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.

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.

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.

Long enough to get another year of control?

They are new this year and they have won them multiple times this year at home.

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.

What Baldelli should have done was have Marwin walk and let Cruz hit the homer. He had it backwards.

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.

Wherever you go in life... there are many paths to choose from.

Any wife that watches baseball with you is a keeper.

And drained a farm system of all it's top soil to acquire the expensive experienced players.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I agree with you. First impressions are hard to shake. I admit that I wasn't very comfortable with Garver defensively last year. I thought he was noticeably struggling during the first few months. I never worried about it much because defense can be improved with a little elbow grease. Just because someone is like something at age 26... doesn't mean he has to be that way at age 27. Garver seems to be proving that. This is what all the coaches get paid to do... to teach and develop and look what he have in Garver... Someone who is developing.

Yep... Odorizzi was most likely done regardless. Not responding to you directly or anyone directly... just in general to join in the discussion: There is no rule that states that Taylor Rogers had to be pinch hit for leading off the 6th. Meaning Rogers could have pitched the 6th and the 7th after he retired that single batter in the 5th that Vazquez didn't. 1-0 lead with the bases loaded and a starter that has to be pulled in the 5th. That's when you call on Rogers, the inning doesn't matter. Count me in the group that thinks Baldelli made a mistake with his bullpen choice that particular moment. But... I've already forgiven and I assume it won't be the last mistake he makes. I have no complaints to register.

My personal opinion (I know nothing about his defensive ability)... I believe that Kiriloff should playing both OF and 1B in Pensecola right now and do the same in Rochester if he moves up a level. Here's Why: We don't know what our needs will be when it's time to make that phone call. For example: Let's assume that Kiriloff is what is being reported by some "The 2nd Best hitter in the minor leagues behind Vlad Jr". Let's assume that Kiriloff rakes down in the minor leagues like Vlad Jr did last year. Let's assume the Twins are in playoff contention come July and August. What we don't know on April 12th, 2019 is this: Will Kepler, Rosario, Buxton or Cron be healthy in July and August or even September? Will Kepler, Rosario, Buxton or Cron be performing at a major league level in July, August or even September? We also don't know is who will be available to acquire in a trade come July? And August? In short... it is nearly impossible to anticipate and plan for our future needs until the future arrives. Choosing a position for Kiriloff on April 12th and locking him into that position may work out by luck however... it also contains a probability that it will force a clumsy move to a position that he hasn't been playing at the major league level to get his bat into the lineup. Making that clumsy move at the major league level while the team is in contention for a playoff spot could be labeled as simple lack of foresight and easily planned for on April 12th by playing Kiriloff at both 1B and OF in the minors until it's time to make that phone call based upon who get hurt or who is playing terrible and who we could possibly acquire. Just to prepare for the possibility that his special bat can help us during a playoff chase. Play him at both 1B and OF.

Exactly!!! I am so past the idea of a structured bullpen. This saving your top arms for the 8th and 9th is 1980’s thinking.

Never Mind Finding Middle Ground between us. This comment is right in my kitchen. We might as well share eggs this morning for breakfast. It is always about opportunity... Who gets it and who doesn't. Whose 2 month stretch of .900 OPS do you ignore and whose 2 month stretch of .900 OPS is the corner finally turned. It's like trying to teach a bear to ride a unicycle... you work at it for YEARS.. you focus on it until the bear can find finally ride the unicycle 5 years later. During those 5 years... You never paid attention to the monkey riding the unicycle... because everyone has a monkey who can ride a unicycle. Ultimately... we just need something to ride the unicycles.

I think we got some middle ground. I was one of those others. Big Power Hitting 1B/DH only types are all over the place. As for the odds that Austin won't do a lot in the majors. He won't without playing time. If he only plays 1B... he won't get the playing time.

I'm sorry you've formed that impression that I dismiss the role of scouting and projecting. My posts are already too long and too frequent but apparently not long enough or frequent enough for complete clarity. The only thing I can say is that "I don't dismiss these things". I want my front office to have every tool available... I want my front office to staff the 25 and 40 man rosters to the max. I want talent overflowing out of every corner of diamond. I want my manager to sit down at his desk and throw his hands up in the air because he has too much talent to work with and he can't decide who to play today because they all deserve playing time. I want my front office to project and be good at it... The GM must project forward if they don't they are no doing their job. I will trust them when they sign Max Kepler to a 7 year deal because I want to assume that they are using all the tools available to them, tools and information that isn't available to me. I recognize the limitations of a 25 and 40 man roster and I am rock solid in my belief that being a GM of a major league team is nothing like running a fantasy baseball team. I only got involved in the Kepler/Austin discussion to say: 400 scattered AB's is not a sufficient sample size to even discuss lefty/righty splits concerning Tyler Austin. I didn't introduce Kepler to the discussion but I did make the mistake of trying to participate in this already introduced side discussion. But Yeah... I am guilty of recognizing that the same projection system that identifies Ronald Acuna will also identify Logan Morrison and ultimately I want my front office to realize that they get it wrong from time to time because the margins are incredibly thin and that's why I want Plan B, C and D in place when Logan Morrison isn't what they projected him to be. I also want my front office to realize that players can render their past meaningless with a simple off-season adjustment and when a player starts kicking it into gear, I want them to get out of the way, put the damn projections down when a player confounds them and play the player. I believe if the front office would just let the players make their decisions for them via actual performance: They will end up with that roster I dream of, 25 guys who can play and a manager who is losing his hair trying to decide which talented player to play and which ones to sit, which leads to a front office that can take the extra players and trade them for more talent. But again... I just wanted to say that 1500 AB's and 400 AB's are not comparable. It was not my intention to denigrate Kepler in order to praise Austin.