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Riverbrian

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Everything posted by Riverbrian

  1. Riverbrian
    Real time... The Pirates are transitioning Oneil Cruz to OF and doing it cold and it's happening right now. Bottom Line... If Royce Lewis isn't a consideration at 2B. We are one Correa or Buxton injury away from Farmer playing 2B in the playoffs while one of Santana, Miranda, Larnach, Wallner or Kepler watches from the bench. Yeah we could call up Lee and throw him into the playoffs or Martin or Julien to play 2B instead of Farmer while one of Santana, Miranda, Larnach, Wallner of Kepler watches from the bench. This is why I'm not concerned about positional changes. This is why I insist that there was room for Polanco and Julien on the same roster in the off-season. It's why I laugh at the talk of log jams. It's also why Margot and Buxton on the roster are potential time bombs that have needed solutions for awhile now. It's also why Buying at the deadline matters. The offense has been great this year but adding a hitter takes Margot or Farmer off the board and then maybe we don't need to move Lewis to 2B. It's also why... starving our young left handed hitters from left handed pitchers during the regular season is not a good idea because come playoff time... we will not know what we need. We might need Wallner to lineup against Rodon due to the lack of options. I'd hate to wait until the playoffs for Rocco to say... OK Matt go get em for the first time.
  2. Riverbrian
    Great list... not comprehensive though but a real nice list. Gets a big thumps up from me. There is more beyond your list. This positional change fear that exists amongst us is unwarranted because precedence has been set and continues to this day and will continue into tomorrow. Since we are talking degrees of defensive talent at certain positions. This conversation can move closer to home. Let's add Jorge Polanco to your list. He played SS for us in 2019. I understand that he wasn't the best SS in comparison to other SS's around the league. I understand that Polanco is probably ideally better suited for 2B. However... Polanco played SS on a team that won 101 games. The team was better with Polanco at SS, Schoop at 2B and Sano at 3B... instead of Adrianaza at SS. 2019 the year/101 Wins was the 2nd highest season total in franchise history! Only 102 in 1965 beat it. This year was also the year that Luis Arraez played 49 games at 2B, 21 games at LF, 17 games at 3B and 8 games at SS and 5 at DH. We got Arraez 366 plate appearances that way for a 124 OPS+. In the end... what is this discussion about. Lewis playing 2B? Is that really a concern? Only if he sucks at it. I'm willing to bet he won't be terrible but let's find out before the playoffs start.
  3. Riverbrian
    In the standings no... But I'll accept it as a consolation. Nice job pointing that out. I feel better.
  4. Riverbrian
    Utility guys are dubbed utility guys because they are players 10 through 13 on the roster. They HAVE TO play multiple positions because you can't staff your team with a back up at all 9 spots so the last three on the roster have to become utility to cover. If an everyday player plays multiple positions adequately. It would be insane for a club to pay them less because they are capable at multiple positions. In regards to this particular discussion. If you want Lewis, Miranda, Santana, Wallner, Larnach and Kepler in the lineup against right handed pitchers. That's 6 players for 5 spots. 3B, 1B DH, LF and RF. Correa if healthy is the SS, Buxton if healthy is the CF and the Catcher position is a catcher. That leaves 2B as a possible spot to upgrade. Out of Lewis, Miranda, Santana, Wallner, Larnach and Kepler. Who would you put at 2B? Being inflexible positionally. Takes one of these 6 out of the lineup and puts your utility guy Castro at 2B. If Correa or Buxton is hurt come playoff time. Castro goes to SS or CF. This puts Farmer or Julien at 2B against right handers while one of the above 6 are on the bench because... because we can't ask Lewis to help us make the team better with a positional adjustment.
  5. Riverbrian
    It depresses player value only if he can't play the position adequately. Which I think is a mistake to assume. When Royce Lewis hits free agency. Being able to Play 3B and 2B increases the number of serious suitors for his services. Because it isn't just the team looking for a 3B that are in play. Teams looking to fill either positions are going to pick up the phone. The more suitors... the higher the value. I'm not suggesting that Wallner should play SS. Everything is within reason of course. The Padres have moved Merrill to SS to CF, Xander to 2B from SS. Jurickson Profar is playing LF after playing multiple IF positions prior, That's just one team adjusting to put the best team on the floor. You can go through the remaining 29 teams and find examples of positional adjustment made by almost every organization in order to the put the best players in the lineup. From Joey Gallo to Jazz Chisholm.
