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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Good job writing up all of the positions. Opening the post one expects to see names like Miranda, Julien, and Larnach but we also know that France, Jeffers, Wallner, Gasper, and more are better bets at the DH position than in the field. We also expect that both Correa and Buxton will have days at DH. There must be some funny/odd discussions among the coaches when it comes time to field the lineup. The Twins have good pitching. The team will need their hitters to score enough runs to overcome the overall weaknesses in the field.
  2. tony&rodney
    Thank you.
  3. tony&rodney
    Prospects are future assets. In the age of the internet teams like to hype their prospects and sell the future. Every Yankee and Dodger prospect is, of course, a potential Hall of Famer. It is pretty harmless. Paying too much attention to words spilled on a prospect and even to all of their minor league stats doesn't tell the full story. If you watch a player enough, the good prospects stand out from their peers. All prospects need to prove themselves in the majors and do it repetitively before they are identified as stars. The Twins have a number of players who have talent and several may make a name for themselves beyond simply wearing the uniform at the MLB level. A fair assessment of how difficult it is to measure an organization's strength would be the Twins varying from #8 to #20 among the 30 clubs according to various folks assembling their ratings. All I know is that it is interesting to watch minor league baseball and see the young prospects play. I would get too worked up over the grades of this team or that team.
  4. tony&rodney
    I think that statement might be crazy or naive. The Twins have not, to date, played players based on their defense and potential. That is just not the way Falvdelli rolls based on 2019-2024. The Twins want their position players to hit. All of Jeffers, Miranda, France, Lee, Castro, Julien, Martin, Gasper, Lewis, Larnach, and Wallner are average at best but it is fair to say they are below average defensively. Brooks Lee has a good glove, hands, and arm. He is also slow, which means he actually doesn't get to balls as a second baseman that Castro or Martin grab and he doesn't move laterally as well as Julien either although he is smoother on fielding and much quicker on transfers along with being more accurate on his throws. Lee would be a good third baseman. While I'm fine with Brooks Lee starting at 2B, it is anyone's guess who actually starts the year and plays in April. FWIW, I don't think the Twins know yet.
  5. tony&rodney
    If the Twins are sold (that is an if) you won't have to worry because there will be a whole entire new management team from top to bottom. The new guys will find your catcher. Patience.
  6. tony&rodney
    Will they have more value after a year at AAA? I was suggesting that the time to trade Julien, Lee, and Miranda was in the past which I advocated each of the last two years. I might be the only guy who still thinks Austin Martin can play at the MLB level.
  7. tony&rodney
    That's old school.
  8. tony&rodney
    So if Eeles is at second base, where do Brooks Lee and Edouard Julien play? Keaschall? Oh, Austin Martin?
  9. tony&rodney
    Was it rash to mortgage the house and put it all down on a bet?
  10. tony&rodney
    Spotlight on front office for not capitalizing on trade value when it coincides with multiple players capable of playing the same position (2B - Lee, Castro, Julien, Martin, Gasper, Keaschall, Eeles, etc.). Somebody took the offseason off. The other viewpoint is that the Twins were interested in a Spring Training competition. JK.
  11. tony&rodney
    Is there video on the game today. Matthews has a nice line.
  12. 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.
  13. tony&rodney
    Do you have those odds?
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. tony&rodney
    Well, new ownership, new front office people, and fans remaining hopeful. Same as it ever was, Same as it ever was.
  23. tony&rodney
    Don't gamble.
  24. 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.
  25. tony&rodney
    Yes, most definitely, but only from my perspective of watching about 20-30 games via milb.com.
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