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Dantes929

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Everything posted by Dantes929

  1. Dantes929
    Santana by far surpassed what he did in the minors. That is pretty rare. The last one to do that was Danny Valencia and I suggested trading him also if the value was commensurate to the season he had. Now I like Santana and would like to keep him but if any team thought last year's numbers were repeatable and offered that kind of value I would definitely listen. If not and Santana were able to put up numbers more like his minor league career I would be just fine with that.
  2. Dantes929
    Of course Escobar may be at his peak of perceived value as well. If we can get a trade that equals the value these two guys put up last year then great. I doubt that will happen and while I was very skeptical about Escobar and pigeon holed him as a utility player right away I am not sure that was fair. I like having both in the lineup and liked Polanco as well. Why not make Santana an outfielder and be done with it. Fantastic speed and if Arcia or Vargas are not who we hope for then an outfield of Rosario, Buxton and Santana would be really exciting.
  3. Dantes929
    But Kelly was when he had a platoon at 3rd base in 91 and an outfield platoon makes sense since they carry at least 4 outfielders (maybe loosely defineds sometimes) anyway. If just looking at the short term and not future player development I have not seen a good argument for not platooning Hicks and Schaeffer. Schaeffers splits against righties is respectable and Hicks against lefties is quite good.
  4. Dantes929
    I agree. I just think May had a better year last year and deserves his shot first. No harm to Meyer in stretching out in the minors until a starter falters. Its kind of bound to happen and its only good if everyone pitches so well that he never gets his chance. I'm not betting on that.
  5. Dantes929
    I have followed the Twins pretty closely and just don't get it. Four years ago, mostly due to nonperformance and guys getting hurt the Twins were promoting guys that were not even doing well in the minors. In the years since they have promoted Hicks (who everyone besides me thinks was promoted TOO early), DeVries, Walters, Pino, Deduno, Hendriks, May, Robertson, Parmalee, Florimon, May, Arcia, Colabello, Fryer, Bernier, Pinto, Diamond, Gibson, Thielbar, Albers, Johnson, Darnell, Santana, and Vargas just to name a few. Meyer is the ONLY guy that deserved a promotion that did not get one and that was probably due to innings and pitch limits after the shoulder strain at the end of 2013. I thought they should have brought him up in September but that is the ONLY ONE I can think of. Who are all these talented position players and flame throwing pitchers that have stagnated in the minors over the years?
  6. Dantes929
    I will take a little issue here and again its a matter of degree. I defended the Twins back in the day when they had few strikeouts because they also had the fewest walks by a margin of 100 over the next best team in that category. Because they had such control they could use it to their advantage. The problem with pitching to contact the last several years is that they have done it so poorly. The fact that they are last in strikeouts is now combined with walk rates that might be better than average but not excellent and certainly not elite. This shows me they have not had the same control which is probably a result of talent having little to do with velocity. Its not just control in avoiding strikeouts but control within the strike zone. Radke, Slowey, and Pavano simply hit their spots better than Walters, DeVries and Hendriks because they were better pitchers.. Again, as a team San Fran has averaged a modest middle of the pack 90.8 fastball and throw it less often than anyone. I don't think that is conventional thinking.
  7. Dantes929
    There has been a lot of talk about that. I guess my feeling is that some fastballs are designed to sink and those should be thrown low. Up in the zone or even above the zone can be very effective. I am guessing middle of the zone is the worst spot so if a sinking fastball is thrown there it is left up. I wish Bert would distinguish between the two and occasionally say a tater pitch was left down in the zone if it was intended to be thrown high. When watching May and Hughes last year it seemed a lot of the swing and misses were above the waist. I am guessing in Mays case today he was simply losing command and that is usually preceded by throwing higher.
  8. Dantes929
    I have been defending Millone but really want May to be the guy. My own prediction is that he will be top three for the year when all is said and done. Nice move by Molitor though. Nothing to be gained by leaving him out there. Let him build strength and confidence but still notes that his pitches were maybe not being executed at the end.
