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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Feeling that a quality start from Varland is great/terrific is not an exaggeration. Louie is not a very accomplished or complete pitcher at this time and it is a strong start that kept the Twins in the game. All anyone can expect from these rookies is a quality start at best. Yes, some balls were hit hard (Salvy) and Varland definitely missed on that pitch to DeJong, but Witt Jr. (Superman) hit a pitch that is a swing and miss most times and once again it was a soft double (DeJong) and dribbler (Isbel) that hurt. The Twins are lucky that they are getting these good outings from Woods Richardson, Festa, Matthews, and Varland. Pitching against the best hitters alive is hard, especially for inexperienced players. I might be a little perplexed with the negatives that seem to suggest none of these pitchers are worth beans. The days of 7-9 inning starts giving up 0-2 runs has largely faded. Not a single pitcher in baseball has 2 shutouts and Bert Blyleven had more shutouts as a 22 year old than the entire total of shutouts by all pitchers in 2024. Time to be really pleased right now with our guys.
  2. tony&rodney
    Did you expect Varland to pitch a perfect game? 3 runs in 6 innings from Varland, at this point, is a terrific game. What were your expectations?
  3. tony&rodney
    Ober, Lopez, Woods Richardson, Festa, Matthews, & Varland have been more than holding their own. Perhaps the Twins keep a 6 person rotation to alleviate concerns about overuse and in an attempt to avoid any further injuries. Nobody can predict the future but these guys have looked good. Let's hope Correa and Buxton can lead the charge on offense.
  4. tony&rodney
    Varland pitched wonderfully. Keeping KC to 3 runs in 6 innings was a terrific start. Beating the Royals twice was excellent. Ragans is a really good pitcher. It's baseball, all the teams in MLB are pretty good (well, ? CWS ?). The Twins need Carlos Correa back .... and Buxton. Castro has done a decent job at SS but there isn't anyone behind him. If Correa can return by next week the Twins should be better at the plate and in the field. I'm not sure the team can survive the season with Buck and Correa. They are key.
  5. tony&rodney
    The Twins are in pretty good shape, all things considered. Other teams, like the Dodgers, would trade places. We good.
  6. tony&rodney
    Hill has mountains of experience but his margin for error on every pitch is so small that he needs a field of shamrocks surrounding him to escape 5 innings of MLB at this point. It's an easy no.
  7. tony&rodney
    Go back 15 years (or 20, 25, 40, ... ) and there was a similar positive attitude about the next great wave. I have been watching more minor leagues (via milb.com) in the last few years. The pitchers who especially captured my attention are guys like Varland, Woods Richardson, Raya, Festa, Lewis, Matthews, Morris, and Culpepper with a fresh attention recently to Prielipp, Hall, Soto, and Bohorquez. I'm interested to see what Roque looks like when he makes it to low A. Still, as much as I am excited by the current prospects, I remember that there was also enthusiasm for many prospects in the past. The interest in prospects goes way back and never ends. As much fun as reading/watching/following prospects has been been, especially since 1981 with the beginning of Baseball America, I cannot ever understand the criticism or denigration of past regimes and/or prospect years. Sure hope Matthews is great tonight.
  8. tony&rodney
    I wonder how often a team runs back the same roster?
  9. tony&rodney
    John Prine slots in right behind Bob Dylan as the greatest songwriter of the last 50-75 years. "Hello in There" is the work of a genius. I also love the others mentioned and knew John McCutcheon as a young man in the 1970s. Big fan of Gordon Lightfoot and Kristofferson as well (he helped Prine get his start).
  10. tony&rodney
    Put away that pipe. JK. Gooden was 19 and totally dominated MLB upon arrival. You had to see Gooden pitch to believe it almost. Let us just allow Zebulon Matthews be himself. Dreams are always good though. I like that, so I'm not condemning the comment as much as favoring an avoidance of any comparisons. It is similar to other comparisons, such as in the recent game recap article that suggested Royce Lewis was in Bobby Witt Jr. territory, which is unfair to Royce who will never reach those heights. Zebby = Zebby. Looking for a great debut tonight.
