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
    I am just wondering how many times people have watched McCusker play? If you haven't watched him on numerous occasions you are not familiar with his skill set. His age is totally irrelevant. In fact, one could see his age as a plus because his maturity is something the Twins need on the roster. We know how reticent the Twins are to using position players within their organization who were "finds" or drafted in the lower rounds. This is not true in their view of pitchers. Rolling out the retreads and high draft choices who are less athletic than McCusker or Eeles is a sure recipe for a repeat of 2024. Change needs to happen. If the Twins are not going make several trades, they need to find other ways to infuse the team with talent. All I expect is that the guys mentioned receive the same shot as the retreads already on the 40 person roster.
  2. tony&rodney
    .... and a year later he turns 28. The Twins need players, age shouldn't be an issue. I don't know if McCusker is actually the guy the franchise is looking for but there isn't any reason the Twins shouldn't be giving him a long look in Spring Training. McCusker was quite impressive last season.
  3. tony&rodney
    Correa may be one to count on. Royce? Not so much. Please tell when Lewis has been a decent fielder? He last had a full season of at bats in 2019 and had an OPS of .661. It seems a little pollyannish to expect a full productive season on both sides of the ball from Lewis if he is at third base. Similar to how the Twins need to plan for someone who can actually play centerfield, Lewis remains a question mark until he can show production beyond spurts here and there. I guess we can hope for the best, which I do. It just doesn't sound like a plan.
  4. tony&rodney
    Dobnak will always be there if everything collapses. He has been a good teammate in St. Paul.
  5. tony&rodney
    If you guys are talking about Carson McCusker, he is 26. Read this: https://zonecoverage.com/2024/mn-twins-news/carson-mccuskers-2024-season-is-defying-everyones-expectations/ Payton Eeles and Carson McCusker were two of the more interesting players in the Twins minor league system this past season and certainly among the top five most exciting to watch. No reason to be skeptical of talent just because it was bypassed for reasons beyond their control: one player is seen as too short and the other as too tall. If you are talking about someone else ..... never mind, lol.
  6. tony&rodney
    If the numbers are real, which none of us really knows, the owners of half the teams may vote to lock out the players. The number of teams bringing down their salaries below the average seems to be on the increase. This postseason has to some extent highlighted the disparity between the haves and have nots. Oh well, I guess this topic is pretty worthless anyways. It's just big business.
  7. tony&rodney
    Agree wholeheartedly that the Twins need to find a way to replace Santana. Yet, one must understand that the budget will be somewhere from $120-140M. If the team, as is, comes in basically on budget, who is available? How can the Twins add a FA bat? Looking at available free agents, I see Teoscar Hernandez, Anthony Santander, and Juan Soto. That's about it. I guess a gamble on a Yoan Moncada or Randall Grichuk or Tyler O'Neill is possible. However, back to the budget .... how do the Twins fit one of these guys into their number crunch? Half of MLB comes in below $150 million for payroll, How do the Twins add a bat in free agency?
  8. tony&rodney
    MLB has had strikes before but the fact that the Yankees can roll out Soto, Judge, and Stanton with salaries that eclipse numerous entire teams (including Cleveland) signifies a chasm that means a prolonged strike after the current CBA expires. Cleveland gave it all they had, and I admire how the Yankees manage to bring rookies and DFA'ed players along, but the financial gap between teams is growing once again. I understand that people were frustrated or angry with the Twins ownership but baseball is careening towards a crisis with its imbalance among how funds are distributed. Rozelle identified that without other teams to play there is no league and that success must include significant sharing of resources. I thoroughly enjoyed the games in Cleveland and hope there is an interesting World Series. The glean of the series cannot erase the fundamental imbalance in MLB. Without a salary cap and floor, the game will continue to decline in interest across the country. Yes, I will still be all baseball but the rise of the WNBA and other sports with competitive and balanced competitions will win favor with the population. Kudus to Soto, Judge, and Stanton for their performances .... and to the Guardians for giving every last ounce.
  9. tony&rodney
    Festa is high on my list as well. Nice read.