  9. Dantes929
    I love getting walks and hate giving them up but it is all part of the give and take of baseball. Alex Meyer can walk a lot more guys than can Tommy Milone just like Adam Dunn can strike out more and have a lower batting average because he hits for power and walks a lot. Just like Revere can get by with a weak arm but he better keep his speed in getting to balls to make up for it. I have no problem with Meyer going down at this point but not because of one ST game. Far as I am concerned he can have one or two of those clunkers for every 5 games pitched as long as those other 3 or 4 are gems.
  10. Dantes929
    Thanks for all the facts. Nolasco getting beat on his fastball and effective with the curve is how I see him. I still think May has better stuff. I've always valued outfield defense but never saw it quantified like that. 50 runs is 5 games and possibly more.
  11. Dantes929
    I agree with the wild part. In his stint with the Twins last year May seemed to run into that on waste pitches. When ahead in the count he would throw a couple that didn't even tempt the hitter. Effectively wild is throwing one into the stands once a game to make the batter uncomfortable and be around the plate the rest of the time. Four 4 pitch walks in two innings is not effectively wild. I don't know why anyone would ever think that would play better in a late inning relief role. The thing is though, this doesn't prove anything other than that Meyer is capable of being really horrific in a spring training game which I basically already assumed. Big deal. In the minors he would run off a few really dominant performances and then have a clunker. I can live with that if he does the same thing in the majors. I want May to get first shot but am not going to let one game convince me of anything.. In spring you have to work on stuff. I would hope that in the season if he was that bad with the fastball he would go mainly with secondary stuff which apparently is pretty good.
  12. Dantes929
    Carew was one of the best bunters of all time which is one of the reasons his name is high on that list. I think also that Santana is probably .270 range but bunting more and well can maybe boost it by quite a bit. Did he bunt much in the minors? I would like to see him try nearly every game. Please no fake bunting though. Get your hits bunting and they will play in anyway. Huge value in bunting, little value in fake bunting, imo.
  13. Dantes929
    Looks like it is pretty unanimous. I think Gardy did a pretty good job with the pen when he had the tools though I still thought it was better for a guy that cruised through one inning to get the next inning also rather than risk the next guy having an off day and having to bring in a 3rd guy. I also don't think Perkins should be just the 9th inning guy. We have discussed it before but if the other team has their best hitters up in the 8th and at least 2 of them are lefties it makes a lot more sense to use Perkins at that point than saving him for the 9th.
  14. Dantes929
    You are right about patience of course concerning who starts where. I would never give up on a team before the season and this one might be a fun one if things break right. There are no guarantees in baseball and no crying either. I would compare it more to the 87 Twins perhaps. talent wise but get your point.
  15. Dantes929
    I am still hoping it is May with Meyer the first one called up. Milone and Pelfrey would play just fine in the pen. I may be overreacting to the poor performance thus far of Stauffer and Hamburger. May and Meyer have pitched very little so far. so have not had much opportunity to show anything. 18 more days. Still time for things to shake out. Forget the development factor of HIcks for a moment. Anyone else comfortable with the idea of Schaeffer/Hicks platoon in center to start the year with Rosario called up if they blow. Probably the best short term solution would be Hicks/Rosario platoon.but I am actually more keen on the long term development of Rosario than I am of Hicks.
  16. Dantes929
    Get the Twins to the playoffs and I would be happy with their chances. It is always better to have elite players. They help you get to the playoffs also. Good players and even not so good help you win in the playoffs. History is littered with Bucky Dents, Billy Marins, Brian Lemke's. Drew Butera can outplay Mauer in any given series and Blackburn can outpitch Verlander in any given game. I would never bet on it but the small sample size of the playoffs bring the good and elite players closer together rather than farther apart. Putting it simpler a team of 2014 could never hope to get to the playoffs against a team of 2007 Derek Jeter. Once in the playoffs team Plouffe would definitely be a big underdog but not a hopeless one in a 5 or 7 game series..
