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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Whether it was the hip or being blown away by the Omaha Cubs pitcher in two at bats, Buxton looked like a gummy was in order. Hope he feels better today.
  2. tony&rodney
    Santana and Vazquez are the two Twins who can play average to average plus defense. I don't think of either as elite. The Twins need Correa at shortstop and Buxton in centerfield. This allows Castro to be a second baseman or better yet a utility player and Lewis can DH more often until such time as he can learn a position. It is somewhat fair to say that the Twins have not done Royce any favors in his preparation for a defensive position.
  3. tony&rodney
    ???? Safe or you just don't want to go to games? Where are you safe? I'm in my 70s and walk around The Loop area after a game. Good restaurants too. It is as safe as anywhere else in Minneapolis. If you were safe in 2019, you are safer in 2024.
  4. tony&rodney
    All of these guys portend to be decent hitters. This is what the Twins look for in the draft - hitters. What is missing within the Twins organization is players who can play above average defense. I think an athletic player might learn the craft at a position but this requires the Twins to identify a specific spot on the field for their prospects. We see the results from Austin Martin and Royce Lewis of where players are who spend their time in the minors at a position that they can never play at the major league level.
  5. tony&rodney
    Keirsey Jr. has continued to play well and deserves an opportunity to crack an MLB roster. Carson McCusker keeps hitting the ball hard. He hit a rocket to right field for his only out. While there are long levers and a huge strike zone to cover, McCusker has made continual improvement all season on staying away from flailing at sliders. He is a must watch right now. The Iowa Cubs starter, Birdsell, was really good last night and was spotting his pitches well. He ate up Byron and Emmanuel with precise pitches and good velocity. The incident with Buxton may have been in part due to how overmatched Buxton was against Birdsell in his two at bats. While the home plate umpire should have walked up the third base line after Byron struck out, Buck over reacted. There was fault both ways. It was a good game to watch.
  6. tony&rodney
    Can't get my head around a team that is built solely to hit the ball with very little attention paid to defensive acumen or experience and zero interest in either running or stopping the running game. Falvey put together the roster to mash opposing pitchers. Yet, the Twins have continually played the infield in to cut down runners at home, even early in games, and had less than stellar results with that strategy. Extra outs, particularly combined with the below average defense that allows balls to creep through the infield and fly balls to drop, will inevitably result in big innings. Meanwhile the Twins are struggling to hit with runners in scoring position. Perhaps Falvey and company might consider where to focus strategy during their November meetings.
  7. tony&rodney
    Might be a good time to remember that the Twins were expected to win somewhere near 85 games this season. It is a long season. The number of days missed by key players has been pretty substantial and the disappointment of a few that the Twins were counting on for production should be notable. If the missed days and poor performances were known most would agree that a .500 record could be seen as fair. Yet, the Twins are going to meet their projection and if (if,if) Correa and Buxton could actually play for just two weeks .... the division is still possible. Look around baseball and there are difficult stories for many teams.
  8. tony&rodney
    Send Buxton to Kansas City tomorrow and let him watch a little blues at one of their fine music venues tomorrow night. I watched the game and Buck didn't look too hot.
  9. tony&rodney
    Varland was part of the problem with his poor defense and then made some good pitches that turned into sloppy fielder's choices before he just let the Rays get crazy. The Twins need Carlos Correa at shortstop and Byron Buxton in centerfield. It shows almost every game. The game is designed for three outs and major league players are really good. When a team gets more than three outs, expect ugly. Keep Varland on the roster. He threw 59 pitches tonight and should be ready for a short stint (1-2 innings) by Sunday. Agree that Louie is well suited for the bullpen.
  10. tony&rodney
    In other news, Byron blew a fuse and was ejected by the home plate umpire. Apparently, minor league baseball is tough for Byron. Time to bring him back before he winds up suspended. It takes a long time to learn every single position. The basic movements are pretty automatic though at a young age, younger than Lewis.
  11. tony&rodney
    In the first inning Royce went to cover second base on a base hit to right field. Um, that has zero to do with playing a new position. Right now, Lewis is strictly a DH. I want Lewis to be a superstar or even a good player, but i can't help but remember all of the grief Julien has received playing a much better glove. And no I'm not calling for Julien.
  12. tony&rodney
    Perhaps you are missing the fact that Varland is pitching with a very substandard defense. Maybe if the plays are made, the offense could continue it's problematic display. Don't blame the pitching , no matter the outcome.
  13. tony&rodney
    So Julien sits, Lewis plays 2B, and Jeffers is DH versus a RHSP. The Twins are asking plenty from their pitchers with their defense. Hopefully it all works out and everyone hits the ball to open spaces landing in the grass or in the seats beyond the outfield walls.
  14. tony&rodney
    McCusker and Winokur are two big athletic guys who hit the ball really hard. Both are an at bat worth watching.
