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Dantes929

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Everything posted by Dantes929

  1. Dantes929
    The actual quote was "the first time he came up he was swinging at everything". Doesn't necessarily mean that is what he was doing in the minors, His BB and SO rates were much better in the minors. He was probably just too anxious when he got called up and then when things weren't going well thought he needed to hit home runs to justify being in the lineup. Process vs results. I would rather see him have good at bats and have his homers clear the fence by two feet than a lot of chasing with an occasional moon shot.. His minor league numbers indicate he is capable of hitting for average and power. The best analogy I have is the golf swing. When the mechanics are right the swing is consistent, powerful and effortless. When trying to hit long I might connect every once in a while but generally it is a lot more effort for less distance.
  2. Dantes929
    "The clamoring you hear is no longer about putting Meyer in the Twins rotation, it’s about putting him in the bullpen. For now, though, the investment in Meyer as a starter will continue, and rightfully so" I never understand the concept that walking a lot of guys is a less damaging thing as a reliever. . Meyer's start is discouraging but that is all. The light can come on any time and as far as I am concerned he should always be just 3 good starts in a row from being a good option for the Twins. The three good starts might never happen and might just be 2 weeks away.
  3. Dantes929
    I may be too focused on this element but in my opinion if Hicks could hit from the left side like the right side he would be with the Twins right now so really the most important stat is how he hits from the left side. If he hits .500 from the right side and .200 from the left side fans will be calling for his promotion but just setting him up for failure again. I guess what I am trying to say is that when he has a good day maybe you can mention if he is facing lefties or righties. Occasionally give us the splits also please.
  4. Dantes929
    If Dozier has a good year it will make him and his contract even more attractive to other teams. I am guessing it would be Dozier rather than Polanco that would get dealt. That is with the assumption that Polanco is at 2nd base. With Dozier and Escobar playing well and Santana's good year last year and Polanco and :Gordon coming up it looks like what used to be a big offensive weakness will be a strength. Wish we could send a couple of them back several years to replace Everett, Punto and Casilla.
  5. Dantes929
    Sometimes these things are a blessing in disguise. First of all it is quite conceivable that Pelfrey outpitches what Santana would have done anyway or at least come very close. 2nd of all it could end up with May and maybe Meyer up sooner. Gardy won Manager of the Year in what I always considered to be his worst year of managing. He made moves he was forced to due to injuries...moves that worked out...moves he should have made anyway but never would have if the injuries hadn't forced his hand. I could easily imagine a similar turn of events here.
  6. Dantes929
    Ceiling is 1st place and floor is last place with the latter being more likely than the floor but I watch because of the possibility of the former. The following is what keeps me from predicting ranges. After a 79 win season in 2007 I am sure the 2008 consensus for ceiling would have been 75 wins and the floor would be 65 wins. After all, how can you expect anything but worse when losing your all star centerfielder and Cy Young pitcher? After a 94 win season in 2010 I am sure the 2011 consensus for ceiling would have been 96 wins and floor of 86 wins. After all we only lost Hardy who was always hurt anyway, we were getting Japan's best hitter and we lost LNP who everyone said was the worst starting player for any team ever.
  7. Dantes929
    I think his OPS against lefties is a symptom of his efforts to pull everything and pull it a long way. The 68 homers is not earth shattering but the .917 OPS kind of is. I didn't see a lot of him in the early years but the not so distant past I would have thought steroids likely. I would think if he made the same contact as he did in the minors the homer total would be a lot higher than 68 just because of his build and strength right now. Step toward the pitcher and go with the pitch. Does anyone think he can't hit it out of any part of the park with his swing and build?
  8. Dantes929
    I am hoping that the light bulb goes on that what he was doing in the minors worked better than what he has done in the majors and that he falls out of love with the tape measure shots and settles for 10 feet over the fence. .280 with OPS of .860. This is the guy I expect to have the greatest improvement over last year with possible exception of Mauer. If he can just tone down the swing a little bit I think he is a difference maker.
  9. Dantes929
    I have no problem with saying that as long as there is reason for it. I would never give up on the season before it started and I believe there is reason for some optimism. But if it goes south I will look forward to next year.. I am in it for the long term and enjoy the process and know you do also in a similar if not identical way. NEXT year will eventually come just like it has in the past. KC was saying NEXT year for 28 years before it paid off. I don't think 4 losing seasons in a row are any reasons to think it will take that long for us.
  10. Dantes929
    I have no idea but would be interested. How often have the conditions on these variations been met? In 2012 who were the players that were burning it up in the minors that did not get promoted? As I pointed out we were promoting guys that were very so so in the minors just to get bodies due to injury or just to get poor performers out. It has been a significant turn of events that the last two years the guys that have been promoted have actually done well at the lower level. Last year I respected giving a shot to Pino because he deserved it. May could have been a couple weeks earlier. What is wrong with the sentence? It requires May, Berrios and Meyer to throw great. If May throws great I think May will be up in May, Meyer in June and Berrios in August. Its not like I am rubber stamping the Twins decision here. I have been for May all along. I just don't see a constant pervasive blockage of talent over the years..
