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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Paddack won't return anything worth discussing. I doubt any trades are made before next offseason unless the Twins tank and some team in the hunt makes a ludicrous offer for one of the top three guys. Paddack likely has more value to the Twins than another team.
  2. tony&rodney
    Do you have those odds?
  3. tony&rodney
    The increased focus on splitting catching duties means that defense is more important. Teams will sign or trade for catchers to have them ready by February to work with the staff. There are always options even if those options are often cringeworthy at the plate. The Twins will keep pushing to find better solutions and sign players to keep a decent glove behind the plate. It is important to note that the time share has been adequate. The Twins are much more in need of strong defenders in the field who can also bring the terror at the plate. Because catching duties are largely split, we should expect the team to successfully fill the position as needed. BTW, Cartaya has looked pretty decent behind the plate. I'm not ready to toss out either of Camargo or Cartaya yet. As you already know, trading for 2-3 catching prospects was part and parcel of my offseason ideas. However I'm fine with the current setup and what is not known is how other teams value Twins players which makes it impossible to know if another team would ever consider accepting any of Miranda, julien, Lee, Lewis, Larnach, Wallner, etc. for their catchers. It is surely complex.
  4. tony&rodney
    To tap into what Riverbrain has just explained ...... moving pitching prospects like Matthews, Festa, or Morris or even Soto, Hill, or Prielipp would be folly. Next offseason if there are strong, substantial offers it may be possible to envision that one of Lopez, Ryan, or Ober may be exchanged for position help. Any moves would need to return a player that is truly or potentially quite noteworthy, a middle of the order tooled up player.
  5. tony&rodney
    Wallner does have a cannon and he is also pretty accurate. There is a hitch though that still needs further correction. Wallner is pretty slow on his transfer and release, partially negating the arm. In fact, teams that run (Cleveland being one) do not hesitate on Wallner. It is something Matt has to refine to stop guys like Kwan and Ramirez going first to third. Scoring from second base is usually the secondary plus the read of the batted ball by the base runner. Guys thrown out at the plate are usually testing an inconsistent outfielder. I do believe Wallner could improve quite a bit this season in RF knowing he is counted on to be a full time regular.
  6. tony&rodney
    Yes. It looked like Matthews worked in the offseason to refine his pitches. He definitely has more movement this March than he did in AA/AAA/MLB last year. The experience he gained in September was huge. He now knows first hand that he has to be more than a control pitcher to get guys out in the majors. In October I had Festa, Matthews, Morris as the clear next best starting pitchers. Today I would go Matthews and then a toss between Morris and Festa. Festa needs better command but he likely has a higher ceiling than Morris. Matthews has a pitcher's body. The fact that he has improved his stuff and is a control pitcher should help. Still, taking the next step is huge and difficult.
  7. tony&rodney
    This is likely an offseason topic because right now teams are clutching their valuables. Murphy (MIL mgr.) had an interview where he praised Jeferson Quero as "maybe my favorite prospect that's ever been with the Brewers." High praise and I thought Milwaukee might give him up for Brooks Lee and Jorge Alcala. Now we know ... no way. Perhaps October comes and someone will loosen up their hold on catchers. Maybe the Twins just go with a system of veterans until they hit on the next Joe Mauer or remotely close guy. I thought the last 2 years there were opportunities to pry away a good catching prospect but that may have been just impossible. Given that the Twins are not desperate in their current situation I doubt anything noteworthy happens this season.
  8. tony&rodney
    A couple of years ago (2023) Wallner looked really rough in the outfield. I'm not so sure he has made much improvement but I feel like I'm getting used to his play. Either way, if Wallner doesn't mash his time out there will be abbreviated because both of the young guys (Jenkins, Rodriguez) can play outfield. It comes down to the bat.
  9. tony&rodney
    That's exactly what I thought when I watched him last year. After his outing a week ago, I wondered if Morris could possibly morph into a Shane Bieber pitcher as a ceiling. However, anyone who can become a solid #3-5 MLB starting pitcher deserves a nod of respect.
  10. tony&rodney
    Watched Andrew Morris several times last season. He surprises with his fastball and keeps batters off balance on a regular basis. The pitching motion is a little unique and may disguise the pitches to a degree. Hard to know this early if he just has an innate idea of how to pitch or picks up hints from hitters on what pitches to throw. What Morris did yesterday to a pretty decent Toronto lineup squares with what I saw last year. The velocity is good and his cutter is tough for left-handed bats. A key might be if he can improve even more with his command, which is already close to top shelf. The strikeouts rate is good and Morris keeps the ball off the barrel. Like all pitchers, he sure would appreciate better defense behind him. In September last season I was higher on Festa than Matthews and Morris. Now, it is a toss up between the three guys. As a former long time coach i never thought my work (any tips or advice I gave to a player) was exclusive. The player is the one who implements ideas and deserves the credit. All, or at least most, organizations deliver similar messages to their players. The progress made should rightly go to the player.