  11. tony&rodney
    You had a comment that someone who performed at AA was ready to jump to MLB. However, Matthews has traveled the road from A+ to MLB and that is always a bit of a surprise. Because Zeb was not a high draft pick it does seem like a bigger achievement. The Twins are not noted, as you suggested, for promoting from AA straight away to MLB. This, whether a fault of the organization or not (separate argument), makes it surprising. This shouldn't be an argument. I would be surprised if Andrew Morris was promoted to MLB as well. Emmanuel Rodriguez is out with some type of mysterious but apparently serious hand injury. Until the injury, EmRod toyed with AA pitchers to a somewhat ridiculous degree. When focused (he has been prone to losing focus in blowouts and low leverage at bats), EmRod looked like he belonged with the big club. I doubt the Twins even considered that move. Naturally, the injury has made any promotions of EmRod moot. In any event we wish Matthews good luck, especially as he will need to compose himself in a game where Seth Lugo is pitching much as David Festa faced some reality facing off opposed to Bibee. Here's to hoping the defense and offense supports Zebulon.
  12. tony&rodney
    Add Adrian Bohorquez to the list as well. I think there are some interesting arms in the Twins system. We have Woods Richardson and Festa on the roster with Matthews up now and Varland available. In the minors, any of Morris, Soto, Bohorquez, and Prielipp could crack a list of top prospects. Fun to watch.
  13. tony&rodney
    Interesting choice to have this come out today, giving Kansas City another day to prepare for him. The Royals certainly have data and information on Matthews but sometimes an extra 24 hours makes a minor difference. Matthews should have very complete reports on how to approach the KC batters, which is crucial. You cannot throw too many strikes to Salvy. I wonder how Matthews will adapt to MLB. He will need to throw a few pitches out of the zone that are better than total waste unproductive pitches. This will be a real challenge for Zebulon. Hopefully, he can go 5 innings of 2-3 run baseball.
  14. tony&rodney
    Correa, when healthy, slides into the order behind the leadoff guy. Until that time, it looks like Larnach versus righties and Buxton versus lefties.
  15. tony&rodney
    I think i have used a thumbs down once or not at all - agree with that. Margot and Thielbar likely stay because it isn't real clear who can fill their spots. Margot has done a decent job versus LH pitchers. I don't know why his outfield play has deteriorated. Kiersey Jr. is the only option for an outfielder. i don't think that happens. Tough spot. Thielbar can no longer pitch effectively without a couple of days off. He is fine when he is rested. Of course, relievers need to pitch every other day or in back to back games once in a while. Thielbar puts the Twins in a bind with his needs. I think we can acknowledge that he is good when rested. This is an area where the failure to trade hurt the Twins. I don't know what options the Twins have right now. Farmer is causing anxiety in the front office. This seems similar to Gallo last season. Many of us liked Farmer as a utility infielder but it is clear right now that the legs have stiffened up. He is missing ground balls and pop ups that he made plays on last year and that were routine for him a couple of years ago. Age is undefeated. Change is a certainty; it is time.
  16. tony&rodney
    If Correa comes back in a week and can play every day then Castro can slide over to second base. However, the current arrangement at 2B isn't working on either side of the ball. Sadly, Farmer is toast. The legs are weary and his bat is real slow. Barring a physical miracle that brings back a couple of steps and unbinds his hands at the plate, his career at the MLB level is over. Will the Twins use Martin until Correa returns? Julien has had some chances and did not meet the MLB standard (except in April) this year. Is he done? If he is, it was a major evaluation error to not include him in a trade last offseason. If there is a chance Julien can contribute at the MLB level, it is time to bring him up to see if the low bar at second base can be elevated. Continuing on with the current setup is a very poor option. Lastly, RpR, I'm sorry that Julien somehow insulted you or your family but while I agree with anyone that Julien is not a star at 2B, he remains an option. Because of the current situation it is time to go once more to the well (Julien). The results cannot be any worse and there is a chance of a gain. If Julien does not produce, then the Twins have to turn to Martin. Until Correa returns, this is the only course of action that makes sense.
  17. tony&rodney
    Worth a mention that Varland had his defense give up four outs. That is plenty of pitches and changes things. I do think Varland let his emotions get him after he grooved one but hard to blame him.
