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Riverbrian

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Everything posted by Riverbrian

  1. Riverbrian
    James Rowson current Twins hitting coach was the New York Yankees minor league hitting coordinator from 2013 to 2016. With that position I would imagine that James had a role in what Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez became. I think it is extremely possible that Rowson was asked. "Hey James, anybody over there in New York we should be looking at. He might have replied: "Yeah Jake Cave and Tyler Austin". I'm hoping Molitor actually gives him a chance.
  2. Riverbrian
    I'm going contrary to popular opinion but I like Tyler Austin. I've seen him play a couple of times, didn't know who he was but he woke me up with some bombs and I remember looking him up afterwards. Hits the ball a loooooonnnnnggggg way and he plays with excitement and energy. He has 244 AB's over 3 seasons, that is hardly what I call a decent run and has managed to knock 15 home runs out. At that pace if you give him 600 AB's that is upper 30's power. And with a few more AB's maybe he can lower that strikeout total and he starts looking a little different. His injury history is a little concerning and no options kinda suggests that we are going to give him a run in 2019 but I think he might surprise us. I guess we will find out because he is here. Plays 1B and OF... suppose to be average defensively but I hope is able to play both for us. I don't know how to judge the other trades for Escobar, Pressly and Duke because I haven't seen the prospects. Austin I've seen... I'm encouraged by the acquisition... could pay off. Here a couple of videos to enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vj4X61iHk4 https://www.mlb.com/yankees/video/statcast-austins-pair-of-hrs/c-1901412683?tid=240568594
  3. Riverbrian
    Mauer has a role on my team. If he comes back at a fair price, I'm all for it. 1B: Mauer/Sano 3B: Machado Escobar or Nunez/Sano DH: Any of them If Mauer retires or goes elsewhere. I'd be fine scratching Mauer off this list and replacing him with Matt Adams.
  4. Riverbrian
    See Post Above... Supply and Demand.
  5. Riverbrian
    I assume supply and demand are going to set the market for Dozier. I think he is top value for a 2B but the supply 2B's on the trade block and the demand of teams needing a 2B are going to bring that price down significantly. Which of course brings us back to one of my points. If the club would have turned Dozier into a 2B/LF guy back in 2014 it would increase his value. Keeping him as a 2B only may or may not have improved our defense by increments depending on who else could have played 2B. But... But... if Dozier shows the ability to play both 2B/LF. Last year when we were talking to the Dodgers about a deal, the Dodgers were about the only team looking for a 2B. WIth OF added to his resume as an option, we have opened up the trade market to other squads who are looking for OF help or someone flexible and we don't have to live and die by the Dodgers. You've increased demand and therefore increased his value. And... I believe that if the Dodgers Dozier deal would have went down last year... No way of knowing but I bet the Dodgers would have already had him playing multiple positions by now. We are hamstringing ourselves when it comes to roster management, we are self-lowering value of the players we do have by keeping them in a static position for what could be slight defensive increase. Escobar was easier to deal most likely because he had more demand being able to play 3 positions.
  6. Riverbrian
    I don't spend a lot of time worrying about how I feel about prospects until I get to see them. All I can do is trust that the scouts identified the players they wanted and got them. As for the return... It was a rental and that will lower the return. I think the days of what the Cubs paid for Chapman are over. At least judging by what the Dodgers paid for Machado... I think they are.
  7. Riverbrian
    Gather your assets when you may.
  8. Riverbrian
    Yeah and he may want to play SS which is ok with me as well. I'd love to sign Machado but he will probably be grabbed by one of the big market folks. However... that's just FA... We could always trade for someone. Or Bring Back Escobar.
  9. Riverbrian
    I don’t want a DH only. I’d like the DH position to be an overflow position in case the new 3B, Mauer and Sano All perform. I want to create depth and competition for playing time across the diamond. 3 1B/3B guys competing. 3 2B/SS guys competing. 4 OF guys competing for playing time. If we can do that we won’t have to sit and watch players with everyday jobs be well below average. All our eggs won’t be in one basket.
  10. Riverbrian
    I do. Teams within the division are going to get first hand multiple looks at it and be the next wave. Theo Epstein saw the Rays multiple times and he targeted Joe Maddon like William Tell targeted the apple. Escobar is going to be more valuable to the D-Backs than Dozier because he can move around. They already have Lamb coming back, Descalso, Ahmed, Marte and Owings who can play IF. Dozier would actually be an unwelcome presence. They can add Escobar because Descalso and Owings can also play OF. If the Twins had all these pieces, we wouldn't be looking for another IF. I've been saying all year. If I had to choose between Escobar and Dozier, I have already chosen Escobar because he can be moved around. Dozier has been the better player and hitter but I'm choosing Escobar because the ability to move him around is carrying greater value to me. I said this in an earlier thread... It'll be interesting to see what Escobar brings in a trade compared to what Dozier brings in a trade? Player Fluid vs. Player Static Recent Stats vs. Past Stats
  11. Riverbrian
    Exactly Do they identify them or create them? I've asked that question multiple times in this thread and other threads and about 1,000 times in my head when I'm sitting at church.
  12. Riverbrian
    Look at the Dodgers and the skepticism will wane.
  13. Riverbrian
    Exactly... plus it puts in question the ability of the decision makers so can any of us be sure about Rosario or Dozier some place else along with 2B and if true... that’s a speed bump that the Cubs. Dodgers, Brewers, Astros don’t have to do endure because they figured it out.