  10. tony&rodney
    I also read that Lewis was less than enthusiastic about playing second base. However, this may have due to his injuries. Second base requires more movement than third base and his body was not up to it. I can appreciate that Royce Lewis still has the tools to be a productive MLB hitter and he really seems like he would like to be a star. I hope he reaches his goals. I have watched Lewis play quite a bit over the last several years. Yes, he has had debilitating injuries that have clouded his performance and other such reasonable excuses. However, Royce has become a very big dude and his flexibility, reflexes, and speed will not be returning to 2020 Royce. The Twins need to move past statues as infielders. I'm a little frustrated watching Julien, Martin, Farmer, Lewis, Miranda, and Kirilloff types turn a ground ball into a base hit. I admit that my patience has been stretched. It may be too early to judge Brooks Lee and Willi Castro is a good utility player. Lewis has a chance to develop as a first baseman and free up the bat to play every day. Certainly, the Twins should be having these conversations and many more internally and with their players too. Falvey is on the clock. No amount of crying over spilled milk (budget) will matter if the Twins repeat their deserved fourth place AL Central position of this past season. I'm not interested in rolling it back again and hoping for good luck for the Twins and bad luck for all of Cleveland, Detroit, and Kansas City in 2025. I'm looking for proactive moves that push the team forward in positive ways. If Royce Lewis is to be on the team next year, he fits best at first base imho.
  11. tony&rodney
    The main reason the Twins need better team speed/ athleticism is because way too many ground balls leak through the infield and fly balls find the grass in the outfield. All of the stats in the world cannot disguise what is a team with little range defensively that winds up forcing the pitchers to continually get more outs than their opposing pitchers. There will need to be some changes, likely through trades. Rolling back the same outfit .... well, you know what is said about trying the same thing over and over.
  12. tony&rodney
    Hoping for Cleveland to come back. Torres and Stanton have been better than expected, even if we know they are experienced veterans.
  13. tony&rodney
    It is interesting to read how people view the possibilities for first base for next season. Seems like both of Miranda and Kirilloff could be good at the plate but it is generally agreed that they are less than stellar with a fielding glove on their hand. Something tells me that the Twins DFA Kirilloff, yet I'm in favor of using the duo as pinch hitters and at DH, with only occasional time in the field until they show some improvement. Royce Lewis is my first base guy. It is his best opportunity to stay healthy, get his bat going, and make a case for a larger salary in the future. With some work, Lewis could be a decent fielder at first base.
  14. tony&rodney
    This is on Falvey and has little to do with ownership. If the budget calls for a number and Falvey chooses the $5M and $7M guys instead of an $11 guy and a minimum MLB salary to fill the bucket, that reflects directly to the PBO.
  15. tony&rodney
    I'm not sure how this popped back up but we can see that none of these teams are looking for shortstops unless they are given away for a low price or to play another position. Arizona has a gem in Perdomo, who was injured a bit this year. St. Louis has Masyn Winn, strongest arm in baseball perhaps. San Francisco has broken in Tyler Fitzgerald with some good luck. Boston will have Trevor Story back and Ceddanne Rafaela is wiz at both SS and CF. Los Angeles Angels have Zach Neto, who they like enough for now. Correa is a Twins a while most likely. Of course, anything can happen but it would be a big surprise if the Twins could trade Correa. Best bets, if the team looks to reduce salaries, are Paddack, Jeffers, Kirilloff, Castro, and pitchers making more than the minimum. Buxton, Correa, and Vzquez would be difficult to trade. I don't think the Twins need to shed salaries.
  16. tony&rodney
    Should have been specific about new purchases. I was aware of his former buy ins at decent prices.
  17. tony&rodney
    One would think that Chicago, with its large market, would have more long term potential for financial gain. Chicago is a rambunctious sports town and there is a ton of money to support any team. I do agree that the Twins have a better roster, milb system, and stadium. I don't mind the South Side park at all but Target Field is really quite a nice place. What is the price for each team would be a big factor in who finds either an attractive investment. It seems like the high prices today make buying a professional team a hobby or splurge, which is easy enough for the wealthiest of people. I imagine Bezos would hardly flinch at paying $1.5 billion for a team and not care if the team made or lost money. Then again, business folks are in the habit of making sound monetary decisions most of their life. I guess one could say that buying a sports franchise could be akin to purchasing an island, ranch, or other seemingly senseless expenditure. I doubt we will see Warren Buffett cast an eye towards sports.
  18. tony&rodney
    Interesting article, for sure. I'm choosing to believe that the signing of Carlos Correa was meant for positive reasons. It wasn't clear then if the Twins had to pay as much as they did, but Correa plays a very good shortstop and can hit. Perhaps the undoing of the roster has more to do with how Falvey views baseball, talent, and the way to put together a roster. Correa still has value and people do emerge from plantar fasciitis without complications or reoccurrences of the problem. I guess we shall see how Correa does next season.
