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Dantes929

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Everything posted by Dantes929

  1. Dantes929
    Mauer is proof that top prospects DO make it. He is also proof, along with Nolasco, E Santana so far, Morneau, and countless others that When it comes to free agent signings and contract extensions, there are no sure things. To sum up yours and my positions, when it comes to baseball, there are no sure things.
  2. Dantes929
    I am surprised the Quality Start stat isn't better. It is better than the last two years but not significantly. Hurt a bit by Milone with 1 our of 5 and Nolasco who is 1 of 7. Gibson, Pelfrey, Hughes and May all doing ok so am hoping either Milone gets it together or Santana replaces the Nolasco/Milone spot.
  3. Dantes929
    Is that for the starting rotation? Does that mean the fielding has been better than average this year?
  4. Dantes929
    Hitters slump. They will do better than bat .119 because they are all better than .119 hitters. Mauer's problem isn't the shift IMO. The problem is not squaring up the ball. Its missing pitches he used to hit for line drives. The whole team is slumping but that can change in a matter of days. I agree if Mauer continues to bat like he has then he will be a big problem. Best current option is to plug Polanco into the lineup. We need a spark.
  5. Dantes929
    Speaking of TK, he batted Knoblach 2nd right off the bat his rookie year. Puckett also led off when promoted. I could probably list dozens if not hundreds across the majors who thrived when put at the top of the order immediately. Hicks failed but that doesn't mean Buxton would. I don't even believe Hicks failed because he was mishandled. Sometimes it is just up to the player. Sometimes it is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I remember Valencia tearing up the league his first season but also thought that getting a few infield and seeing eye hits early was probably the difference in getting him to relax. I think it is possible Buxton would do just fine but am more in favor of giving Polanco an extended look.
  6. Dantes929
    But I am not debating it. I value OBP more than most but I agree he is bad compared to other !B. What I am saying is that he is better than all but 3 others in our lineup so he should be batting in the top 5. That's the part that mystifies me. He is one of the worst batters at his position but nevertheless obviously one of the best hitters on a team that is 4th in runs scored.
  7. Dantes929
    What you say is pretty much true but you are really handcuffing a lot of people if you take away cherry picking. Go to your favorite site and compare Mauer to the other players on the team. I really don't know how they scored so many last year and just as mystified this year. Really looking forward to Buxton, Sano and Polanco getting here with their talent so that numbers might start making sense again.
  8. Dantes929
    Is it over a year? Mauer led the team in OBP last year like he does every year. Would not surprise me in the least if he does again this year. You can debate the value of OBP and whether or not he should be in the # 3 spot but if anyone gets leeway it is still Mauer. His OBP the 2nd half of last year was .397 so if you were looking for an answer to the question mark the answer is no. I will be happy when we have a lot of guys that should obviously be in the top 5 spots ahead of him. That day just isn't here yet, IMO
  9. Dantes929
    I still believe Mauer will get it going at some point. Escobar's playing time this year was earned last year just like Santana but that leeway should come to an end. Escobar appears to be over swinging. As always people want Mauer moved down in the order without any really good options offered up. Take a look at Baseball Ref and look at the OBP and tell me Mauer isn't the best option. The only guys ahead of him are also in the top 4. Mauer will get better but even if he doesn't someone else needs to improve to replace him. Free Polanco and it might fix a few things.
  10. Dantes929
    That was actually a kind of funny comment. I would say by definition a Cy Young candidate on a good day does well against anyone. Its not really a weakness. Aside from David Price I have been really happy with how the Twins have done against other team's top pitchers
  11. Dantes929
    Dancing and team unity and chemistry are all very good but they are probably a result of success as much as a cause of it. Hunter's influence didn't seem to matter much until he hit 3 run homers to back it up.
  12. Dantes929
    Different kind of mess. He was just a couple starts back from a month long injury when promoted and was obviously very nervous. I had a lot of faith in him due to a 4 month stretch of very good pitching and the horrible start followed by better outings did nothing to shake that faith. He was my pick to click this year If he had that performance preceded by the 6.49 minor league ERA that Meyer currently sports there would have been no reason to have faith in him in the first place. As I have said before Meyer does not need season of May like dominance for me to believe he might be ready. but he does need a few good games. Minor league performance is still the best indicator of major league readiness, IMO.
  13. Dantes929
    Extensions are a mixed bag. Doesn't seem to have done any harm to Dozier and I could probably find cases of Morneau, Mauer (the first time) and others working out fine. In general I don't like doing it based on one year especially when it is likely the same deal could probably be done the following season at similar amounts even if the players repeat the good year. Mauer, Blackburn, Suuki, Lamb, Harris and on and on are examples of he bad side but there are good examples as well. It was my biggest issue with Mauer. Even if the Twins had waited a year to extend and he had another great year he was at the top of the market so there was just no good reason to do it except to get publc approval for the stadium. Ok, that was probably a pretty good reason but people forget that real quick.
  14. Dantes929
    May was extremely good in the minors last year before hurting his calf later in the season. He could have been called up right before the injury and I think he would have been fine. No way to know for sure but I am guessing if he had been called up before last year when his walks rates and ERA in the minors were high he would have been a mess in the majors. IMO he and Meyer are apples and oranges. Saying May improved his control in the majors is first of all misleading but then to extrapolate and say since Meyer is also struggling with control promoting him will cure it is very shaky logic. (post hoc ergo propter hoc?) May earned his promotion with a sub 3 ERA last season. I thought Meyer earned a late call up as well but certainly has not earned it since. I have no problem with promotions based on merit. A walk per inning in the minors is not a result of working on other pitches. It is just having really bad control. May's kinks were not worked out at the major league level, but rather as pointed out a long and steady improvement at the lower levels.
