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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Really? Between SWR, DF, ZM, PL, BO, and LV the Twins are getting good starting pitcher.
  2. tony&rodney
    The owner who died.
  3. tony&rodney
    Julien has cratered to say the least. It is worth remembering that he did start the rally the night before. The guy created a significant store of confidence last year, yet he has been chipping it all away this season. It sure seems like Julien is reaching a crisis point. He takes strike three on pitches 2-3 inches out of the zone on a regular basis, which is an odd event due to its frequency. If every umpire is wringing up the dude on those pitches he needs to adapt or his career is over. Maybe on two strikes Julien can use the Luis Arraez gentle tennis racket swing to lob one into left field or foul off the pitch. Last year I defended those takes as part of his game, but the shift this year is overwhelming. There have been several dozen calls similar to yesterday's take and waiting for the umpires has become pointless. Julien is on the clock with his positive attributes fading if he doesn't get it together. Baseball is tough.
  4. tony&rodney
    My disappointment with Kirilloff is related to his physical condition. I have been one to believe strongly in AK due to his sweet bat displays for the Saints. I don't know what his goals or plans were for this season nor do I know how he prepared from November to March for the 2024 season. I do know he looked bigger/thicker, was noticeably slower, and seemed to struggle at first base and in the outfield. While the Twins have focused solely on hitting among their position players, they do expect preparation and improvement in other areas (fielding, running, throwing). Whether the bat plays in the future or not it is tough to roster a guy who cannot run the bases or put a glove on his hand. Alex is still young enough to turn around his career. I doubt this occurs in a Twins uniform.
  5. tony&rodney
    The Twins have been playing hard, winning games with players out of position, missing, and riding rookie pitchers. Correa and Buxton are critical to the defense because it allows Castro to slide over to 2B or LF. The team is a near certainty to blow past all pre-season expectations despite missing Correa, Buxton, Lewis, and Ryan for chunks of the year and dismal showings from Julien, Kirilloff, and Paddack. Baseball is such a long season that it is common to have surprises, some of which will be unwelcome. I would suggest the Twins are showing more positives. For those who cringe when Louie Varland takes the mound, remember that he went 6 innings of 3 run ball recently. Yes, there were some hard outs but as we saw yesterday with Lopez, that's baseball. Varland will get a couple of more starts and I'm confident in him. When the 7th inning rolled around yesterday, I told my nephew that the Twins needed two more runs because it felt like three games and 6 innings of bad luck for the Rangers might turn in a flash. That's baseball too. While I expected Thielbar in the 7th because four of the next six due up were left-handed bats and then Richards because he was the most rested, I do not second guess the call for Alcala because he has been lights out for opponents. The pent up frustrated outs from Rangers bats found the openings. After all of the long outs and line drives in four games it is fitting that the Rangers win on soft contact .... because that's baseball. San Diego is a big test because the Padres have been rolling until the just completed series. They hit, field, run, and pitch at a solid level and come into the game with a near mirror record to the Twins. Let's hope the bats were packed and that our two rookies can pitch well and that Ober throws another quality start.
  6. tony&rodney
    .... if Tony Oliva never was injured, if Kirby never aged, if Dean Chance was still throwing no hitters, .... "if I had a million dollars, I'ld be rich" .... well, old song so not rich today but if. If Joe Mauer played his entire career at first base, he would have won 20 Gold Gloves by now to go along with his 17 batting championships and have well over 3,000 hits. If he had played third base, shortstop, etc. ..... yes, Joe Mauer would be in the Hall of Fame.
  7. tony&rodney
    Baseball is a numbers game and Kirilloff has been mediocre in MLB action. This was the year for the Twins to find out what they had in their 2016 first pick. Hard to see AK on the roster next season; he gone.
  8. tony&rodney
    Not disagreeing ... simply suggesting that these issues are not very relevant now because we shall see the 2025 roster put together starting in November. As far as Paddack goes, he was a darling of numerous teams and the Twins thought they would get something out of him. The 2025 contract is not a killer for the Pohlads. The payroll concern is overstated. Fans shouldn't worry about these numbers. There will be players dropped and added, same as it ever was. The numbers are a guessing game and I'm content to know the details later.
  9. tony&rodney
    First off, this is a future Falvey problem. Secondly, it seems you may be a bit high on a few arb deals, maybe like $5-8M too generous. Thirdly, I believe the payroll will settle around $135-140M next season. Most importantly, no reason to worry about these details until November.
  10. tony&rodney
    Great game and Festa was terrific. Pablo is up tomorrow and well rested. Broom time.
  11. tony&rodney
    The only game the Twins need to worry about is the next game, which today is tonight in Texas. Baldelli will not be moving players and pitchers around to focus just on one game. Festa should be ready for a really good outing and Kepler, Wallner, and Larnach should be ready to pounce on a right handed pitcher.
