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Riverbrian

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Everything posted by Riverbrian

  1. Riverbrian
    I know it's going to sound like I care about the batting order but honestly... I don't care that much. However... I don't believe there is any benefit to a static batting order... I only see detriment. I honestly can't imagine a logical argument that makes sense to keep a static batting order and I've been forced to endure it for way too long. Dozier bats leadoff every single game... No Matter if it's the multiple month long slumpy Dozier who produces out after out or the Power Hitting Monster Dozier who hits a ball out of the park every 3 AB's. Neither Dozier is an ideal leadoff hitter but that's where he hits every single game. Mauer hits third every single time and it took dynamite to move him to the #2 slot. What is the benefit of locking players into a batting order and leaving them there through good times and bad. Why does Marwin hit 6th? I'm happy he is here... I believe he will get it going... I wanted the Twins to increase flexibility and I wanted them to sign Marwin and I'm still happy we signed him but he is now 54 AB's into the season and he's slugging .278!!! I believe Marwin will find it but why can't he hit 9th until he finds it and then move him into the 6th spot. Do we ruin Buxton if we move him from 9th to 1st and have to move him back to 9th in case he is just fooling us right now? Personally... I don't think so... if players are so mentally fragile that they can't move to different spots in the batting order... then how will they get through the playoffs when mental toughness is flat out required in almost all circumstances. In my opinion... I'd like to see Polanco, Buxton, Cruz and Rosario getting the most AB's at this moment. I reserve the right to change my mind later based on who is putting the barrel of the bat on the ball. However... I'll state again... I honestly don't care that much about batting order... other than... when I see a locked in batting order... I start to believe the manager is on auto-pilot. Think about this... When Adrianza plays... he hits in front of Buxton because Buxton is locked into the 9th spot. This can't be justified other than, you'd like to have a good hitter to roll over into the top of the order but there we are with Kepler at the top of the order. So you rolling into a struggling leadoff hitter who is locked into the leadoff spot even if he isn't really producing like a leadoff hitter at the moment. None of this can be justified. But as long as the team wins... it won't matter and I really don't care about batting order.
  2. Riverbrian
    Rollie threw 138 Innings while racking up 37 Saves in 78 appearances. I'm not suggesting that our bullpen go all Rollie Fingers out there but I am suggesting that there is middle ground between the 190 innings thrown by starters and the 60 innings thrown by the bullpen arms and ultimately we should be looking for ways to get our top bullpen guys more innings to make up for the less innings that will be thrown by our starters. The question is how much rest is required between efforts and what does max effort do to the equation. Hader is already starting to break down the walls.
  3. Riverbrian
    I won't argue the conditioned usage but we are already seeing examples of certain pitchers going against that grain. Hader for example and it all starts by starting to do it. Taylor Rogers may have struggled as a starter previously but he has done some nice sized improvement on his slider to the point that I don't think his past numbers are applicable today.
  4. Riverbrian
    I think it is safe to assume, that the majority of players, office staff, broadcasters, producers read Twinsdaily and not just the articles. They are on these forums because it is only human nature to see what is being said about you. Kind of like putting your tongue on a canker sore just to know you are alive. They may not admit it, but yeah they know how to navigate the internet and find comments about them.
  5. Riverbrian
    Buck hasn't had any sacrifices nor has he hit any home runs so far in 2019. He has 16 hits in 56 AB's for a batting average of .285. He has struck out 15 times (25%). So you get to take those 15 AB's that resulted in strikeouts out of the equation and make it 16 hits in 41 AB's for a .390 BABIP. 4 more balls caught by defensive players over his 17 games. Would result in 12 hits in 41 AB's which would normalize his BABIP while lowering his batting average to .214 because he hasn't parked anything yet. Instead he is hitting line drives with the 2nd highest exit velocity in the league thus far. (BTW... Provus said it last Sunday so I took it as gospel and didn't verify. I'm looking at exit velo's today and Harper is not #1 and Buxton is not #2... but they are up near the leaders). I'd rather move him up while he is doing that instead of waiting for the regression that is inevitable. You can always move him back down. Anyway... I know you get all the numbers better than most. I could have shortened up this whole thing by simply saying... Buck is hitting the ball hard right now.
  6. Riverbrian
    Very few things are repeatable from year to year. That's why these front offices keep getting burned on those free agent contracts.