  15. Dantes929
    Its all small sample size. I have the same response I had to the analysis of Gibson. They said he was really lucky to be so successful given his very low strikeout rate. I said he was really unlucky that his strikeout rate was so low. Same kind of case here. I think the Twins can hit much better than they have overall which will put them in high leverage situations more often where they will definitely regress. in their % of production which may or may not lead to fewer runs.. I don't think the Twins are a great team but I haven't really been that impressed with the other teams either. They are playing good ball and rarely beat themselves anymore which is a really big thing.. Just hoping to avoid a sweep in Boston.
  16. Dantes929
    "and yeah, the current team probably won't win it all". That can be said of just about every team every year. Every year some teams have better odds than other teams but when was the last time the odds were actually in favor one team winning it all? I would always take the field against any one team's chances. 87 and 91 teams were both well over 100-1 against winning it all. Every year I just want September games to be meaningful and love it when they make the playoffs because countless teams have showed us anything can happen if they do. I enjoy the journey much more than the destination. There's always next year is not a negative phrase to me. Next year has its own drama and potential.
  17. Dantes929
    I also believe the concussion had the biggest impact on Joe. If not for that why would it not be reasonable to expect his production of 5 years ago? I believe he has career average years left in him. I also think he has an extended hot streak in him this year.
  18. Dantes929
    Whenever I read scouting reports about him it makes me wonder why he isn't higher on the prospect list or even just pitching in the majors already. Great control, touches 95, 4 pitches with command. Again, it always makes me wonder how long it would take for Blyleven to reach the Majors in today's game.
  19. Dantes929
    I do like Molly. Always have and I never really cared all that much for Gardy but I don't really think there is that much between the two. After 25 games I read that someone thought the Twins were 3 or 4 games better with Molly. Of course there is no way to tell but I am pretty sure that even if a manager made a lot of dumb move and another made a lot of smart moves it wouldn't account for that much. Some dumb moves work out and some smart moves fail. If you pinch hit Nick Punto for Derek Jeter in late innings in high leverage situations a 100 times Punto would get a hit 25 times as opposed to Jeter's 31 times and not all of those would mean the difference in the game. If you teach Pelfrey a new pitch that makes him a 2.7 ERA guy rather than a 4.5 ERA game it will make more impact. I am simplifying obviously but the concept is why I think the coach has more influence. I am fine with Molitor even if they do lose another 70 games.
  20. Dantes929
    It has been fun to watch but again, mainly because of the pithing. If our 3 or 4 runs scored in the first 3 innings ended up with 4-3 losses because we didn't score after that we would be looking at scoring early from the viewpoint that we can't score middle and late. Still gets back to pitching and timely hitting. Gardy and Anderson had nothing to do with Pelfrey and Nolasco being hurt but does Allen get any credit for Pelfrey picking up a pitch and most of the pitchers emphasizing the changeup? Gardy did just fine when his pitchers were throwing quality starts and his offense was hitting .290 with RISP. He did fine to the tune of 6 division titles in 9 years. IMO managers are mostly overrated. I didn't give him a lot of credit when he was winning so it seems just to not blame him much for the losing seasons. Just seems like the batting and pitching coaches and injuries have much more impact. Like I said Gardy was regularly lambasted for playing infielders in the outfield last year and he didn't have 4 guys that could play there like Molly does. Pelfrey holds the lead so the 2nd inning misplay is not what the focus is on. How often did Pelfrey or any of our pitchers do that last year?
  21. Dantes929
    Not to beat a dead horse but how many times with Gardy at the helm did an infielder playing the outfield misplay a fly ball that cost us a run and our pitcher then shut out the other team the rest of the way for the win. I am guessing zero times. For that matter how often did we get 5 quality starts in a row or have Pelfrey go 4-1 with a 2.76 ERA under Gardy. I like Molitor but still think the credit thus far goes to our pitching coach..
  22. Dantes929
    Trading top prospects can make a lot of sense and is not at all like rearranging deck chairs. If we have a good third baseman with a top prospect 3rd baseman waiting in the wings with a perceived weakness at SS and someone else has a shortstop they like with a top prospect waiting in the wings and a perceived weakness at 3rd base it can make all the sense in the world to make a trade. Houston might not be the right partner and shortstop might not be our biggest need with Polanco coming up. Blake Swihart at catcher? Maybe it is best in the long run to replace Ploufe but he is finally pretty good and I am not anxious for a similar 3 year arc to polished 3rd baseman for Sano. .
  23. Dantes929
    Would Sano and Danny Santana or maybe Nick Gordon get Carlos Correea? Houston looks like they could use a third baseman. I would rather keep Plouffe and have an uber prospect at short than uber prospect at 3rd with Santana at short, much as I like Sanana. Lindor or Russel might also be attractive.
  24. Dantes929
    I like the guy and obviously he is capable of great things. In ERA last year there were 2 Dodgers and 3 Nationals ahead of him and overall he was 14th in the 15 team National League. Twins had a borderline ace in Hughes last year and some guys pitching well this year so far but like I said. I don't like the labels so much. We just beat up on Sale twice. Is he an ace or not? Aces get beat and non aces can pitch like aces. I would bet money on the ace. Its self evident but there is more to the game and there are only so many that fit the bill anyway.
  25. Dantes929
    Yes, I would agree with this example but rather extreme since only one pitcher in the majors came close to that 21-4 stat. Playoffs or no you would rather have aces but aces or no everyone gets beat and every year a #2 or 3 guy pitches like an ace. In half of his starts in the last two years Gibson has given up 1 run or less. Get to the playoffs. I don't mind taking my chances with guys like him. Some years it won't work out so well and some years it will.
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