  19. tony&rodney
    The idea of rostering Miranda and Kirilloff has value but counting on them to be starters is not a solid plan for a winning season. I would rather be pleasantly surprised by both of them becoming outstanding hitters as DHs and role players rather than entering the season relying on them. The Twins have their first baseman on the roster already and he has some promise on both side of the ball if he works at it. Royce Lewis is my first baseman unless he can return a pitcher like Logan Gilbert. Lewis is too stiff to play the other infield positions and his arm is erratic. Yes, he could work to improve but I'm more interested in starting the season with someone who can make the plays behind the pitchers. The pitchers suffered enough last season with defenders who couldn't quite get to this ground ball or that pop up. It is time to use guys who convert the outs into outs.
  20. tony&rodney
    Pretty much a great example of why the site, for all of its efforts, is merely for entertainment.
  21. tony&rodney
    The problem with poor defense is that fly balls that any decent outfielders catch fall, some for extra bases and combined with all of the ground ball outs that manage to elude our infielders .... well, no pitcher can escape undamaged from that mess. An average defense with a good offense can be ok, but it is rare when an offense can overcome horrid defense. Of course, some believe that the Twins defense is ok. I can't spend any time contradicting that thought. I know I date myself badly but I keep going back to those Twins, Dodgers, Orioles, and A's teams of the 60s and early 70s.
  22. tony&rodney
    Yes, I watched him pitch at least ten times. He is inconsistent but talented. I would put him on the 40 person roster because the upside is there. Youth often need experience and failure is a part of baseball and life. I guess he might be a little bit of lightning, so good and bad. Nowlin might be the type of guy to be the perfect #8 reliever, used when the team needs innings.
  23. tony&rodney
    My initial thoughts of who to add to the bullpen include three of these pitchers: Nowlin, Raya, and Prielipp. I'm not sure if any of them begins the season on the roster but each has definite value. Nowlin looks really good in short stretches and he has good stuff. Both Raya and Prielipp are potential starters but will need a couple of years to build up their stamina and repertoire. Each already has pitches to get outs in the pen though and seem like possibilities for being added to the roster by August if all has gone well for them to that time.
  24. tony&rodney
    Welcome to Twins Daily. One example of the difficulty of this type of trade was when the Twins traded Luis Arraez to Miami for Pablo Lopez and two minor leaguers. A team has to feel/think that their strength in a position (1B/2B/DH in the Arraez example) and need in another (SP in MIA-MN trade) makes a trade worthwhile. For sure, it is a move that teams make with an abundance of caution. These trades are a gamble by their very nature, but also necessary to move off of a point of mediocrity. The Twins are sort of in that position right now. Add on .... people will no doubt note the irony of the Twins feeling that there was depth galore at first and second base.
  25. tony&rodney
    I'm pretty positive towards the pitching as well, I believe in both Matthews and Morris as potential starting pitchers who can give the team competitive innings. Hopefully the top five are healthy and productive leaving the minor league guys to gain more experience in AAA. Bullpens are always tricky and very unpredictable. The performance of Weaver for the Yankees is an example. Relief pitchers can be found in any number of ways: trades, inexpensive FA, waiver wire, and young starters getting their feet wet in the bullpen. Core guys? We may disagree on this area. Correa and Buxton are clear positives, provided they are actually on the field. Vazquez can still provide some value with his glove, despite how sporadically his bat works. The remainder of the roster has potential at the plate but is very weak defensively. The difference between Twins defenders and the players trotted out by the opposition is more apparent in person than on TV. Speed, reads, jumps, and decisions are all below average at this point. My bias is as a former pitcher. Expecting our pitchers to get an additional out or two every other inning creates problems. The Twins pitchers were #2 in strikeouts this past season. This will be difficult to repeat meaning the defense must improve or the team needs a top three offense, particularly in late and close games. Improved defense is a must. My frustration with Falvey grew when he bungled his opportunities last offseason. It doesn't makes sense to look back, so I try to believe that a few changes this offseason can provide some hope for a better roster. Returning the same roster and players to the same positions and hoping for a vast improvement doesn't seem like a plan to me. It is unclear what value other teams see in any player on the Twins current roster, but Falvey needs to comb through ideas and potential moves and take a chance or two. In November, Twins Daily will put up their offseason roster blueprint and by then people will be able to make their guesses. I'm hoping that Falvey does way better than any of us.
×
×
  • Create New...