  7. Riverbrian
    I also heard someone (Provus I believe) say that Byron ranks 2nd behind Bryce Harper in exit velocity which coupled with his speed leads to a possible logical (not concrete) explanation of the .390 BABIP. I'm not seeing fortuitous doubles. I'm seeing line drives of the base off the LF wall and some singles in the gap that he turned into doubles with pure speed. Personally... I rarely look at BABIP as a luck stat to be normalized down the road. I feel BABIP is more of an indication of solid contact and other factors like speed. Some people tend to use BABIP as a way to marginalize or downplay current success. When I look at a high BABIP, I tend to say "Nice Job... Good For You... Keep it Up". He already has 12 extra base hits in 61 AB's. I do agree that I'd like to see a big cut down in his whiff percentage. It's better so far this year in a small sample size but I'm salivating over the thought of him getting his strikeout percentage to Astudillo levels.
  8. Riverbrian
    I thought of another potential complaint that I’m not ready to complain about yet. Baldelli does seem to have a locked down slotting of players in the batting order which leads to the question. Wouldn’t we all like to see Byron Buxton get an extra AB every game he plays? It doesn’t have to be permanent but isn’t Buxton currently out performing the nine hole that he has been consistently hitting out of? I normally don’t care about batting order but I’d put Buxton in the 1 or 2 hole as long as he’s hitting like he is and let him be a distraction on the bases while the pitcher is trying pitch to Cruz and Rosario. Polanco... Buxton... Cruz... Rosario... Looks like a great 1-4 at the moment start to any batting order.
  9. Riverbrian
    I continue to have no complaints with how the team has been run. Rocco is utilizing his entire roster. However... I feel a complaint coming on. In my opinion: I think he has been great defensively at 3B but, It's time to start moving Marwin around the diamond. Sano is coming back eventually, Garver is hitting the ball and earning more AB's and Astudillo has been earning AB's all along. Let Garver catch more, Let Astudillo play 3B more, Move Marwin around the diamond spread the playing time burden around to everyone. It's time.
  10. Riverbrian
    I've been saying this for quite some time and will continue to say it. Every team should be trying to sign, acquire or create their own Andrew Miller or Josh Hader type. Taylor Rogers is our candidate for this type of role. 2018: Josh Hader -- 55 Appearances - 81 Innings. 2018: Taylor Rogers -- 72 Appearances - 68.1 innings. 2018: Jose Berrios -- 32 Appearances - 192.1 Innings. The Hader and Rogers numbers kind of highlight the difference in how they were deployed last year and it shows how Rogers can throw more than 1 inning per appearance if the organization looks at the Brewers and Josh Hader and considers it. Jose Berrios is listed for the hell of it to show that anything in between is also possible with Taylor Rogers and to simply ask the question back: Would you rather have Berrios pitch in shorter bursts and be available to appear in more games? Or would you rather him cover multiple innings but be limited to fewer games? Baseball has been Auto-Pilot for way too long. Starters don't have to go 6 innings and relievers don't need to be limited to 1 inning. Everything in between is possible!!! It doesn't matter what inning... Taylor Rogers should be deployed whenever the game is tight and should remain in the game (there is a limit) until the offense provides separation. You won't create this type of weapon until the coaching staffs and front offices get over the 1 inning bullpen mentality and get out of the prefabricated boxes of closer, 8th inning guy, 7th inning guy, LOOGY. If you have a guy who can hang zeroes... let the guy hang more of them. Don't pull him just because you can't fathom anybody on earth throwing an additional inning out of the bullpen or because it was how your grandfather constructed his bullpen. Don't limit him to 55 special innings... increase his innings. The goal of every bullpen is to hang zeroes. Let the guy hanging them... hang more. Once you create a guy like this... there is nothing stopping you from creating another one so the other can get some rest. This is how you get Bullpen serious. Stretch out everyone. Quit creating these specialists... Quit saving your best guy for the 9th inning only and only when you have a 1 to 3 run lead. When I see Baldelli get another inning out of Taylor Rogers... I am hopeful that it's an indication of a different bullpen usage mentality. I know it doesn't mean he is in lock step with me because it was just one time but I'm hopeful because it needs to happen. How do you get Rogers more innings?... Not appearances... Innings? That's the question that needs to be asked.