  18. tony&rodney
    $10.5M with a $.75 payout if the next option is declined. The Twins received zero value. The trade did not make the 2024 team better. No money was saved that could not have been saved more efficiently: Farmer + Topa + DeSclafani cost more than Polanco. This is a little bit of a timely article posted on a day when Jorge hits HR #11 and goes 3-5. I wonder if the Twins could have used a 2B today to go 3-5 with a home run? It's all in the past. We should flush all future mention of this trade.
  19. tony&rodney
    Yes, true. Good to remember that Lewis has about the same experience as Matt Wallner and way less than Miiranda, Larnach, and Castro. Royce is pretty raw. The expectations seem high but his struggles are real. It was good to see him stay through a swing on his double to deep right center.
  20. tony&rodney
    Agree. That play kind of made me sad a little bit. We all get older and just don't move as well as we did once upon a time and these MLB players are elite athletes .... and then they are not any more. Life happens.
  21. tony&rodney
    The Twins could have simply not tendered Farmer and Thielbar to save money. Falvey bungled the trade market. Yes, Polanco has had a rough year but then again the Twins could have drafted Mike Trout. The trade is over as is that draft. What do the Twins have in Topa, Gonazalez, and Bowen? This is a hard guess. Desclafani is done. Topa is likely facing high odds, Bowen is totally a guess, and Gonzalez is at best a future PH/DH. Last week I saw him wait until a fly ball landed before he moved. He didn't lose it. He just waddled over ten feet picked it up and threw it in. The announcer simply said, "Wow". The telecast then showed two replays. Gabriel does have a good arm. Maybe he can pitch. My main objection to the trade was that the Twins did not improve their team. As for the money? Well, it seemed easy last winter to nontender Farmer ($6.3M) and Thielbar ($3.3M). Then subtract DeSclafani ($4M) and Topa ($1.2M) and keep Polanco = money saved. Always expected a trade but wanted an improvement to the team. The Twins lost this trade, big time.
  22. tony&rodney
    Real tough series for the bats with the exception of Wallner's swing and Buxton's blasts. The Twins build their position lineup with an emphasis on hitting over defense. In some respect this makes sense given how difficult it is to hit MLB pitching. We can read the quotes from the recent draft as how the Twins attempt to build offense/position strength. Vazquez, Santana, and Buxton are above average. Kepler is average to above average. All of the others need to hit to stay in a lineup. Jeffers, Miranda, Wallner, Lewis, Martin, Margot, and Farmer are all below average defenders. Castro is a great utility player but not an everyday shortstop. Watching today's game from behind home plate I couldn't help but notice that the Guardians defenders were all a full step ahead of the Twins players, except for Buck. I'm not suggesting any changes and still feel like the Twins can win the ALC. However, the roster choices come with some developments. Balls that are outs for Cleveland's defense get through when the Twins are in the field. The most glaring example is the final play today. That is a two run base hit versus the Twins infield. If you need a couple more ... the ball that eluded Farmer is a sure catch by Gimenez .... the charge and throw home by Brennan saved a run. I was directly in line with that play and Vazquez would have been out by 30 feet. Still believe the Twins will win but there are going to be warts due to deficiencies in the field. If the bats can get hot and maintain a consistent approach, the fine pitching will keep the team in most every game.
  23. tony&rodney
    Second that. There was a mention that he was working at the Ft. Myers complex and expected to start play in the FCL, now ended. A report also stated it was a strain (pulled muscle?). Emmanuel was totally dominant and then poof ... he's gone.
  24. tony&rodney
    Thank you. While I do enjoy watching Tom, I much rather watch the games on milb.com. This is simply a personal preference where I can see the sequences, situations, and flow of the game. I have read about Bohorquez and watched some video, but now I am looking forward to seeing him in a game (milb.com).
  25. tony&rodney
    Absolutely. Woods Richardson made such a huge improvement in velocity and has maintained a consistent approach. He looks unfazed by the last pitch and sticks to what he wants to do. Notably, for me, is that he shook off the signs several times which tells me that his understanding of what he wants to do on the mound is solid. TD should be on board with Simeon by now. I like Varland but I don't ever see him shake off a sign and he has shown he gets a little rattled. I do believe in him though. Festa is largely untested but he can be really tough for 80 pitches. The focus and mental toughness takes some time. The article was a good way to show his potential. Will he reach it?
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