Dantes929

"Here’s the interesting part: When Plouffe did go the other way last year, it was mostly on flies and pops" Doesn't surprise me at all. Much like Morneau, when he was stepping into the bucket trying to pull the ball his bat would drag and he would come off the pitch. Kind of like when a poor golfer tries to hit it to the left and by trying to do so makes poor contact and slices to the right. The fact that he Is hitting line drives to the right shouldn't affect his ability to take inner middle pitches to left. Its a fine line. You don't want to take inside pitches the other way but you do want to take outside pitches there. Likely, last year, trying to pull the ball he pops up weakly to right ending the game in a loss.

"My beef is that there is no Buxton, Sano or even Rosario to read about. Going to be a long season" Along those lines, do we know anything at all about Rosario? Do we even know his physical location?

Reminds me of when a poster complained that Morneau always hit well early in games but then failed late in the clutch. Almost too mind boggling to argue with. Would he prefer that Morneau get 2 RBI in later innings to tie the game over failing in the late innings that was tied because Morneau got 2 RBI earlier in the game. Or did he think Morneau shoud be getting his RBI late in the game as well as early in the game putting his RBI total for the year around 200. Likewise with Mauer. If you think his .322 average is a result of getting a lot of hits that are meaningess do you think he should stop getting those meaningless hits in order to hit meaningful ones or do you really believe he has .450 ability but just chokes. Anyone who thinks he has always been a choker should look at what he did in September in three of the closest pennant races in baseball history ( 2006, 2008, 2009).

I agree that there is no clutch gene but do acknowledge that there are players that choke. Clutch to me means a player performs to his capabilities under pressure. That doesn't mean he won't strike out against Rivera but that his odds of pouncing on a mistake by Rivera are the same as they would be in a less tense situation. Puckett's and Jeter's (as well as Mauer by the way) stats in late close or tied games and in the playoffs are similar (but less probably due to better pitchers late) to their career stats overall but they were both really good hitters. One would think from all the comments in the Strib article that Kirby got a hit in every clutch situation especially the World Series. Does anyone remember how close that series was? Every at bat was a high pressure clutch situation. Kirby didn't hit .500 that series where everyone thinks he put them on his back. He hit .250. But Liebrandt hung a slider and Puckett owned the Series. This isn't to take anything away from Puckett. He was awesome. Just to put things into perspective. I think its awesome that Walker can perform well under pressure but if he is truly taking it up a notch then it begs the question of why can't he hit that well all the time.

This team would compare much better to the 87 team but most closely to the early 80's teams. Anyone that says they saw a world championship developing from those teams is lying or living in a hindsight world. 1990 did have good talent even from being in last place but Morris and Knoblach probably weren't worth 22 wins and Vegas still put the odds at over 100-1 against. There is a huge difference in results from several guys having good years vs. bad years. Hicks hits .280 instead of .200. Florimon hits .245 instead of .220, Plouffe hitting 25 homers instead of 18. Mauer playing and hitting well for 160 games instead of 130, etc, etc. can make a much bigger difference than just one guy having a monster season.

Sale is tough but the rest are hittable. If they can at least get off to a quick start they can maybe at least play with a little confidence instead of pressing. Being mediocre and playing with confidence is a world of difference between being mediocre and pressing.

You are clearly being sarcastic and on the surface I can see why but dispute the premise with specifics. Who should we have brought in and what should we have given up to do it? Who should we have signed and for how much and how long? The only idea I have put forth has been we should have traded Sano for one of he top 2 shortstop prospects who may have been as much or more major league ready. I also put forth the idea that Drew would have made an improvement. Small improvement yes but still an improvement. None of the other guys thrilled me. What specifically should the Twins have done? I am ok with relying on Sano at 3rd very soon, Pinto at catcher, Hicks, Buxton and Rosario in the outfield and Arcia at DH within the year. The Twins have relied on their farm system in years past and it has never looked this good before. Should the Twins not have relied on Hrbek, Gaetti, Burnansky etc., or Hunter, AJ, Jones, Morneau, Cuddyer and Santana? Again, I would love to have improved the offense but who and for how much specifically? Without putting names and faces to the question it is as absurd as those saying in years past that the Twins needed to add a couple aces to the staff as if they are in plentiful supply. I was never optimistic about this season because I never saw any short term fixes the Twins could have made. I will watch because I want to see some players step up to give me optimism about the mid and long term so Buxton, Sano and Meyer will have a good supporting cast when they do arrive.

I didn't really care for the quote either but the rest is unfair. On a horrible team Diamond was 12-9 in 2012 with a 3.54 ERA. Statistically this put him in ace territory and put him above such guys as Scherzer, Darvish, Lester and Santana just to name a few. Of course the Twins are going to give him a roster spot in 2013 based on that performance. Any team in the majors would do the same much less a pitching starved team like the Twins. Rule 5 should not be held against him. He got the chance and performed. That fact that he hasn't since then is probably partly due to injuries. I have no problem with him being sent down. I would have no problem with him coming back if he earns it.

I am really rooting for him not so much for what he can contribute for this year but to prove we can rely on him for the future. An outfield of Hicks, Buxton and Rosario could truly be elite defensively. I never really appreciated elite outfield defense until I saw a series at home against the Rays a couple years back. We lost the series instead of sweeping it because we didn't get to balls we should have and they got to balls I thought they had no chance at. What a difference it makes! There will be games where there are 2 or 3 extra base hits that are turned into outs. When Denard Span moved to right field a few years ago he showed the impact of having speed in the corners as well as center field. I can definitely see Hicks being a superior corner outfielder.