  6. Riverbrian
    The typical utility player is typically created by not having an every day position. IE Bench Player. Not countin the catcher spot. You only have 3 extra players on an MLB roster and to be an extra player you need to cover more than one position. Willi Castro became a utility player because he didn't earn an every day position with the Tigers. There is no reason that a player with an everyday position can't play other positions if the need arises just like the typically created utility player plays other positions.
  7. Riverbrian
    I assume the body adjusts for a weakness... but again... I was sleeping in Med School.
  8. Riverbrian
    I was sleeping in med school. But... I have that song in my head now.
  9. Riverbrian
    100 AB's to qualify has been chosen by me not to cherry pick but in order to include Matt Wallner with 129 AB's. With players over 100 AB's Matt Wallner currently ranks third in OPS. Here is the company that he keeps: Aaron Judge - 1.167 Juan Soto - 1.027 Matt Wallner - 1.015 Bobby Witt - - 1.014 Shohei Ohtani - .993 That's pretty good company. I'm still willing to bet that a guy who produces over 1.000 against right handers would still produce a pretty good OPS against left handers while still probably less than. I don't believe a .700 OPS difference would remain in tact if he were allowed to face them. If it's still .300 points less vs LH... that isn't that bad. I understand that facing left handers would probably drop him out of the top 5. Maybe even the top 10. The only problem is that I will have no opportunity to confirm my suspicion unless he is allowed to confirm or not. I just don't believe that a player can be .700 points different facing one hand compared to the other.
  10. Riverbrian
    Come playoff time. It's hard to know the team that you don't want to face. Brewer Fans were probably happy with that opening round draw against the D-Backs. Dodger Fans probably thought they were fortunate that they didn't have to face the Brewers pitching. Phillies fans were probably excited that they avoided the Dodgers. My hope is that the Twins are the team that everybody wants to face and mistakenly so. 😉
  11. Riverbrian
    I was sleeping in med school so I admit my knowledge of body parts comes primarily from that song "The Skeleton Dance". However... Reportedly he failed his physical with the Giants and Mets due to surgery on his ankle in 2014 after a fractured fibula. The current injury is a stabbing pain in the bottom of his foot near his heel called Plantar Fasciitis. The issue is with his right foot this year and his left foot last year. Again... I was sleeping in med school but these sure seem like different parts of the body. The song does say that the foot bone is connected to the leg bone so OK but if you keep going the song will connect all the way to the neck bone.
  12. Riverbrian
    I understand that it was just one game. And I realize that 17 really scattered AB's is a small undependable sample. However... Just for fun. I would like to point that Matt Wallner with his home run and single off a left hander last night. His OPS has risen to .879 against left handers.
  13. Riverbrian
    A player changing positions is not musical chairs. Being rigid positionally results in better players on the bench and lesser players starting.
  14. Riverbrian
    Last year in the playoffs. We had Farmer, Castro and Solano on the roster. We had an injured Lewis who could only DH. It was Polanco who started at 3B. Chosen over 3 other options. Necessity dictated that because Julien had become one of our best hitters at 2B so Julien was deemed necessary against Right handed hitters in the playoffs. Last year... Necessity required cover for Lewis. Fast forward to a year later. Miranda is the new Julien rising up the depth chart with good play during the season creating the necessity of Lewis covering for Julien at 2B. Necessity is the mother of invention.
  15. Riverbrian
    Come on big red splotch on the radar. You can get to downtown Minneapolis. I know you can. At this point... I might be OK... if that big red splotch on the radar takes down the IDS building if it means the game gets called before 5 innings are complete.
  16. Riverbrian
    The Dichotomy that you illustrate is why I've basically decided to not worry about it. Take Brooks Lee for example. Correa is our SS and Lewis is our 3B. They are pretty locked at those spots if healthy. 2B is the most obvious spot to open up for Lee. Where does he play in the minors. SS almost exclusively with a handful of 3B and 2B. You never know where the opening will occur for a prospect like Lee. Prep him for as many possible openings as you can since you don't know where the opening will occur. What happens. Royce Lewis gets hurt... Lee comes up to play 3B. Correa then gets hurt and Lee Slides to 2B as Castro moves to SS and then Rocco flips Lee and Castro around. In a nutshell... The Twins don't seem to worry much about Prep so I'm not going to worry about it. Players will just be moved when necessity dictates it.
