrian

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Everything posted by Riverbrian

  1. Riverbrian
    I'd like to see Kirilloff up sooner rather than later because I'm HOPING his offensive ability would provide a boost while I have no idea if his offensive ability would provide that boost. However... based upon the service time numbers... I could certainly justify keeping him in St. Paul for just long enough before we find out. A key consideration is that he has just one option remaining so this is the last year that his service time can be shrunk down below the threshold. Stringer... I know you understand but others may think that I'm talking about service time manipulation. I want to be clear... I am. These are the rules set forth in the recent collective bargaining agreement. The rules that determine how all 32 teams operate. The CBA makes it beneficial for clubs to make these types of considerations and operate accordingly. The rest of the teams are going to do the same, therefore it would be a disadvantage not to. I assume that the super two status won't matter that much financially unless Kirilloff is a superstar. I like the idea of planning for the possibility that he is a future superstar.... just in case.
  2. Riverbrian
    Reasonable guess by me but if it was the price is right. I wouldn't be running on to the stage.
  3. Riverbrian
    I'm guessing a month in the minors would keep him from Arbitration. Disclaimer: Don't trust my math.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. Riverbrian
    Kirilloff Target Field please.
  15. 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.
  16. Riverbrian
    Careful with all that Medulla Oblongata talk.
  17. 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.
  18. Riverbrian
    I'm really trying to look big picture and not worry about individual trades when they happen. I really tried to stay even keel when the trade happened and I said to myself... OK... the trade is done... What's next. However, I'd be lying if I said that I was successful in staying even keel like I really want to be. The trade scared the crap out of me and still kinda does. Don't get me wrong... I thought Lopez was a talented acquisition. We need more than 5 starters this year and we need more than 5 starters next year. Starters are expensive and they get hurt frequently. We have 3 starters who are free agents next year... I get the necessity of the trade in team context. I really can't argue with it. But... But... Arraez... OMG... I was already nervous about the offense with Arraez ON the roster. Now they just traded the one guy... and when I say one guy... I mean the only guy who I consistently felt was capable of getting a hit when we needed one. Arraez was the one guy who deserved to part of this every day core that is being discussed. I can't say that I would have made the trade if I was in charge. I probably wouldn't have had the guts to do it. I haven't really answered your question yet. OK... Here's the answer. Lopez looks amazing. The trade was worth doing... I'll make the trade. But let's fix this offense... Damn it because the pitching looks beyond sufficient.
  19. Riverbrian
    I also believe in a core of everyday players. I also believe that playing players who are not performing at core every day level is what will keep you out of the playoffs. I'm staring at our core right now as I type that.
  20. Riverbrian
    I love the addition of Lopez... I hate the subtraction of Arraez.
  21. Riverbrian
    Agree although I am more of a platoon advocate late in the year (in the playoffs for sure) once you establish who is hitting lefthanders and who is hitting right handers and who is hurt and who is available in those playoff matchups. All those carefully made plans for Solano and Farmer facing lefties, Gordon and Kepler facing righties is just a plan providing that health doesn't blow these plans out of the water. We've already seen injuries derail those carefully made off-season plans with Solano, Farmer and Taylor facing right handers in a big heavy dose and you can bet there is more of that to come. I absolutely agree that platoons... as in your words... "falls apart" if those lefty hitters are not hitting righty pitchers. Platoon continuation becomes something that you are stubbornly blindly doing for the sake of doing if the lefty isn't out hitting what the short side platoon is capable of doing. I still believe in coaching. I still believe that players can improve with hard work, adjustments and coaching, I still believe that past stats are stats from the past. I still believe that yesterday was yesterday and today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow. There is only one way to make sure that a player won't perform. Don't let them.
  22. Riverbrian
    I think the pitching can keep us close. I'm really excited about the talent and depth of our arms. The other 13 players... I worry that too much emphasis was placed on defense.
  23. Riverbrian
    I agree with you. I'm willing to wait and see what they become but yeah... I agree with you. If you look at last year numbers, you have a long list of players who have to do a lot of improving of last years numbers.... just to have the type of offensive roster that you mention. Using OPS numbers by level the way you do, certainly illustrates the problem. Here's another way to view the problem. There isn't a ton of power on this team. Optimistically... I'd guess they finish around 15th in team home runs this year IF we get the individual player improvement over last year's number that we need to see. There isn't any team speed. So... Little power... No Speed game to turn to. If that is the context of your team. You are going to need your hitters to put the ball in play and that isn't working out so far.
  24. Riverbrian
    While the sample isn't large enough to over or under react. I do share your concerns. The offense didn't jump off the page with me this off-season and hasn't in the extreme early stages either. I'm willing to see what happens as we roll forward. My understanding of Expected Weighted On-Base Average... Speed is a part of the formula. I'm not sure of how speed is weighted into the stat but the Twins are going to take a speed hit with the weighting with this collection of players.
  25. Riverbrian
    It's been a long time since I've read a post as fantastic as this one.
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