Riverbrian

"even the Admins admit that it should have never been deleted". The admins didn't admit this. The administrators have asked the moderators to make these determinations. The moderators work both independently and together to execute the wishes of the administrators. The wishes of the administrators is that the forums are "respectful" and these wishes are expressed in the "Posting Policy". I am the one who hid your posts, I made the decision without consultation with the other moderators. I have since consulted with the other moderators on my decision. It was I who went back and reviewed it and decided that the 2nd post was OK and then proceeded to unhide that post while leaving the others hid. I made that decision independently as well, I was not instructed to by the administrators nor was it suggested that I do so by my fellow moderators. I have let the other moderators know that I have unhid that post. The Moderators will discuss it further privately if it merits further discussion. I stand by my decisions based on a what I believe to be a clear violation of posting policy.

You trade Rosario if the return makes the 2020 Twins better. I can't see that happening but if possible... Yeah go ahead obviously. Short of that... He will be on the roster in 2020 and he will help us win games. He has talent and he can really really exhibit even more talent if he improves that plate discipline.

The Twins will have to make some deals this year. It can't be done through FA alone. Although, I wonder if the Marlins are sellers? They have been rumored to be considering Castellanos and Ozuna. They have young talent on the mound and if they are considering adding some higher end bats. That doesn't sound like a team looking to move Alcantara.

Moderator Note: Your posts was deleted by me along with an explanation that should be in your mailbox. Your posts were deleted because you misunderstood what the writer suggested and then preceded to take a narrative that "You made up" to launch into a disrespectful personal attack which is not allowed as per the posting rules. I didn't delete the responses to your responses because it would have been too big of a torpedo through the thread and trying to avoid a torpedo through a thread is why we have our posting rules in place. If you'd like to discuss it further... Feel free to send me a personal message but please stop discussing moderation and stick to the subject at hand.

OPS+ Ford 137 Urshela 133 Tauchman 128 Maybin 127 Sometimes injuries make you better.

My guess would be: Yes we will see another one or two or six. Especially since we've seen some tremendous results with the very very very very very few who have utilized it. If I had to take a guess on why we haven't seen more of them. I'd assume that the majority of players fool around with it but the pitch is never taken seriously to consider perfecting or using in a game. I've often wondered what a pitcher with a 95 plus heater would look like with a decent knuckleball as a change of pace. I understand that you can't repeat your delivery to disguise it and the catcher can't wear the pancake glove to catch a 95 plus heater but even so... a batter thinking about the extremes of both pitches should make both harder to hit. It is a charming pitch to watch but bottom line... any pitch that works is charming.

Wonderful News. Hey Rocco, Go for back to back!!!

Local is OK at the moment because you are working with a built in fan base that the Tree Frog doesn't have. The overall pie is sliced but that fan base is the biggest piece and It's enough to get the Kwik Trip ad buy today. However, as this erodes at multiple levels (streaming options, demo's aging out and lack of interest in the game from younger demographics) the cost per point will decrease accordingly and the game won't be able to afford Mike Trout. As the local money decreases, it will need to be replaced at the national level. This is where the NFL just cleans up. The NFL as a system can support a team in a market the size of Green Bay. ESPN just cycles through the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs and Red Sox on Sunday night because they produce the biggest numbers and this stems from the largest local bases. One place to start to build stable nationwide numbers... HOPE in Pittsburgh, as long as baseball has a have/have not model it will limit the National growth. However, the large market owners are fine with the disadvantage and the fight for today's penny will block tomorrow's penny. Those indicators you are asking about are found in the demographics. It may not seem like anyone is too concerned about it. Some are but, typically people start exercising after the heart attack. The average age of the baseball fan is already out of the demo, the ad buyer is going to place ads where the 18-49's are. Baseball isn't ready for that. They are too busy fighting for all of today's penny to worry about tomorrow's penny. Baseball needs to get wherever people are in order to plant trees for younger viewers. However, this will challenge the old model because the money they get from traditional sources want the viewer they paid for and not have to share it with the new model. Yeah, we can talk about the god awful blackout rules here as an example of today's penny blocking tomorrow's penny. Baseball has issues to work out. All sports really but demographically... Baseball is the first one off the cliff. You can compare it to other sports. Yes the shapes and seasons are different to make them seem not comparable, however they all have the same objective, that is to increase their fan base to maximize revenue. It's why the NFL is playing in London. It's why the NHL expanded to Nashville and Tampa. Baseball needs more diverse demographics, this is the MLB version of the NFL's London. Why does Football have less of a demographic problem? I don't know for sure but I believe it is a combination of entertainment and education. It's a slower game and people have nothing to latch on to. I'm not shy offering my opinion... however, self awareness is going to stop me from posting my ideas for baseball on Twinsdaily. My ideas are too radical for this crowd. The fine folks who populate Twinsdaily are already comfortable with the current arrangement and will immediately dismiss multiple adjustments out of hand. We are here because we already like the game as is and we ain't enough for the future. Let's just say my ideas range from top to bottom. From the broadcast presentation itself (Bremer would no longer have a job) to frequent player biographies (like they do on the Voice) to help make superstars and add an emotional attachment to the players, to live bands in Section 303 playing between innings to actual emotion on the field without getting beaned to heart rate reports during stress moments on the field. But Yeah, I'm not getting into that so please everyone ignore this paragraph.

