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Dantes929

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Everything posted by Dantes929

  1. Dantes929
    I would be all for a Shields/Lester type of guy right now. They have the space and it is the kind of short term move that does not require giving up anything. Of course prospects don't always pan out but all "proven players" were at one point prospects and we have enough good ones to hang our hats on and wait for them to develop. Short term thinking got us Young for Garza and Capps for Ramos. It doesn't have to be choose 1-2 years or 6-8. I am thinking 2-4 but certainly never give up on any team. Anyway, Shields would theoretically give us several more wins and innings which will save the bullpen which if you remember a month ago cost us about 5 games from overuse. Add in development from Meyer and May and we are getting back to where we should be. As USchief said "its difficult to predict next year" we are becoming used to predicting prospects won't develop but that isn't a given. Hicks and Benson not developing (yet) has no bearing whatsoever on Sano, Meyer and Buxton.
  2. Dantes929
    Would you have traded Mike Trout three years ago for CC Sabbathia? Its ok if you say yes, I'm just saying there is the possibility that Buxton or Sano rocket to the top and the rental doesn't perform or gets hurt. The problem I have with pointing to the Royals is that they are just a team that a rebuild through the farm system didn't work. San Fran built their team the same way and won two world series. Tampa built their team the same way and got to the WS once and the league championship 3 more times playing in the East. The Twins did it back in the early 80's and again in 2002 and enjoyed good stretches of winning. Not all prospects pan out but all all stars were top prospects at one point. No need to trade any of it. I am all for pulling the trigger on one AL blue chip pitcher such as Shields or Lester. The Twins had a good offensive season and should just get better. The cupboard isn't bare for pitching either like it was the last three years. I believe there is the talent that could make up a supporting cast or better with the addition of just one good pitcher. Shields, Hughes, Gibson, and two of Meyer, May, Milone, Nolasco would suit me just fine with Barrios and Stewart among those on the fast track to help in a couple years.
  3. Dantes929
    Its true that all these things are not mutually exclusive. Having patience that the young players will develop is my major preference but that can go hand in hand with getting a top pitcher here. Think of getting Shields as being the equivalent of getting Blyleven in 1985. Think of Buxton being the shot in the arm that Knoblach was. Think of Meyer as the equivalent of a developing Viola. This team is nowhere near as off track as 2011 regardless of the similar record.
  4. Dantes929
    Facing three is tough. I imagine the more pitches seen the more contact made. This is the kind of machine I would love to have practiced on cuz it would make the real thing look much easier.
  5. Dantes929
    Of course if we think Escobar is the answer at short then the answer in the outfield is Buxton and Santana.
  6. Dantes929
    "If you throw the catcher spot out, when the ball is put in play, it would seem like a very good infield defense. Wouldn't that at least partly offset the outfield? Maybe our overall team defense is not absolute worst in the league?" I believe our team defense is ranked very low so think what it would be without the good infield D. I went to watch the Twins in two games against Tampa several years ago. I think it was 2010. We lost both games and it was more clear live than on TV that the Rays outfield was getting to balls I thought they had no right getting to and the Twins were not getting to balls they should have been expected to get to. There was no doubt in my mind that if the two teams just switched outfield defense with each other the Twins would have won both games instead of losing both. Probably just a coincidence but I have to believe there are a lot of games decided by the difference between good outfield defense and bad outfield defense. I have no stats but it seems pretty often that when the Twins give up large innings you could probably go back and point to a play in the outfield that could have been made that would have changed everything. It may seem self evident but it is not just the run that scores with a double that a faster or better guy could have caught. It is also the extra base runner and the extra out that snowballs into more. I cannot wait for an outfield that has Buxton and Hicks or better yet, Buxton, Hicks and Rosario. I am sure the pitchers are anxious for that as well.
  7. Dantes929
    Any time you put anyone too high on a pedestal you are setting yourself up for disappointment. No one is perfect and people generally have many layers and facets that make up who they are. Its actually easier for me as a parent in these extreme cases. OJ, AP and Kirby could all be admired and used as an example for their focus, dedication, hard work and being good teammates. Because of the extreme backlash to their bad behavior I am not too concerned about my son emulating them by committing murder, abusing women or hitting young kids. The only real result is disappointment. Its actually the role models (whoever they are in whatever profession) that are less seriously flawed that cause concern for me. Gambling, drunk driving, drug use, trash talk, greed, disrespect of women (as opposed to abuse) etc are more insidious in that there is not as much backlash and are more likely to be considered cool and emulated.