  17. Dantes929
    Thank you. I was looking at ESPN site and was looking at entire league. So Mauer in his worst year was still better than average in OPS among 1st basemen? I have always been a Mauer defender but that sure didn't feel like an above average season for a 1st baseman.
  18. Dantes929
    "In 2014 the club got an above-average OPS from regulars at every position, and that could be the case again, with steps forward in a few areas" Huh? 1st base? left field? right field? DH? Maybe I missed something there..
  19. Dantes929
    So what do the charts and studies say for the success and bust rate of new veterans and suspect veterans? What is the bust and success rates for big ticket free agents over the life of their contracts? I read the study and it was interesting or enlightening but not discouraging and I suspect a bit flawed. If we get 3 successes out of those top 13 and they are with us 8 or 9 years to go along with a few more in 4 years and maybe a couple that didn't make any lists and a couple that are currently on the team and still developing it isn't all bad. No where near all prospects pan out but everyone that pans out was a prospect.
  20. Dantes929
    Define plenty. Since 2010 we have an almost completely turned over roster during which period we were promoting lots of guys that we forced the issue upon and most failed. Even those that you speak of that did succeed probably would have forced the issue soon enough. Success in the minors is still the best indicator. May forced the issue last year but unfortunately got hurt. I thought Meyer did as well and he is the ONLY example I know of in the past 4 years of a guy maybe earning a promotion that did not get it. Mostly its been guys getting promoted without forcing the issue in the minors. I much prefer it the other way around. I wish Nolasco didn't have a secure spot and if Milone gets the nod it won't be all that secure. Meyer doesn't have to improve all that much over last year to get the nod if those guys are not pitching well. I am quite comfortable with either May or Meyer. If everyone pitches well then that means we have a good rotation with valuable pieces to promote or trade.
  21. Dantes929
    I'm really not too concerned about any of this. It really is just a matter of patience. I want May but I will be frustrated if May and Meyer are throwing sub 3 ERA in AAA and any of the starters are above 5 in June. If May and Meyer do there part they will force the issue if any of the rotation falters. If the rotation all perform well that is a good thing and that is when tough decisions will need to be made.
  22. Dantes929
    I am more a believer in stuff. A good curve ball and good change up with great control and a mediocre fastball can play better than a good fastball with mediocre curveball, change up and control. Of course having all good is preferred but not too many Johann Santana's walking around. There was a piece on here earlier saying Milone's fastball has been on a downward trend in velocity. The more the gap decreases between his fastball and changeup the less confidence I have in him. Seth, are there any reports on him gaining a little velocity back? I know its early but that seems to be a pretty big factor.
  23. Dantes929
    "But if Santana's moving back to short, as he should, what does that mean for the center field competition, where Aaron Hicks is failing to inspire a whole lot of confidence thus far?" So far career or so far spring training 2015? OPS this spring at .912. Yes, a couple base running goofs. How is his D?
  24. Dantes929
    I have never considered Hicks to be a mistake except in hindsight. He had a good year in AA and they thought he was ready just like teams have relied on guys to be ready since the league began. There is no evidence that if Hicks had gone the AAA route that he would have succeeded there or if he did well there that he would have done well with the Twins. I would imagine that there have been plenty of players that made the jump and have done well.. Were these mistakes as well? Or were they good moves also only in hindsight. To me its akin to a pitcher saying he made just one mistake and that was the pitch that the guy hit out of the park even though that same exact pitch got a bunch of batters out also. Its just hindsight. Lastly, if Rosario does start out in center it might improve our offense but it does little to solve the outfield defense problem. I don't see that being solved until both Rosario and Buxton are regulars.
  25. Dantes929
    I will root for whatever guy win the 5th spot and be comfortable we have other guys to step up not only for that guy but for any of the others that falter. If Milone is the 5th starter don't just assume he will perform the 5th best. Are we really talking about Plouffe not hitting. I remember a couple years of Morneau batting about .110 in spring training only to have monster seasons. If Plouffe bats .150 but still retains his confidence then I will just assume when the regular season starts he is due for a hot streak..
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