Yeah I’m wondering if there is an iceberg under that tip.

I want Cleveland to tear it down now. The White Sox will replace them soon enough but for now, Let the Indians join the Tigers and Royals to give us a couple of years of minimal resistance in the AL Central.

I'm not taking anything personal. However, I'd recommend not using the local TV ratings propaganda as an example of anything to stand your ground on. I could dive much deeper into it but that would take this further away from the original topic and end up boring everyone. So I'll just say this: My cable package is... I don't know 200 plus offerings. Just imagine in your head what that does to the pie and the slices of that pie. Everything from Big Bang Theory to a documentary on a Rare Tree Frog in the Brazilian Rain Forest. When you consider all of those slices of pie, a stand alone multi-generational product like the Minnesota Twins BETTER BE near the top of the local ratings or you have a serious issue. The Twins don't have to compete with the St. Paul Saints, they are unchallenged for the baseball fan and baseball is a unique offering compared to the Big Bang Theory and the Tree Frog. So, I plead with you to put those ranking propaganda articles down and focus your attention to the demographics of baseball. That is where the story is told. Consider that and then consider the sampling. Local sampling is insufficient enough that the rare Tree Frog documentary is producing zero audience estimates (Someone is watching the Tree Frog). To address this problem, Neilsen introduced PPM (Personal People Meters) to measure out of home television viewing in order to increase the sample and hopefully reduce the zero audience estimates produced, which in turn potentially increases their client base (Neilsen makes money based on how many purchase the rights to use their ratings) because the Tree Frog channel has no data to sell and therefore no reason to buy. Nationally, the sample is increased and it shows that people are indeed watching the Tree Frog. So when you say "I'm not sure national TV ratings are "more critical" for the sport". You actually have it backwards. National ratings are much more stable data. Locally, the local team better be strong and when you widen the lens, the demo's are aging out and the audience isn't as strong as it used to be because there are 200 different entertainment options to choose from, not to mention Netflix and YouTube. The sample size ups and downs from rating period to rating doesn't matter that much and the Ranking doesn't matter that much. Anyway, I could go on but I've gone on enough. Look at the bigger picture. Check the Demographics. Compare it to other sports. TV advertisers want 18-49. Baseball needs to start planting trees.

I also wonder if Springer could be added to the list. Houston has reached the point financially of maybe having to make some hard decisions as well.

Ahh, I'm "the folks who annually bemoan the low World Series Ratings". You are just "countering" me. Thanks for reducing me to that. I want to be clear... I have never bemoaned the "World Series Ratings". In the words of Tom Petty. "It don't make no difference to me, you believe what you want to believe".

6th in Rookie of the year voting but #1 in our hearts.