  11. Dantes929
    For a period ending in 2010 the Twins had a pretty established veteran core. The only help they got from the minors that I can recall were Casilla, Valencia and Garza. There are probably more but I also don't recall any others that were banging the door down to get there. Then in 2011 and 2012 the Twins started promoting all sorts of people that were doing poorly in the minors. This makes me wonder about the timing and the criteria of the study you referenced. What has been encouraging to me the last year or two is that we have been promoting guys that have actually been doing well in the minors. Rosario did not have a great year after missing 50 games. I had no problem with the Pino promotion because he was pitching great. I think May would have been promoted earlier but for his calf injury. Meyer is the only one I thought has earned a promotion over the last several years that has not been promoted and that was more from the Twins being over protective of his arm. Who else has been pushing to get promoted? We had a horrible farm system in 2011 and that was transitioned to a great one in 2013 mostly in the lower levels and we have started to see the transition and hopefully will continue to do so from a great system to a great team. If Meyer, May and Berrios are all throwng great in July and the Twins rotation are all sitting at 4.5 plus I will share other fan's disgust.
  12. Dantes929
    OK, We can talk Meyer and May endlessly but I believe if May has a good month he will be back up. Probably take two good months for Meyer. Who else should be given time with the Twins? Polanco? in place of who? Sano and Buxton? After missing 2014 for all practical purposes I would not bring up either at this point and I don't think you would either. Rosario? Low average and zero walks this spring doesn't scream promotion to me but yes I would prefer him to what we have in center now. Fans act like the Twins never promote anyone but Gibson, Santana, Vargas, HIcks and Arcia were hardly slow tracked. I said all along that if they just included May in the rotation I would be happy and if they platooned Hicks and Schaefer I would be even happier. So essentially I am not happy but that is just one move. Not an all encompassing lack of moves.
  13. Dantes929
    Late start due to flu. Build up stamina, do well in the minors and he will be back up in May. This is not a road block. Its a speed bump.
  14. Dantes929
    I get the arguments against but they just don't speak to me. We need a 4th outfielder anyway so the non starter for the game either pinch hits for the other late in the game or moves to a corner to replace Arcia or Hunter for defense. It makes way more sense that the strict platoon at an infield spot. Hicks has shown very little competency from the left side (.185 career avg and .272 OBP. That's right. .272 OBP) and respectable numbers from the right side. (.410 OBP in 2014). Any spot in the batting order can expect to see between 200 and 250 plate appearances against left handed pitching but of course with pitching changes that will be reduced a bit in a platoon system. Sill, I see a lot of value in 200 at bats and late inning defense. I don't see a lot of value in sending him to the minors where he may or may not show enough competency to hit from he left side to be promoted and even if he does it will be on nearly the same time line we would want Rosario or Buxton to make the jump. Yes, Schaeffer and HIcks will both get some at bats from the other side but in a platoon you are maximizing their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses. It seems like half the fans want to just give up on him and get rid of him for nothing and the other half want to send him to the minors with the assumption (imo, assuming way too much that he will prove he can hit from the left side in just a couple months. I just think there is middle ground here that is valuable. I hope I am wrong, that he comes north and has an all star career. If I am right he will fail again in the majors or go to the minors, not hit from the left side and they give up on him thereby losing what value he can give at a time they could use it.
  15. Dantes929
    I am not so down on this group. First of all 2011 was a freak year with injuries and we had a lousy farm system. 2012 was about finding the answers to all the question marks 2011 created. 2013 was the first true rebuilding year and if you look at the roster then compared to now it really is pretty different and but for some injuries that could happen to anyone we would likely be seeing Sano and Buxton by now also. I guess I just have patience especially when I see good things around the corner.. I continue to be confounded by no one else seeing the logic in a Hicks/Schaeffer platoon until Buxton and Rosario are ready. All it would take for me to be excited would be May making the rotation though as has been pointed out many times, the Opening Day roster will not be the roster set in stone for the rest of the year.
  16. Dantes929
    Regression by Santana is almost certain but don't see any reason Vargas can't put up those stats again. He was very hot and then very cold last year ending with stats below his career minor league numbers. Mauer and Arcia are reasonable progression candidate. How many games did the Twins play against above average pitching last year? I don't think opponent's pitching got magically better. Detroit and KC both lost top pitchers so if anything it probably got a little worse but mostly I am guessing the pitching they will have to face is not significantly better or worse than last year.
  17. Dantes929
    I am not convinced Hicks will ever hit major league pitching from the left side. What would you consider necessary for him to hit as a lefty in the minors to call him up in June? Would hitting .280 convince you he is capable of hitting .260 in the majors? What if he only hits .250 as a lefty in the minors? I doubt that will convince anyone he can hit .250 in the majors and rightly so. If he does not bat .280 in the minors and next years outfield is Buxton, Rosario and Arcia then you have wasted his best commodity of platooning against lefties at the time of 2nd most need. #1 need MIGHT be in a pennant run where he comes in as a platoon guy but what are the odds of the Twins being in a pennant run and that is assuming that Rosario or Buxton don't already own the spot. Besides which the best odds of them being in a pennant race in the first place is for the players to be used optimally and I don't know how anyone can look at the splits and say the best short term answer for center is not a platoon of Schaeffer/Hicks.
  18. Dantes929
    I am intrigued by Pelfrey and his "new" arm. He is the same height as Meyer and Randy Johnson so the same issues about control and maturation should apply to him as well. I always thought he had plenty of stuff to succeed. I am intrigued by Milone but think his ceiling would be what his career has been which is decent for a 5th starter. Intrigued by those guys and will root for them if they start out the season but am excited about May and will hopefully root for him for most of the season. Anyone see Pelfrey pitch this year? I take it all back if he hasn't picked up the pace.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. 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?
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
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