Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

tony&rodney

Old-Timey Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    10,283

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    87

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Luke Keaschall had his best game yet at the plate. Carson McCusker hits the ball really hard. He did whiff his last time up, swinging a little too hard. I think he wants to hit it over 120 mph, like Jac Cagliaone.
  2. tony&rodney
    Yah, i should not have commented. I'm a slow learner, but out now.
  3. tony&rodney
    You have zero credibility if you are choosing either of France or Gasper above Julien for second base. Just in the last few days Edouard has made a number of plays that neither of them could ever even attempt. France is a first baseman FWIW and Gasper is a DH and emergency player at multiple positions. While I have never met Julien, he clearly has hurt you in some way. Get well and wish the Twins well.
  4. tony&rodney
    Maybe you didn't see the play. India ranged far to his left and deflected the ball. It was a routine 6-3 play for Bobby Baseball. FWIW, his first hit was also on an error but after a long deliberation it was ruled a hit. God bless Mickey Gasper. He was one of Falvey's big trades this winter so he has to get his at bats for a while. Seems like a humble, hard working guy and I hope he goes 5-5 tonight. We all will cheer him on, but I don't think any other teams are calling about him.
  5. tony&rodney
    Using the current roster, who would you suggest the Twins use at second base?
  6. tony&rodney
    The metrics are largely fictitious to me. Why? Because there are many instances when I am watching a game where a routine ground ball or an easy pop up or a fly ball drop which results in runs. The official scorer rules "no play" if it was in foul territory and most commonly awards a base hit if the ball is in fair territory. This has most often gone well beyond what would be a normal play for an MLB player. Since this occurs with such frequency in games I actually witness, it makes it difficult to know what goes on in the games I don't see. I get the fascination with numbers and this is just my response to what seems like an unfair tilt against pitchers and in favor of poor defenders. There was some conversation related to how often balls drop in the outfield with an adequate fielder versus a poor one just before the season started this year. Some people suggested it occurred once or twice a week at most. Just for kicks, I charted a few games. A couple were Twins games and three were other games not involving the Twins. It was in the first week, so weather may be seen as an excuse but 3-5 hits were awarded in each game. I gave up keeping track. Even in minor league games you can see some obvious doubles that should have been F9 (fly out to right fielder). I understand others see plays differently but pitchers must tear their hair out at times. Maybe not the Twins pitchers though because they throw the ball around pretty commonly. Oh well, let's get those bats going and score 6-10 runs per night.
  7. tony&rodney
    Julien and Royce Lewis were my choices to trade after the 2023 season. My goal was for the Twins to maximize the value of these two players. Alas, much of the value is now lost. I'm not giving up on Julien as a useful player. We should have an answer by June. Agree with your thoughts. Does the author know that a number of people on Twins Daily cannot sleep at night knowing Julien is still on the team? When I saw this article I laughed because it surely triggered a few guys. I'm not sure how Gasper became a darling or how Julien became the whipping boy. The best were several comments blaming him for decrepit play at second base the other day when he wasn't even playing second base. BTW, this has happened several times. Julien is living in people's heads. The Twins could sure use some good batsmen.
  8. tony&rodney
    Personally I see no future in trying to understand whatever Baldelli is thinking. Mostly, I also attempt to stay away from second guessing him as well but pulling Ober was something beyond acceptance.
  9. tony&rodney
    Festa will need to be sharper with his pitches tonight than he was in his last outing for the Saints and he is sure capable of a very good start.