They should probably stop with the pitch clock and the relief pitcher must finish the inning thing then. I haven't seen the article that you mention but knowing how it works, I imagine that it can be found in almost identical language printed from multiple sources in an attempt to get the propaganda out using writers who don't understand what they are writing about. What the article won't mention (I haven't read it) are demographics and it won't mention how long they are watching and it certainly isn't going to mention the sampling. Media Sales are very good at presenting the best looking numbers for consumption. YOY is way too volatile to rely upon. Saying "the numbers don't suggest any critical imperatives right now" is kinda like saying that the numbers suggest that Robbie Grossman is an excellent outfielder right now. If you want to cut through it all, trust me... focus on the demographics. The demos are scary and the reason they are focusing on pitch clocks and relief pitchers must finish the inning.

When I was in Grand Rapids,Michigan our station had the Western Michigan football broadcast contract and PJ Fleck was the head coach. Seeing him up close is kind of hard to explain but the guy is pure motivation 24/7. When he looks you in the eye you feel motivation. When he shakes your hand it's a sincere hand shake. When he speaks he's like a preacher on octane.He can find inspiration in a ham sandwich. He has a full library of metaphors that he can whip out at any second for any situation. You don't have to wonder if he will be on... he's on. It's hard to explain... There are impressive people in this world and then there is another level of impressive that very few people qualify for. PJ Fleck is one of those people. I know it sounds like I want to marry him or something. However, I'm just saying that I remember thinking to myself, if there is anyone who can convince a recruit to come to a MAC conference school over Alabama... This is the guy. He doesn't really sell the school, or the program, he sells the recruit to the recruit. He will tell the recruit that he can accomplish what he wants to accomplish and he does it with a sincerity. I've seen it... I was sold. I remember thinking that he was sure to contacted by a Power 5 school and there would be no way he wouldn't ace the interview. I figured it was just a matter of time and how about that... it was the Gophers who snagged him. I'm still in a state of shock over the win today. It's been a long time for the U of M. But, at the same time, I am not surprised that Fleck got the Gophers to this point. There is still work to do for this season but if anyone wonders if this is sustainable into the future. It is absolutely sustainable. I'd bet an Iowa or Wisconsin fan a large sum of money that the Gophers are here to stay.

The numbers that baseball needs are already not watching the game. They won't care if there is a work stoppage. The work stoppage will make this problem more acute because the declining core will decline faster. A work stoppage may make the numbers bad enough to force the game into immediate change so oddly enough... It might be a good thing for the overall health of the game. Might is the key word. Along the lines of hitting rock bottom is necessary for realizing that rehab is the only sensible course of action. Along the lines of, it is darkest before the dawn.

Excellent Article Parker! As attendance, ratings, basically all the critical numbers decline. Getting more out of what remains is a way to make up the difference. Of course, as the critical numbers continue to decline, eventually, they won't be able to make up the difference anymore. Those critical numbers need to be increased... not milked to eventual exhaustion. You better start planting trees now before the last of them are harvested.

You pursue both to increase your odds of signing one. You don't place all eggs in one basket. Actually... the Twins should pursue 45 to increase the odds of getting 4. If the question is who is better between the two. Give me Bumgarner. He's left handed, he's young, his career is far from over and it's been a great career so far.

Tony Clark knows full well that the GM's talk with other GM's. Tony Clark is not shocked by anything said by Alex Anthopoulos. Tony Clark has been head of the MLBPA for 6 years, he is not an idiot. A person in that position isn't going to make off the cuff comments. Anything released to the public from the head of the MLBPA is going to be crafted to say exactly what they want to say. So, we got a Kris Bryant grievance filed and now an issued statement hinting at collusion. Meanwhile behind the scenes, Bruce Meyer was hired in August of 2018 for a newly crated role of "Senior Director of Collective Bargaining". Taking over the lead role in the negotiations and Rick Shapiro who was a key lawyer in the past two CBA's was fired in July. The MLBPA is not only changing actors but also attempting to change the script by getting the words collusion and manipulation out there. Oh Yeah... It's going to be a battle. This is just part of it.