  11. tony&rodney
    Well, new ownership, new front office people, and fans remaining hopeful. Same as it ever was, Same as it ever was.
  12. tony&rodney
    Don't gamble.
  13. tony&rodney
    Castellano has looked really good .... once in a while. While i won't pretend to know what the Twins will do and I have only seen Castellano on 3 occasions, which is not enough time to make a solid judgment on him, Blewett looked better. I do think the Twins should make an attempt to work something out with Philly but carrying a guy who cannot throw strikes right now seems a little risky. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to keep Castellano until Tonkin is fully ready to return. I'll stay tuned. Johan Santana comparisons are pretty wild.
  14. tony&rodney
    Yes, most definitely, but only from my perspective of watching about 20-30 games via milb.com.
  15. tony&rodney
    Gasper has looked decent at the plate. He is getting a fair number of plate appearances and has been consistently a pest in the batter's box. He gets off some good swings, fights off pitches, and does take a walk. DH is his best position and he could be the emergency wherever player. The problem for Gasper is that the Twins have a utility player, Willi Castro. They also have a utility player in training, Austin Martin, who has looked pretty decent this March. The Twins have an abundance of DH only guys as well. Jose Miranda leads that line and he is a pretty good bat. It comes down to how many DH players the Twins want to fit onto the roster. Gasper has done a solid job of putting his name forward thus far and should be viewed positively in that light.
  16. tony&rodney
    For those interested in any trades with the Yankees, there are a few things to know. Aaron Judge is too expensive and has a full no trade contract. Other than Judge, the only two Yankees worth anything are Jazz Chisholm and Austin Wells. Neither will be traded. The Yankees do not have a single prospect worth discussing, so forget the Yankees unless you think Falvey is laying groundwork for a new job. I don't think so. Forgetaboutit.
  17. tony&rodney
    Ground ball hit right to Ross at shortstop and Lee went for the ball which took away easy force out at third on a ball not hit hard enough to turn two. Small thing. I think if Lee plays third more often he goes to bag.
  18. tony&rodney
    Winokur is really raw and needs a ton of experience, for sure. I watched him quite a bit last year and he was the best shortstop I saw among Twins minor leaguers. His size suggests a move but his athleticism is pretty amazing.
  19. tony&rodney
    Miranda looks like our DH.
  20. tony&rodney
    Before anyone suggests a trade, I want to hear specific names. There is simply not any reason to trade young pitching with promise for anything less than an every day player. Andrew Morris just pitched 3 solid innings versus Toronto's lineup. Matthews, Festa, and Morris are primed to be really good starting pitchers.
  21. tony&rodney
    Julien looked slow on the base hit to his left. Interesting innocent comment by Blue Jay announcer about the Twins not having the money that other teams in their division have making them short a bat. I would expect these guys to know the general range of payrolls, but they don't and so a constant false thread gets repeated enough to be passed along. facts or science are taking a beating in the 21st century. The comment is meaningless in the course of events but I'm wondering when outright falsehoods and open lying will peak and result in a return to sanity. Worried about Varland's location.
  22. tony&rodney
    Love the way Morris moves the ball around. That cutter inside will never see fair territory. Miranda didn't look too interested in catching that popup. I'm hoping for more ground balls to shortstop.
  23. tony&rodney
    Yankee fan post. That is the only thing that makes any sense on the thoughts written.
  24. tony&rodney
    Luke Keaschall is quite an unknown defensively. I have read that he was brutal in college but showed improvement in his first year. he was primarily a DH last season due to injury. I haven't seen him play enough to judge anything about his possibility as an outfielder. The scouts seem to think he could be really good in the outfield but are waiting to see him as well. The last few weeks we may see Keaschall play in the field and then he can show his worth in April in AA/AAA, wherever the Twins play him to begin the season. One to watch though for an outfield spot.
  25. tony&rodney
    Because I watched him play second base. I understand that Spring Training is for experimentation. Gasper can be a 1B/DH. Can he catch? I don't know because I haven't seen him catch. I have seen both Vazquez and Gasper play second base. They are Twins at the position.
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