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Dantes929

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Everything posted by Dantes929

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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..
  9. 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.
  10. 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..
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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?
  15. 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..
  16. Dantes929
    I am certain I am not one of those that mocked you back then but predicting anything like that over two years into the future is mock worthy. How do I go about it?
  17. Dantes929
    I've always liked the underdog and am more a journey than destination guy. Guarantee anything in sports and I probably won't bother watching. Give me 6 seasons of 1 in 10 chance over 1 season of overwhelming favorites anytime. Like I said, others may have a different take. I loved 87 and 91 but I think I hated 1971- 1982 and 1995-2000 more.
  18. Dantes929
    Its pretty much a lock that without Mauer the Twins do not win the division in 2006 and 2009 or get to game 163 in 08. I also believe that the Twins had a chance in the playoffs even though the record ended up being dismal. KC taught us that the difference between going 0-1 in the playoffs and 11-4 might be as little as the other team making a wild pitch in the wrong spot. Twins with a save or two from Nathan might have a much different playoff history in the 2000's. I know my take might be different than others but I thoroughly enjoyed those 9 years where the Twins won 6 division titles and another game 163. They may have had small chance of winning but it was at least as good as the 87 team. If guaranteed a WS in 02 to go along with a guarantee the next 8 seasons would be .500 records I would pass.
  19. Dantes929
    OK, there may be some correlation with strikeout rates and postseason success but I would like to point out that Viola led the 87 team with a strikeout rate roughly equivalent to Kevin Slowey. The best way to succeed in the playoffs is to make the playoffs. Citing 1-12 with Mauer is hindsight. Just because they went 1-12 doesn't mean the odds were they go 1-12. I am sure if you spent enough time on it you could come up with an argument for drafting someone else instead of Morneau or Hunter or just about anyone else. . Chicago could probably make a case for how getting Mauer instead of Prior would have led to a handful of championships for them. Mauer was a huge part of three of the most exciting division finishes in baseball history (1st place in the division, not 3rd place) and can hardly be blamed for not winning the division any of the last 4 seasons so I am not going to spend too much time on alternative universes. . Lastly, I have read over and over again (ok, mostly on the strib pages) about how terrible Gardy was as a manager and how he was responsible for the poor playoff showings. Kind of hypocritical for anyone who has ever agreed with the idea that he was responsible for those results to agree with this analysis. Either he wasn't responsible for those losses or its reasonable to expect that he would have botched it up with Prior as well.
  20. Dantes929
    Not sure if posting videos is allowed but this is a great one.
  21. Dantes929
    Someone correct me with if I am wrong. My memory last year was that the pen did its job quite well or at least adequately until the last month to 6 weeks. In fact the Twins Pythagorean formula said they should have won 4 more games and they were matching that projection until the pen blew about 6 games late in a two week period. At the time I was disgusted but wrote it off to overwork. Few pens can handle their starters giving as few innings and quality starts as the Twins did last year and Gardy liked to switch pitchers a lot for the match ups. More appearances can wear an arm down more than the actual innings might indicate... The best fix for the pen might just be starters that pitch better and longer. My biggest concern about the pen is Perkins. He looked pretty shaky before being shut down.
  22. Dantes929
    Thank you for not putting Vargas on that list. I don't think you can put Collabello's April as a regression candidate without putting his May and July as a counterbalance. Santana is an obvious regression candidate and probably Esccobar as well. Dozier's power numbers will drop probably drop. I don't know why Plouffe's numbers should drop. They are not that different than career average and mark a simple maturation that you would expect in a player. I think Mauer and Arcia are gong to come up big but I am not counting on the offense to be better and do not expect them to be worse. Of course the rotation with many of the same guys can fail again but it doesn't take a Matt Harvey explosion to make a world of difference. Seasons can turn just as much on guys like Nolasco simply putting a 4.3 ERA instead of a 5.3. Gibson with three more quality starts, Santana being half a run better than Correia and May being better than Pino/May of 2014. The staff last year was such that I thought signing Pelfrey was not a bad move. This year there is enough talent and depth that I would consider it a horrible move for anything more than a minor league contract. .
  23. Dantes929
    Most teams that turn things around are littered with players that performed poorly the year before. I am betting Milone, May, and Nolasco will all pitch better for us in 2015 than 2014. I am ok with Nolasco being in the rotation and am hoping May is.
  24. Dantes929
    Ignore development just for a second. Look at their splits last year and tell me that for the current team a platoon isn't their best option by far. Hicks splits make him an ideal candidate for leadoff hitter against lefties. Schaefer is adequate against right handers. If not Hicks/Schaefer then who? Now lets talk development. Against AAA pitchers what numbers would Hicks have to hit and for how long from the left side before you would be convinced he can hit major league pitchers? I would actually like your opinion. Two months above .300? Three months above .290? If he never does you have lost the value he could have given this year when we need it. What do you do if Buxton and or Rosario out play him in that period? I am by no means positive he will never hit as a lefty. I am just skeptical and see value in him as a platoon player even if it is only against lefties and as late inning defense. Send him down now and I predict his future will be as a platoon/4th outfielder anyway. I have been wrong before. Its just that he has shown so little from the left side.
  25. Dantes929
    Nolasco was almost completely in the NL which I believe deflates his numbers. I want May to be the 5th pitcher. I am ok with Santana. I am even ok with Nolasco but I have just always felt Milone was dismissed because he doesn't throw as hard. If after this latest surgery he can get just a couple mph back to where he was at his best I don't think he should be written off.
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