  17. Riverbrian
    I like Martin. I think he could develop into a decent keep the chain moving guy. Alas... It's a power game so what we need are pick up the chains and throw them into the parking lot guys. I like him though... I can think of two players on the roster that I'd choose Martin over.
  18. Riverbrian
    If you want to get Lewis, Correa, Buxton, Miranda, Santana, Wallner, Kepler, Larnach and Jeffers into the lineup against right handers in the playoffs. Who is the best Choice to play 2B? I'd say Lewis. Actually... I'd say Lewis is the only option to play 2B from this group. Castro needs to be the 10th guy for three reasons. 1. The other two roster options... Margot and Farmer should not be in the lineup against right handers... Period. However, you know that they will grab a bat if the opposing team drops a left hander on the mound. The team will need a Castro who can play multiple positions so someone can replace Margot or Farmer when the other team goes back to a right hander. 2. They will need a Castro to pinch run for a slower player or be a defensive replacement anywhere on the diamond. 3. Castro will be needed to start against right handers if anybody in the above 9 doesn't make the playoff roster due to injury. Lee won't be on the playoff roster unless there is an injury. I'd guess, Kirilloff, Julien and Martin would be the top 3 choices for the playoff roster if an injury occurs. It's good to get prepped for this possibility. That way we can put our actual best lineup against right handers in the playoffs. I generally think it's a good idea to do that. I agree with Blyleven11... Things like this could have been prepped for earlier.
  19. Riverbrian
    I spend a lot of column inches on this website talking about my concerns. That's what these websites are for if you want to talk baseball with others. I am concerned about things like: 1. The extreme platooning 1A. The need to roster short siders in order to make the platoon work 1B. The denying of exposure to left handed pitchers for our developing left handed hitters. 1C. Injuries will bring 1A and 1B to light and it just might happen at the worst possible time IE Playoffs. However... No matter how much time I spend on my expressing my concerns... I want to be clear. The Twins have had a fantastic year and my concerns haven't killed this team. This team is doing very very well while not being perfect. I just want to state this just in case the Twinsdaily faithful have read my constructive criticisms and confused them into thinking that I believe the roof is on fire. The roof is not on fire... There are very few teams in baseball that I would trade situations with if given the choice. Go Twins... Yes... We can win it all in 2024.
  20. Riverbrian
    Maybe not dead center but pretty close.
  21. Riverbrian
    No argument from me. Other than I'm not ready to make any declarations on defensive ability future. I'll just say that Bono learned to play guitar, piano and harmonica after U2 had become world famous and he may never be the edge but he's up on stage with that thing from time to time. To be honest... I'm not sure when Bono learned to play guitar, piano and harmonica.
  22. Riverbrian
    On Julien's defense. I get that there are better defensive infielders available to roster. However... I've largely been OK with his defensive work knowing that there are better defensive infielders out there. I think the combination of his bat and glove both need to be considerations. He still needs work on both but I really like the potential of his bat. This particular play yesterday. It was a routine grounder with a routine throw. Maybe on the slow grounder side so it may have needed to be rushed a bit to complete the double play. I expect him to make that play 98 out of 100 times. With a 50-50 shot at the DP. It was a routine grounder with a routine throw. The timing was very very very unfortunate and I realize that he will be hung as a result.
  23. Riverbrian
    I never worry much about you. I worry about me all the time.
  24. Riverbrian
    I basically agree with this. Taking a look at a new pitcher as a pinch hitter makes sense. However... If I remember right. Wasn't that first pitch a dead center fastball in the low 90's. The type of pitch that someone better looking first pitch fastball would have deposited in the seats? I didn't research it after the fact but I remember watching it and thinking to myself. Damn... that thing was down the middle. How do you pop that up?
  25. Riverbrian
    You are knowledgeable and I understand that you are not defending Farmer per se but more arguing the process. Full disclosure -- I liked Farmer in the offseason. I was OK with him getting a roster spot. By the time, the off-season concluded... I was questioning the 6 million spent on him but I was OK with Farmer. He was a solid member of the team last year. I don't blame the front office for giving him a roster spot coming out of spring training. Front offices make these types of mistakes all the time. If they got it right all the time we would be in the world series every year facing the other 29 teams who will also be in the world series every year because they all were able to anticipate these types of things. They can't... so they need to make adjustments during the season based on season results. Margot and Farmer will not be with the team next year. They don't need to be something to over come this year.
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