  15. tony&rodney
    Last season I opined early on that Wallner had good speed and a pretty good eye at the plate while improving as a fielder. Those comments only returned piles of down votes, scorn, and sarcasm. Now that Wallner has been resurrected in the minds of Twins fans it is worth a reminder that he is still learning. He is not an excellent outfielder, but rather one who is still learning and close to average. He has become much better at reads and catching the ball on the run. A big weakness, which I traitorously shared with a NL base coach friend last season, was Wallner's slow transfer of ball to throwing hand; you could run on Matt last year. This has been effectively cleaned up and now his arm is actually very useful. I think the Twins should consider one of two options this offseason, one of them could begin now: 1) let Wallner play a full season (150+ games as a starter) to see once and for all what the guy can do on both sides of the ball against all pitchers .... or 2) find a team acutely in need of a power left-handed bat who has a really good right-handed bat/glove/wheels to exchange in a trade. I don't think #2 happens and I can't think of a guy right now. If Kepler is less than 100%, the time has come to just slide Matt Wallner into RF and into the middle of the lineup to see what ensues. There are 24 games left. I'm hoping he gets 100 more plate appearances by October.
  16. tony&rodney
    While I would be both flabbergasted and pleased if the Twins just put Emmanuel in the lineup, it is not going to happen. It would give us a very good outfielder. There is a ton of angst and angry words piled on Rocco for playing this guy or that guy as opposed to someone else. While I don't actually necessarily agree with the style of baseball the Twins choose to play, the options are few. This is a team most likely going to the playoffs. This is the team Falvey put together. If one reads the comments, these players should not play at all: Julien, Farmer, Martin, and Helman. Many have stated many that Vazquez should rarely play and certainly not pinch hit for Larnach. MLB dictates the maximum number of pitchers at 13 and 14 in September. Who fills the backup positions if the Twins cut those guys who should never play? Or, do the Twins only use a catcher, Santana, Lee, Lewis, Miranda, Larnach, Castro, and Wallner every day? I'm hoping you get to see EmRod hit a few of his patented laser shots. You should put your thoughts down in tomorrow's minor league report too. Have fun. I will watch the game on milb.com.
  17. tony&rodney
    Festa pitched really well. I sure hope he can continue this for another 4-5 starts this month.
  18. tony&rodney
    Kepler and Buxton are out. Correa is out. Santana is the only decent fielder on the team. Falvey makes the decisions on the roster. He put the team together. Even the lineups and strategies are discussed between front office and manager. This is why Molitor was not kept on as a manager. If you want to see athletic teams, watch Kansas City or Cleveland. The Twins have a plan and it is to put offense on the field. One can likely tell from my tone that I would prefer some decent or fair defensive players but as a fan of the Twins since 1961, the Twins are my team. The players are doing as much as they can and the system of carrying 13 (now 14) position players means that subs play. Nobody on the team that hits is tearing it up. The subs that played tonight (Jeffers, Farmer, Lee, Martin, Castro, Helman, & Miranda) need to be better. Wallner, Larnach, Julien, and Vazquez each had a chance. It is what it is. If the Twins score 4-5 runs they will win most of their remaining games. If they cannot hit, we get tonight. Festa was brilliant. It is rather remarkable that the Twins are getting these good starts. Tomorrow it will be Louie Varland.
  19. tony&rodney
    We all want the Twins to win 162 games this year. The prognosis was somewhere from 82-88 if things were good. Looks like the Twins will make that mark and they have been without Correa and Buxton a fair amount. Losing Ryan and Stewart also hurt. Even with the highest payroll in the division, the Twins are a little shake on talent when they don't hit. Both Cleveland and Kansas City are more athletic and the Twins are holding their own. It is the players who produce.
  20. tony&rodney
    ?
  21. tony&rodney
    Did I miss something? Rocco didn't watch a fly ball drop or make any fielding errors or strike out. The Twins are struggling with position player talent, not managing decisions.
  22. tony&rodney
    The bats are a problem. The pitching has been good. Festa did not give up an earned run tonight. The bigger problem is that if Falvey rosters a team that is below average defensively and never runs, the team needs guys to hit every game. The Twins do not win low scoring games. I believe one all season.
  23. tony&rodney
    It doesn't make any difference. Correa has a NTC. Ok, there have been examples of players who had a NTC but accepted a trade to a team and received some additional benefits. Who has ever had 4/$128 M contract that was traded? What team would entertain trading for Correa given the medical information and the contract? Nobody will give you a thumb down or dislike because your suggestion/thought is irrelevant. The Twins determined that Correa was worth a large contract and everyone signed. It doesn't matter. It is in the past. Reality is that Carlos Correa has a contract and the Twins hope for the best. When Correa is healthy, which is a shaky thing, he is a fine shortstop and decent hitter. You wrote that in your second to last thought too. We all need to just forget the contract and enjoy whatever contributions come our way when Correa plays.
  24. tony&rodney
    Some of us would like Kepler back but there is no way Max returns in 2025. He is ready to move forward in his career and as a FA it will be his choice. I have been a Max Kepler fan since he came aboard. I wish him well.
  25. tony&rodney
    St. Paul will be interesting to watch with McCusker, Rodriguez, and Severino in the lineup as well as tuning in when Andrew Morris takes his turn.
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