  8. Dantes929
    Mauer will not go back to catcher. I think this year he realized he shouldn't try to be someone he is not. .320 will be fine with me. Aaron Hicks is batting .214 but has a .337 OBP. I expect he can do better but his OBP is better than Ben Revere's because Hicks has walked 2.5 times as much in one third the at bats. That really doesn't play so badly in the #9 spot.
  9. Dantes929
    "If they haven't already, the Twins' decision-makers need to conclude that there is literally nothing that can happen that would be any worse than continuing to fight it out with the status quo" You mean like making Billy Smith a General Manager? Again, I am for change but Murphy's Law would tell you it can always be worse.
  10. Dantes929
    "Many professional sports organizations change their on-field management at least as often as they change accounting firms. It's just part of the way they do business. When you lose more games than you win for a couple years in a row, you change managers/head coaches and even front office leadership. It just becomes second nature" And yet there are just as many games lost as won each year. There are plusses to stability and staying the course and there are plusses to change. I also am looking for change but acknowledge the possibility that the staff and talent in place (meaning current Twins and prospect talent) could win a championship in the next 5 or 6 years that the staff that takes their place would not. And vice versa of course.
  11. Dantes929
    It would have been less of a crapshoot if our all star closer pitched like an all star closer.
  12. Dantes929
    Increasing strength is always a good thing. I have no problem with saying Mauer should train harder than he ever has before and if he does while also putting more distance from his concussion I think his numbers will rebound but don't expect or necessarily want him to change how he hits. .320 with a .870 OPS would be ok with me but it should be from the #2 spot.
  13. Dantes929
    "They need to decide if they are willing to live with terrible defense (and, therefore, a higher ERA than they should have) or not" Pitchers have some effect on fielding with number of strikes they throw and pace at which they pitch. Twins fielders should have been better prepared knowing more pitches are put in play and aside from Pelfrey I didn't think the Twins pitchers were so bad for pace. I guess this might be offset by Twins pitchers being hit harder when they are hit so lets just call it a wash. In summary, pitching has marginal effect on defensive efficiency. Defensive efficiency has a tremendous effect on pitching.
  14. Dantes929
    "In Defensive Efficiency (a measure of how many balls in play are converted into outs), the Twins rank 29th" This statistic has nothing to do with strikeouts. Its a measure of balls put into play being caught. IMO, the infield is adequate and the outfield is horrendous. Its not like the Twins had a great outfield in the past either with Young out there as well. I remember a series against the Rays where the Twins got swept when it could have been the other way around simply because the Rays outfield got to balls most outfielders wouldn't have and the Twins didn't get to balls they should have. As stated above you can hide one poor outfielder but not two. Most of the year we had Arcia and Willingham out there. Replace centerfield with Buxton and left field with Hicks or Rosario or even Schaefer and I am thinking we move up on the list.
  15. Dantes929
    Hate to be a broken record and the offense does seem to be lacking and yet #5 in all baseball in runs scored with Mauer and Willingham's down years. Not a hopeless offense at all and to that you add Buxton, Sano and maybe a matured Hicks and it looks downright cheery.
  16. Dantes929
    Considering that would give him 35 points better OBP than Ben Revere who has no power, then yeah, I would bank that in a minute. Sorry. Can't get off my soapbox that our #9 hitter batting .215 has a much higher OBP than the leadoff hitter Revere who is hitting .308. Walks count!
  17. Dantes929
    I agree that Anderson should be gone. I won't mind if Gardy is gone and PM or DM take his place. Mostly I think managers are overrated. Am a little surprised Steinbach hasn't been mentioned more.
  18. Dantes929
    Other Septembers were more depressing to me. May, Santana, Vargas Hicks and Arcia are more interesting that what we have been left with in the past. I know a lot of fans are impatient with the rebuild but I am intrigued by it. In 2011 we were promoting guys that were failing in the minors. Now we are promoting guys who are earning it and that will eventually result in a competitive team.