  12. tony&rodney
    Winokur is a work in progress for sure. Having watched several dozen of his at bats this year via milb.com, I am intrigued by his athleticism. There are whiffs and tough games, to be sure, yet the improvement is continual. Winokur has a good eye at the plate and a smooth swing. Defensively he is good wherever he has played, pretty quick with a strong arm. The power and speed combination in a guy who plays good defense and hits the ball is impressive. Winokur is not an exploding superstar like Witt Jr. or Holliday but he is learning quickly and could be a really good player. Patience.
  13. tony&rodney
    Hard to be anything but excited about the potential for solid starting pitching for the Twins going forward. The list (Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Woods Richardson, Festa, Varland, Matthews, and Paddack) can grow when Morris and Culpepper are ready with Prielipp, Soto, Bohorquez, and Roque down the line still. Woods Richardson has shown enough in 21 MLB starts to lead the list. His improved velocity and stuff this year are encouraging. Maintaining his current performance makes Simeon a really good #4 SP. Festa and Matthews still have to show that they can adapt within a game and pitch decently on days when their stuff is less than hoped. I think they will. Festa seems to have the edge on his stuff but results still count. I would agree with those who believe in Andrew Morris because he has looked good whenever I watch him pitch. Lastly, there is a reason the Twins still see Louie Varland as a starting pitcher. He is strong and has the pitches. Sequencing, command, and ability to forget the last pitch are areas where Varland can improve. Hard contact will happen to every pitcher (see Blyleven, Bert), but focus and ability to rebound with good pitches on most pitches creates outs. Varland may be moved into the bullpen again in late September but more performances where the line is 6 innings and 0-3 runs in his starts put the Twins in a solid position to win games. Yeah, Twins fans have reasons to feel good about the young starting pitching on August 17.
  14. tony&rodney
    It is a fine line for the Twins. Sure would be nice to see Correa in the lineup before August is over. Festa will be hungry tomorrow.
  15. tony&rodney
    Hayes (The Athletic) reported that Martin missed the take sign.
  16. tony&rodney
    Hopefully, the MLBPA gets active and is able to manage Manfred. Manfred doesn't seem like a baseball fan. He seems like a corporate parody.
  17. tony&rodney
    Vazquez was stealing second and he had it easily too. Martin missed the take sign.
  18. tony&rodney
    Nice win. Twins bat against another LH SP tomorrow.
  19. tony&rodney
    Not only has Lee had few problems, but Brooks has been ticketed/predicted as a 3B all along. Can he hit enough to hold the position? Can he play 2B? Brooks is a little slow for 2B, but he is pretty savvy about the game. For Lee, it all comes down to hitting.
  20. tony&rodney
    Hey I like Royce Lewis. One cannot just pretend he will suddenly become a good shortstop. He has never been considered even adequate for the levels he played at going all the way back to high school. Some of my very best athletes were not good at shortstop. Buxton is a great athlete, not a shortstop. Correa doesn't match either Buxton or Lewis for athleticism, but Correa is a very good shortstop. The Twins put players in the lineup based on offense. That leaves 3B, 1B, and DH for Lewis unless he gets moved to the outfield. If Miranda hits, 3B is his and Royce plays elsewhere. 1B is an important position on the diamond. Every pitcher craves good fielders and don't want to hear comments about 'less demanding" because that guy who scoops everything, comes off the bag to save errant throws, and everything else required by a first baseman is valued. Those who hit get a spot. That's the way the Twins roll. We don't get a voice in how Falvey puts together a team. So if Lewis hits, he plays somewhere.
  21. tony&rodney
    We have a number of Henny-Penny types wishing for bad luck; football fans as their primary love.
  22. tony&rodney
    Wonder what where Woods Richardson fits in? He has increased velocity and command/control. Simeon also has a prototypical workhorse starting pitcher's build like Matthews. These are good problems and I see Festa as the star if he harnesses his stuff and grows into his body. Hopefully Paddack rebuilds some value in September because it might be difficult to trade his $7.5M contract if teams don't see potential.
  23. tony&rodney
    McCusker is so big (6'-8") that he has to conquer a huge amount of strike zone space. Carson is one of my favorite minor leaguers to watch this season and his improvement has been steady and quite impressive. He has sacrificed some power to improve contact but he is still hitting the ball hard. McCusker is athletic and has a chance to move up eventually. Agreeing with Dman above; McCusker is good and getting better.
  24. tony&rodney
    A decision on where Lewis plays is dependent on how a couple of others develop. There are four positions (DH, 1B, 2B, 3B) to fill, not counting the outfield and it is totally fair to include LF and RF. Lewis is behind Lee and Miranda at 3B if looking at production with a glove. I don't believe Lewis or Miranda can play 2B. The best position for Lewis might be 1B or DH. He is prone to injuries and fairly musclebound. I'm not concerned about 3B going forward because any of Lee, Miranda, or Lewis should be adequate. The real concern is 2B and filling 1B with someone who can make the plays, which are far more under appreciated at times. Santana has played a good 1B and the hope is that next year the change doesn't hurt.
  25. tony&rodney
    This is huge. Correa returns and then Castro gives the Twins a serviceable second baseman. Buxton may not be the best any more in CF but he makes numerous plays that drop if Martin, Margot, or Castro are out there. Take Judge and Soto out of the Yankees lineup, .... and so on.
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