  14. Riverbrian
    Meanwhile the Dodgers and Cubs are light years ahead of us because they can acquire anyone and simply move people around to accommodate and have been doing this for years and are holding better cheap depth then we have. We don’t have the Cubs or Dodgers budget. It should be the other way around.
  15. Riverbrian
    Also I’m not implying that we be Willy Nilly and just throw people around for the hell of it but if we look at the past we have already used Grossman, Sano, Doumit, Delmon and Willingham in the OF along with Plouffe and Dozier and Nishioka at SS so it’s not like we have been defensively stellar being static and there are times when the club has made defensive concessions to get a bat in the lineup.
  16. Riverbrian
    I don’t know either but I’m not trusting the same guys who decided that Dozier and Plouffe would make MLB debuts at SS. Rosario played just as much 2B as OF in the minors. Was he moved because he was terrible at 2B or was he moved because Dozier was calcifying at 2B? If it was because they didn’t think he was very good at 2B then I’ll say it again. I don’t trust the people who made that decision even if they are right. If Rosario could play some 3B or 2B doesn’t that clear space to keep Hicks around. If Dozier was tried in LF does it open up a different role for Eddie that he could still be executing today. We’ve killed our potential depth by being static for over a decade and we are suffering for it today is my thought.
  17. Riverbrian
    I do and that is part of my point. It’s my fault because I put too much information in making my point. Let me simplify by asking two questions. 1. Could Eddie play LF and let’s say 3B during the course of a season? 2. What is the purpose of Kris Bryant playing both 3B and RF for the Cubs?
  18. Riverbrian
    I hope the Twins are fair when dealing with Joe and I hope that Joe is fair dealing with us on a reasonable one year contract. I'd like to see the Twins sign or trade for a good 3rd Baseman and start 2019 with Mauer/Sano/New Third Baseman competing for playing time.
  19. Riverbrian
    Alright... You don't see it. Let's try this... Trevor Plouffe and Brian Dozier being quickly removed away SS after an entire minor league career at SS is an example of bad assessment and many of those assessors are still in the room. Trevor Plouffe and Brian Dozier being quickly moved to other positions is also an example of how quickly these two particular players adapted to a 2nd position. Which shows that you can make a player flexible. Trevor Plouffe and Brian Dozier instead of becoming flexible were then locked down and Trevor Plouffe went on to be the very definition of average and his presence was enough to move Sano into RF and this was another bad assessment by assessors who are still in the room. The Twins were not paying attention to the Rays or the Cubs or Dodgers and if they had maybe we wouldn't be playing Astundillo in CF. Just one example: We may not have had to trade Hicks because the manager may have considered moving Rosario to IF position on occasion to fit Hicks in. Maybe we wouldn't had to sign Robbie Grossman to a contract if Dozier could have played an occasion LF or Plouffe an occasional RF. We created or own depth problems by being rigid and we are still experiencing the effect of that today. I would like the Twins to start looking at the Dodgers, Cubs and Brewers and stop being the 2010 Twins in approach. I don't know the answers but I'm asking the questions. Did the Dodgers identify special talent and focus on the acquisition of or did they create special talent by giving it a shot?
  20. Riverbrian
    Brock, you just responded to my response which was a response to your response. I used Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe as examples of how the Twins have been terrible in assessing talent in my original post. You responded with a statement that prospects are kept at SS and CF as long as possible for value purposes and defending Plouffe and Dozier as shortstops upon arrival. I responded to that with an example of our current SS being moved to 2B in the minors just before becoming our SS as a contradiction to the SS as long as possible theory and then showed how quickly and completely that Dozier and Plouffe were removed from SS after arrival as SS's. Now you've gone from defending Dozier and Plouffe development to saying you'll get no arguments from me that the previous regime is worthy of criticism but saying it doesn't apply. I'm not sure where to go next but... It applies because The Twins don't have depth or trade value right now because they have consistently missed assessment after assessment and doubled down on those assessments. While the Dodgers have perhaps identified or created more value off the scrap heap than the Twins have in total the past decade by moving players around.
  21. Riverbrian
    By the Way... Blake Swihart started at 3B today for the Red Sox. That is the first time that he has started a game at 3B in his career.
  22. Riverbrian
    He's hit over 100 home runs in the past 3 years. Yes he has had a down year but over 100 home runs will play at any position. Whatever he is currently hitting. Additional positions opens up more teams that could put him to use. If he has no trade value because of his bat... it doesn't matter where he plays. But again... Dozier is just an example.
  23. Riverbrian
    In fairness they are cherry picked to an extent because I'm not listing everybody for brevity but during this thread I have listed everybody on the Dodgers roster who is playing multiple positions and the positions that they have started throughout the year. I have also brought up the Cardinals twice as an example of it going wrong. They have been a defensive mess for awhile. Now Bellinger may be special because playing 1B and CF is an extreme combo but there are plenty of Dodger examples that are a little more natural for lack of a better word.
  24. Riverbrian
    It's a matter of footwork. He can make a throw across the diamond. He's no more an arm risk at 3B as he would be turning the double play at 2B.
  25. Riverbrian
    Dozier is for example purposes and not really anything to focus on but I disagree that adding LF or 3B to his resume would lower his value.
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