  11. Riverbrian
    Long enough to get another year of control?
  12. Riverbrian
    They are new this year and they have won them multiple times this year at home.
  13. Riverbrian
    There will be an injury by the time he is called up to clarify the choice is my guess. If there isn't an injury... whoever has options should check apartment.com for apartments in the Rochester area. As for... Sano looking like Sano looked last year... He also has an option left and I'd be willing to use it. Go Get Em Sano... Take control of your career with both hands please.
  14. Riverbrian
    What Baldelli should have done was have Marwin walk and let Cruz hit the homer. He had it backwards.
  15. Riverbrian
    I'm not a bunt guy... or blame the manager guy for that matter. But with Schoop used as a pinch runner... and a plan in place to empty the rest of your bench as pinch hitters with Cron and Garver to follow. I would have left Ehire in the game to bunt and for defensive purposes in the 10th if we get there. Schoop is your only possible guy with speed until Buxton and you still have to get to Buxton. Move Schoop over to protect your speed... then you pinch hit Garver for Castro and take a couple of cracks at driving Schoop in with Buxton to follow. And then you still have Cron as a potential future bench bat should the game go to extra innings. Never know if an injury happens. That's what I would have done but there are many paths to get where you are going. In the end... you have to come up big when the moments are big. This team has some fight in them.
  16. Riverbrian
    Wherever you go in life... there are many paths to choose from.
  17. Riverbrian
    Any wife that watches baseball with you is a keeper.
  18. Riverbrian
    And drained a farm system of all it's top soil to acquire the expensive experienced players.
  19. Riverbrian
    I thought Shoemaker was damn good. That sinker was really good. I couldn’t help thinking that the Angels could sure use someone like Shoemaker right about now.
  20. Riverbrian
    I have no complaints. Somewhere else across baseball a reliever blew a lead yesterday... it happens. Baldelli is mixing in his players... he is utilizing his pitching staff. I have no complaints.
  21. Riverbrian
    Old baseball methodology asked that batters should work the count in order to increase pitch counts and reduce the amount of innings the starter throws. Fast forward to today and many teams still think that way... but they haven't seemed to notice that the bullpens are performing better than the starting pitchers. So... you might as well attack early. Avoid running into the two strike slider and let the starter stay in the game as long as he likes to avoid the bullpens now throwing high 90's heat.
  22. Riverbrian
    If a team averages a 6-4 record over 10 games: They will finish with 97 wins and probably win the division or at least secure a playoff spot while people sing their praises. If a team average a 5-5 Record over 10 games: They will finish with 81 wins and probably not reach the playoffs and end up drafting somewhere in the upper teens while people are indifferent about the team and future. If a team averages a 4-6 record over 10 games: They will finish with 65 wins... they will not make the playoffs and will be drafting in the top 5 for sure and people will be calling for the managers head. The margins are razor thin. So far... we started the first 10 games off at 6-4... (on pace). And we are up 2-0 on the 2nd ten games. We have a 4-4 record against teams that are expected to make the playoffs and a 4-0 record against teams that are not expected to make the playoffs. We are 4-3 on the Road and 4-1 at Home and 6-1 vs American League Central opponents. It's a great start... Hats off to the Minnesota Twins. Go Sweep the Blue Jays.
  23. Riverbrian
    Right now... We have Astudillo and Marwin who can play 1B and we will be adding Sano down the line. It makes no sense to plug up two roster spots on 1B only players... One of them had to go. The front office did a good job creating depth and flexibility this off-season. As for Cron being the better player in 2019... I'd bet on that. But only because Cron is basically guaranteed playing time where Austin might.... get some...might... let's see how the Giants use him. BTW... Poor Tyler Austin... Gets traded and has a manager that wants to use him out of the gate. And he gets hurt during a throwing drill. Baseball can be a cruel game.
  24. Riverbrian
    You just had to watch the inning to see it. We saw him step off the mound and look to the sky, like he had no idea where his talent was and no idea how to find it. It doesn't inspire confidence watching a pitcher who clearly doesn't have confidence himself. Hopefully, tomorrow is another day.
  25. Riverbrian
    I'd like to add that Byron Buxton hasn't been striking out at past levels. If he makes more consistent contact... the world is about to become his oyster. Even if I don't understand the phrase or it's oyster origin. I sincerely mean it.
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