One of my favorite memories is my dad chipping golf balls to my brothers and I and the neighbor kids and playing 500. I also spent hours throwing tennis balls against our wooden garage door. I and at least 25 close relatives (dad and his siblings, my brothers, first cousins and there kids) have played town ball. I have been on several championship teams and noted my joy at winning the city championship in 7th grade was as great as winning the state championship in high school. I have often thought that winning the WS would be no more joyful. They are all awesome. What they all had in common was that my teams were not expected to win any of them so I guess its why I like the underdog so much. To me the greatest joy in sports is when you beat teams with more talent by simply playing better. Its why I enjoyed the WS Twins so much and why one of my biggest disappointments as a Twins fan was losing game 163. I know the odds weren't great in the playoffs but I can always imagine a team getting hot and going on a miraculous run. I have never really cared for winning when the odds were heavily in our favor. I truly believe that there was more joy in Minnesota in 87 and 91 then there was ever in New York when the Yankees won. I want the Twins to win with guys we watch through the system rather than just buying the 3 best free agents each year. I guess that's why I defend the Twins philosophy on spending so much while also being disappointed about the boneheaded trades moves they have made in the recent past, few of which have anything to do with money. I will watch Hicks, Meyer, Buxton, Sano, Rosario and Stewart with great anticipation and if they fail I will watch the next group with great anticipation. Hope springs eternal.

I am guessing it is true of a lot of teams. There are probably others but the only team I can think of that has great representation of home grown is San Francisco. I think they had 4 of 5. None of them flame throwers by the way. Bat missability doesn't have to be with 96mph fastballs and pitching to contact did work to the tune of two WS championships. Pitching to contact should not mean throw meatball down the middle. Unfortunately for the Twins recently, it has meant that.

And yet I would trade Kubel for Konerko in a heartbeat.

Pinto DH's and Suzuki gets hurt so Pinto has to catch and then a pitcher has to bat. I hate to be that guy but we might have pitchers that can hit just as well as a couple of our batters.

Remember how last year offense wasn't going to be a problem with Morneau another year past concussion, Willingham coming off career year and Hicks ready to break out. That's the way baseball goes sometimes. Maybe this year is the year Hicks breaks out, Parmalee and Hicks turn it around and Coloabello catches up with the speed of major leagues and replicates his minor league numbers. I am not all that optimistic but having success in the past does not guarantee success in the future and failing in the past does not guarantee failure in the future.

Geez, what was the point in signing Kubel to a minor league contract if he was guaranteed to make the opening day roster? Just to soft sell it to Twins fans? What other teams would offer Kubel a major league contract?

That is a great point. I also hate the phrase proven anything. It can be proven that Kubel was a worthwhile player at some point in the past but it can also be proven that he hit .216 last year. I was not opposed to signing Kubel and there should be no downside. Send him to the minors and let him "prove" there that he belongs. I believe it has already been established that he is willing to do that.

But Pinto batting second makes a little sense. Suzuki batting 2nd does not. 1st two guys should be all about OBP.

Pinto would be a better choice for 2nd spot. .351 OBP in minors and .398 in majors last year. Not a big fan of Escobar but he sounds like leaps and bounds better than Florimon right now. A week to go so its not essential to make any decisions right now but if Florimon continues to look bad why put him in a position to fail. I will say again that people should get over Hicks bad year last year and also the idea that he can't bat leadoff. Hicks, Dozier, Mauer, Willingham, Plouffe, Arcia, Colabello, Pinto, and Escobar would be our best lineup, imo.

Prior posts notwithstanding I am ok with Hicks batting leadoff. Part of his problem last year was facing two of the top guys in the major leagues to start the season and losing some confidence. If he faces Sale this season at least he can do it right handed.

Its not more about who would be hitting in front of him. Its COMPLETELY about who hits in front of him. Span and Hudson hits in front of him then fine. Just Span hits in front of him. Fine. I am actually suggesting that Suzuki and Florimon bat in front of him. Just in the 8 and 9 spot. There is no reason to give .290 OBP guys more at bats. There is every reason to give .400 OBP guys more at bats.

The ONLY reason not to bat leadoff is his speed. Who wouldn't want a .406 OBP guy with gap power leading off? Who wouldn't want their best hitter getting the most at bats?

Rare occasion where spring training is used to earn a spot. Ideally this does happen rarely. I would have thought they would stretch Deduno out more. I wonder if this was actual midrange planning. Since they tend to give the rotation plenty of starts (Worley was given 10 last year) to prove things one way or another I wonder if their plan is to make Meyer the first option to replace a failed starter. I hope they all pitch so well there is no place for Meyer but my bet is on Correia. I am hoping it is not Hughes or Gibson.

I've never really cared for Plouffe as a player. Defensively, its not just the range, its the lack of intensity or ferocity. I have seen hard smashes at him where he turns to the side and tries to field it like a goalie. I have seen in between hoppers where he hops back with two feet as if he is afraid the ball will hurt him somehow. I just believe to play great defense at third you have to be a little accepting of the ball hitting you in the chest. Offensively, he just appears to be able to hit waist high and middle in. However, if we can take his public comments at face value I really like his attitude and am pulling for him to be successful. Down the road if Sano is the real deal that won't necessarily mean there will be no place for Plouffe. DH, 1st base and outfield should all be options.

Water under the bridge but I think the mistake all along was to let Hicks try switch hitting. At best his splits as a lefty against righty are probably similar to what his right vs right would have been. We will never know but I never saw any real benefit to the switch hitting unless it was to work bunting for hits into the equation but we haven't seen any of that anyway.

"Is it Gibson by default? To this point, no one has seen that one coming. " I know the place from which this comment comes but it obscures the fact that Deduno has done quite well but hasn't had the chance to go 5 and the fact that, thus far, Gibson has earned the spot.