  19. Dantes929
    What is your criteria for this list since Pino certainly had a good minor league year. Why would Wei Hu not be on your list of potential #1's? What is he missing?
  20. Dantes929
    Funny I am indifferent to what they do with Gardy if they keep Anderson. Biggest rip on Gardy appear to be he doesn't know when to pull pitchers which is a criticism of every manager in the history of the game. If the reliever doesn't do the job then the starter was puled too soon. If the starter doesn't do he job then he was left in too long. Not enough pitchers have had career years under Anderson. Too many have pitched worse than their career suggests they should. Not convinced he is the problem but I don't think he is the solution.
  21. Dantes929
    Kwak "Berrios is definitely ahead of Meyer--and likely several others. Meyer has been moved from "prospect" to "PRAYER" in the player rankings. If he can turn it around--great! But, pinning hopes on a shoulder-injured player who rarely pitches six innings? No, folks this guy is a prospect (at 24!) he is a PRAYER. I hope he makes it-- No, I'm not advocating to "shoot this horse", but I'm not going to bet on him--nor should the Twins. Simply play him and hope (and PRAY)."but the probability as a dependible rotation guy is too long of a shot. I admit I used a little hyperbole to make my point.
  22. Dantes929
    It is amazing how quickly some posters can turn on a player. What exactly was Meyer's crime here? Did he suddenly throw less than 90 mph on his fastball? Was he in charge of his innings limits? Did his ERA climb over 5? If all the angst was due to his possible shoulder injury it would make sense but that really doesn't seem to be the case for people suddenly thinking he has no future. The way I recall it was is that Meyer did not go deep into games because the Twins limited his pitches per game. Going 5 or 6 innings on 80 pitches is not so ridiculous especially when you are a strike out pitcher. I defended Pino and May being promoted ahead of him but also believe Meyer earned a spot before Darnell and Johnson. Is that his fault that he pitched well enough for promotion but wasn't promoted? He could easily have been brought up for a couple starts which along with his minor league numbers would have made a decent progression. The only negatives at all is his walks ( I don't discount that since command is what has sunk May so far) and a little shoulder stiffness during his last start. I don't usually credit the term expert since I don't really believe there are any but are there any scouting reports that have said "Whoops, instead of projecting Meyer as a #1 or #2, we think it is now just a prayer that he can even attain the heights of mop up reliever"?
  23. Dantes929
    Hitting is always unpredictable. Average or better pitching will often stymie anyone's hitting. If anyone was average for us this year it was Gibson but look how awesome he was half the time and poor the other half. You can't discount the Twins at #5 because of who they beat up on. Not only do other teams beat up on those pitchers as well our offense never got to face the worst rotation in baseball. Our offense showed marked improvement in better at bats but they are young so I am hoping for more improvement, particularly from Arcia. It may not be all pitching but it is mostly about that.
  24. Dantes929
    Milone really shouldn't be discounted so much since he does have a pretty good AL history so far. One big contract for a guy like Lester or Shields would go a long way. Its not an easy fix since you aren't comfortable that the talent is ready but don't want to block them either. This year we went with more youth on offense and I would be fine with doing the same on the pitching side even if it means taking a few more lumps but I understand that I have more patience than most.
  25. Dantes929
    Basically, if you do not accept Hicks as an outfielder and don't think Buxton should be counted on then there are two spots to fill. Plouffe was 10th in war this season so while it is fair to not be satisfied it I also obvious he is not the problem. If you think Escbar is a good shortstop then you still put Santana in the outfield for his arm and speed and then you are left with one position to fill. Again, fans that think more changes need to be made don't seem to accept or believe the part about the Twins scoring the 6th most in baseball. Actually, I guess if the don't believe it, technically they would be correct because the Twins are now 5TH!!! The Twins have the worst rotation so really the problems start and end with the pitching and any ideas of blowing up the rest of the team are not founded in logic at all. I have never been a proponent of going big in free agency but this year I do like the idea of going big on one starter for all the reasons stated by Sarasota. If they don't, I do believe May has the stuff to be good and so does Gibson and Nolasco should rebound to at least keep his ERA under 5. The future really isn't bleak unless by future you mean the rest of September. Some guys simply need to step up.
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