  10. tony&rodney
    I'm an old man. When I go to a Twins game these days it is either people wanting to go with me because they know I have been an insane fan since 1961 or I go alone. The games with other people are free. When I go myself I buy a standing room only ticket. I don't usually drink or eat anything. When I go to the movie i buy a ticket, Dots, popcorn, and coke. So Twins games cost me less than the movies. Oh, parking. I almost always find somewhere free but have paid $10-12 to park. Safety? I feel as safe walking around the North Loop as i do walking around Lake Harriet or walking around St. Cloud or Rochester. Des Moines, Iowa is scarier to me than Minneapolis. I live in the sticks where I might see my neighbors once a week. Safety is pretty much an internal thought. Warehouse district? I remember when I delivered steel trusses to the galvanizer shop in the 1970s. Target Field isn't surrounded by warehouses or I am totally oblivious, which is possible. The Twins compete for entertainment dollars. Weather, an exciting team, and creative marketing will bring in crowds. My youngest son and many of his friends go to a number of games every year with friends. They have a good time. My son played high school baseball but has never listened to a game on the radio or watched a game on TV that I have seen or heard. If you asked him who Gasper was, he wouldn't know. Marketing, good weather, and an exciting team will bring in the fans.
  11. tony&rodney
    Unless Ober told Maki or Baldelli that he was finished, it is simply folly to construct veins of excuses to remove Ober from the game. Ask yourself - is Ober a max effort pitcher? Does his velocity create outs? If you answer either of those questions with a yes, you have created your own excuse. My experience watching Ober is that he thrives on pitch selection mixed with hitting locations. Ober is easily capable of 100+ pitches, especially when one considers the weather. It doesn't make any difference if Ober was going to face the top of the lineup a fourth time. He was totally in control of the game. The Royals hitters were all happy and energized when they didn't see him walk out to the mound for the 7th inning. There was no data on yesterday's game when the decision was made to pull Ober. I have enormous confidence in the bullpen. The Twins have a good pitching staff. The offense is not producing runs and most of the bats are feeling for the ball unsuccessfully. None of that has anything to do with pulling Ober at 73 pitches in a game he totally controlled. Now I will repeat the caveat of whether Ober said anything to Maki or Baldelli. Did he?
  12. tony&rodney
    Austin Martin went down in a heap after reaching for his hamstring and hopping for a few steps. He was in quite a bit of pain and had to be helped off the field. We should wait for the report but it sure looked bad.
  13. tony&rodney
    Carson McCusker is looking good.
  14. tony&rodney
    Apparently, Baldelli explained in the post game press interview (did not see) that Ober was not used to getting up and down that many times. Ok? My reaction was ... wow. I will say that i have a ton of confidence in the bullpen, but Ober was cruising with 7,8,9 due up. I'm a little surprised that Ober didn't say something, but maybe he did. I'm sure that would stay in house as it should.
  15. tony&rodney
    Festa is pretty good and looked fine in his last start. The Twins think an extra day helps both Paddack and Woods Richardson, so it will be Festa tomorrow instead of Matthews on Sunday. I guess we shall see how this plays out, but we are wondering quite a bit lately. Still haven't heard any notion of why Ober was pulled in the middle of his game today. Is he injured? You do not replace a dominant pitcher after 73 pitches unless there are weather or injury concerns. Personally it seems like a change may be warranted but then one has to realize it is early April. There is a huge pile of baseball left in 2025. The sluggish start to the long campaign doesn't necessarily require dire actions. One might say there is not any reason to get all crazy and nervous before June. How many teams replace their front office and manager in early April? Still, the jogging on the bases is a definite cringe. Sure hope Detroit brings in some pitchers who throw the Twins batting practice. Maybe we get to see Zebby Matthews next Monday.
  16. tony&rodney
    Was there any official word about why Ober was lifted so early in the game when he was rolling along so easily?
  17. tony&rodney
    Good weather and winning baseball will help. Agree that the team seems to be poorly marketed.
  18. tony&rodney
    I'm not much of a fan of sports other than baseball as far as tuning in often. Sometimes I wonder if those people who are big football fans struggle with the long baseball season. Baseball has plenty of failure where even the superstars go 0-10 and the best pitchers get hit around. Combine the length of the season with the expected inexperience of young players and especially those in the minor leagues and it is easy to see folks looking for change and seeing faults in the prospects. Whatever, I just wonder about that sometimes.
  19. tony&rodney
    This is what I was wondering as well as I watched Andrew pitch last night. He was facing a lineup that has had a considerable number of MLB plate appearances though. He did have a number of swings and misses and seemed to strike people out when he needed it a couple of times. For sure, Morris still needs to be a little sharper with all of his pitches, but he has not been scored upon in either ST against MLB players and in his first two starts for St. Paul. Keep an eye on him.