JW: At the time of the trade in 2018 Smeltzer was a AA reliever and finished a AA reliever. He had no innings in AAA. RB: It was the Twins front office... not me who called up Devin Smeltzer on May 28th after 54.2 Innings with an ERA of 1.15 as a starter in AAA. It was Devin Smeltzer who did not suck after that occured. JW: Isn’t it possible that every inning he threw in the minors last year was key to his development and any success in the majors? RB: I hope so and I hope every inning he threw in the majors was key to his development as well. JW: How many of the 14 starts in AAA do you suggest the Twins should have used for major league data rather than AAA development? Half of them? RB: Are you asking me for an arbitrary number? I won't provide one. It's actually a condescending question. If you have to ask a question like this... you don't respect me enough to care what I type anyway. I want Smeltzer to increase his sample size to determine if his adequate major league performance is sustainable. I want Perez to decrease his sample size because it had been determined that his major league performance was not adequate. JW: Would that have made a difference in whatever data they can collect in the majors that they can’t collect in the minors? RB: YES JW: What data would be collected? RB: Can he sustain this performance? Is he the same pitcher after 70 innings of data? Will the league adjust to him... can he adjust to those adjustments. Is he better than Martin Perez? Is he better than Randy Dobnak or Lewis Thorpe? When I say Data... I'm talking about sample size. I don't think 16 innings are enough major league data to hand him a playoff roster spot. That's what I'm saying. I'm talking about the need to increase his sample size. I'm talking about... he has pitched well through 16 innings... maybe we should let him pitch a 17th inning. JW: It is the same ball. RB: It's not the same hitters. Was this statement meant to be as condescending as it seems? JW: The same machines collect all of the data on his pitches. RB: Yeah... I'm really starting to think that condescension was absolutely intended. JW: They have a huge database to match those pitches against similar pitches in the major leagues. RB: The same database that didn't allow Nick Anderson a chance and the same database that kept Martin Perez in the rotation right up to the day they determined that he wouldn't get a playoff spot. JW: His pitches aren’t going to behave differently from the major league mound. RB: The hitters behave differently... I assume that major league hitters are a more accurate representation of actual major league hitters than the AAA variety. Therefore more accurate information to answer the following questions 1. Is Devin Smeltzer better than Martin Perez right now. 2. Can we move Martin Perez to the bullpen? 3. Should we give Devin Smeltzer a playoff roster spot? 4. Do they protect Smeltzer or Gonsalves or Nick Anderson with a 40 man roster spot before the rule 5 draft. 5. Do we have to find another free agent starting pitcher in the off season? 6. Should we find an opening day roster spot for him in 2020? JW: Dobnak was even further away. Development matters. RB: From August 28th to September 14 he threw 8 innings while on the major league roster. What kind of development are we talking about here? Kyle Gibson had to get sick and Pineda had to get suspended to get 3 actual starts for Dobnak before getting the ball for Game Two. Perez kept his job throughout. JW: I am with you on the give a shot to a 28 year old Anderson vs. Belisle failure. RB: Thank You JW: Not here though. It was a failure of not acquiring a better major league starter than Perez. RB: I agree... it was a failure of not acquiring a better major league starter than Perez... first and foremost. It was also a failure of assuming that the performance of Perez couldn't be bettered by almost anyone? It was a failure to give important major league development innings to players to help determine who would be placed on the playoff roster, who would be utilized heavier during the playoffs. The guy they gave the innings to... was not selected for the playoffs. It will help determine the real tough 40 man roster decisions they must make ahead of the rule 5. Additional MAJOR LEAGUE development innings increasing the major league sample size would help them determine if they should sign or trade for 4 FA starters or 3 during the off-season or can they actually consider giving either of these guys an opening day roster spot. All while, hopefully pitching better than Martin Perez did to actually improve 2019 performance. Win-Win. JW: If anything Smeltzer and Dobnak are development successes that maybe would have benefited from more time developing in the minors last year. RB: If anything... Once they didn't acquire a starter at the trade deadline, the front office was fully committed to the roster they had. This means that someone from the organization has to take over the role of being better than Martin Perez. They didn't have the time to develop more in the minor leagues once they didn't make a trade. It's now showtime... Martin Perez was bad and needed to be upgraded. Kyle Gibson was fighting E Coli which they should have been aware of? And pitchers getting injured are a regular occurrence in the majors. The very second the Twins didn't acquire Stroman or Ray or Syndergaard, was the very second they should have been searching for who will fill the role that Stroman, Ray or Syndergaard would have played from our own organization. That role was be better than Martin Perez. That role was who can we count on in the playoffs.

If I’m the Reds GM. I’m adding this season. They have a good young core and depth. The Pirates are going to struggle hard, the Brewers have holes springing up and the Cubs are cap challenged. The Cards are in the best shape but not a slam dunk. I’d say the door is starting to open for the Reda so they might as well walk in. And they took the first step in the door when they traded for Bauer.

I have nothing but respect for the umpires... I'm not one of those people who call out umpires by name and judge them individually. As a matter of fact, it is my opinion, that MLB umpires are absolutely incredible at their jobs. The job is impossible to perform perfectly so you won't hear me criticizing them when they don't. I want the umpire to have the tools necessary to perfect their performance. Each missed call is random and potentially critical to the result of the game. The possibility of missed strike or ball call impacting DIRECTLY the result of Game 7 in a World Series is absolutely real... It is just a matter of timing. I've used this example frequently because it stung me personally: 2017... Wild Card Game between the Twins and Yankees. The Twins jumped on Severino for 3 runs in the 1st inning. Santana was no doubt, shaky in the bottom of the first. He walked Gardner followed by a Judge single and the Yankees had 1 and 3rd with nobody out. However... he got Sanchez to pop out with Gardner remaining at 3B and then it happened: He had two strikes on Gregorious. He threw a pitch in the strike zone that Gregorious looked at... It should have been strike three with two outs... Instead it was called a ball and on the very next pitch Didi parked it and the game is now tied 3-3. I don't blame the umpire and I recognize the role that Santana's performance played in the equation. I also understand it was the first inning with 8 more innings of random events yet to take place. However, that missed call was a significant game changing moment, because everything looks different if the Twins enter the 2nd Inning with 3-0 lead instead of a 3-3 tie. Now... take that same real-life scenario that happened to us and place it in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the World Series. What if the ump missed a strike call with two strikes and two outs on Bregman and he blasts a game winning home run off Hudson on the next pitch. You can't say this won't happen, you can't quote me odds that it will happen... it can absolutely happen. It's just a matter of unfortunate timing. The Nationals losing in that fashion would be a nightmare unless you lived in Houston. Joe Torre would have to stand there in front of throngs of media to defend a guy that was simply tasked with a doing a job, that was impossible to begin with. We'd have a system in place the following season, if it's ready or not. A full year of baseball down to the tubes because it was decided by a human element call. Hell, the U.S. congress would probably pass legislation making strike zone automation law while taking away the Anti-Trust Exemption if it happened to the Nationals. My strong feelings toward this subject have nothing to do with lack of respect toward the umpires, I think they are incredible. I'm saying we have the technology to eliminate the human mistakes, the human mistakes influence the final results of games. So, improve the system, get it done and utilize it as soon as possible. We don't need any more proof that the final results are indeed influenced by these random missed calls when pitch framers like Jason Castro are paid 3 years and 24 million dollars. Catchers are compensated for their ability to fool umpires. This sentence tells you all you need to know. Umpires can be fooled. Teams employ those who are best at fooling them so they've seen the statistical evidence and a value for the ability has been assessed and paid.

The Twins should have gathered more major league data last year from Smeltzer and Dobnak instead of gathering all the data they gathered from Perez instead That data would be helpful when trying to decide who pitches in the playoffs in 2019 and who gets an opening day rotation spot in 2020. It's risky to hand Smeltzer or Dobnak an opening day job. I'd look for 4 pitchers from outside the organization so those two can compete for next man up.

Catchers are compensated for their ability to fool umpires. That sentence alone can't be beaten in any argument for the human element.