  20. tony&rodney
    True I do know that, but when did Martin ever play an entire week of games for the Twins? What is his role going forward? Do you think he has a place?
  21. tony&rodney
    True. There will never be an answer though or it doesn't seem like there will be. We have watched Bobby Witt Jr. play every play like it is Game 7, sprinting full out every single time and diving headlong on the field and on the bases. He plays with more abandon than anyone I can recall and yet he has over 2,000 plate appearances in 3 season of games. He plays every single game. Meanwhile some of the Twins (and other players on other teams to be fair) routinely jog on the bases. We see players go faster on home run trots than they do in live action when they could be going first to third or second to home or running out a routine ground ball. Comments are made that the players must reserve themselves and avoid injury. I actually no longer question the effort. And yet, there is Bobby Baseball making everyone else look OLD. Injuries happen is my conclusion.
  22. tony&rodney
    Matthews has been uber dominant and it is almost certain he pitches versus Detroit this coming Sunday. Morris has been very good. He keeps the ball off the barrel and controls the plate appearances. My sense is that Morris is emerging as a talent but still behind Matthews and Festa. Morris looks like he is just getting by on either deception or control but then he blows hitters away with a 95 mph fastball. Morris is fun to watch pitch. Speaking of barrels .... nobody hits the ball harder than Carson McCusker. He had an absolute rocket single to left field and catapulted a 98 mph pitch for a home run. McCusker is not a polished outfielder but covers a ton of ground with his long strides. He made at least three catches routinely that would have fallen with Severino out there. In Severino's defense, it was a little ridiculous to put him out there. Emmanuel Rodriguez covers center really well and had a few hits. He has been struggling. Keaschall looks fine at second base but is missing his pitches at the plate and went down looking a couple times. Brooks Lee had his best swing that I have seen from him this year, a single off the wall. Lee is so slow, but he is looking healthy. Rodriguez was trapped between second and third because Lee didn't score from second on a long single. Cody Lewis must be a nightmare to hit against. Nearly all of his pitches are between 85-89 mph, but the batter gets anything from a fastball to a knuckleball with sliders, curveballs, and a changeup in there as well. He was pretty solid. Austin Martin is working hard to make a case he belongs with the Twins. A beautiful throw again last night and he has played a strong left field. At the plate Martin has been a tough out. I'm not sure why the Twins are down on Martin.
  23. tony&rodney
    Most people could care less who owns the team. Who owns the Texas Rangers? The Twins could actually increase attendance and wins by playing a better brand of baseball. Good weather and winning helps draw people to the games. It is probably too early in the schedule to make predictions or pronouncements concerning the 2025 attendance, but the total numbers do make a difference when October rolls around.
  24. tony&rodney
    Shohei Ohtani is the most famous, Juan Soto the highest paid, and Aaron Judge the most ferocious slugger, but if I'm picking a team I pick Bobby Baseball #1. Witt Jr. is the most exciting player in the game. His sprint from home to third and subsequent dash home last night was electrifying athleticism. He had third base stolen and then got up and nearly turned it into a close play. Who else is all out on the chopper back to the pitcher and the hustle against all odds back to second base? He has a motor like Kirby but hustles like Pete Rose. Bobby Witt Jr. is a must watch player. I find myself keeping an eye on Royals games to catch his plate appearances. It has been fun to watch the Twins compete against Jr. What a player. He and Elly De La Cruz are something splendiferous.
  25. tony&rodney
    I understand having hope that the Twins are changing some things such as base-running. However, they are not. Larnach, Vazquez tonight in Kanas City, Brooks Lee and Camargo tonight in St. Paul are just the latest examples. Is Larnach still having problems with turf toe? He never really runs at close to the speed of prior years and he wasn't swift at any time. I hope he avoids further problems because the Twins need his bat, but oh my, he is slow or really hurt.
×
×
  • Create New...