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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Ober looks like he could use an extra day before his next start. Doing fine but not real sharp.
  2. tony&rodney
    Yah, I wondered about that too especially because he has battled lefties fair enough.
  3. tony&rodney
    I'm a little concerned with Julien. The swings are a little wild right now, missing often. It is tough to be a rookie.
  4. tony&rodney
    Those sicko baseball fans (like myself) who actually know and follow many of the top twenty-five or so players were pretty distraught when the Twins chose Cavaco when Carroll was just sitting there waiting for his name to be called. It was so disappointing and remains an enigma. Still, one cannot just suggest that the Twins should have drafted this guy or that guy who was rated much lower but became a successful MLB player. Even the Angels chose another guy ahead of Mike Trout. The draft is a crap shoot many times. We can be relieved that the Twins stuck to the consensus by drafting Walker Jenkins at #5 this year and did not succumb to a college player.
  5. tony&rodney
    The big offense at AAA may be a combination of factors. Perhaps there are a pile of pitchers who do not hit their spots, are in decline in regards to their careers, or simply still raw and learning on the way up. The batters are a combination of guys fighting for jobs on the 26 and 40 person rosters as well as some experienced players with talent who have begun to figure out how to hit. I have had the thought that using the ABS and challenge system at AAA gives hitters a great deal of confidence in what pitches to attack. No longer does a batter get that poor call which bails out a pitcher and puts the batter on the defensive side of a count. A bad call on a 1-1 pitch to make the count 1-2 suddenly shifts the at bat for both the pitcher and batter. Last night there was a particularly brutal strike call on Wallner, who is already prone to strike outs. Now Wallner needs to either take that pitch or try to hit it which is almost assuredly a swing and a miss.
  6. tony&rodney
    My empathy is with Byron. His body just has not been fully healed, affecting his swing completely and keeping him off the grass. We have seen how much fun he has playing centerfield in the past. The restrictions are a total bummer for him. The Twins should do whatever they can to make him whole. Hopefully both management and Buck find a solution for him.
  7. tony&rodney
    All teams find opportunities to play everyone on the roster, looking for matchups that are favorable. Luplow hits left-handed pitchers well and Farmer and Taylor fare better versus southpaws as well. Julien has had some difficulty in the minor leagues against lefties. It makes sense to use the roster when the team does not have surefire stars across the field.
  8. tony&rodney
    Pitchers miss their spots much more often in AAA and the hitters make them pay for the mistakes. For example, both Royce Lewis and Yunior Severino hit monster home runs tonight on pitches they would not often see at the major league level. That said, the Saints are entertaining and I believe the ABS and challenge system on balls and strikes gives batters some help too. The hitters do not need to protect the plate on pitches 2-6 inches out of the strike zone that have been called strikes by the umpire. MLB batters still need to attempt to protect those pitches. Another comment already hit on the most common reason why some guys having decent years in the minors must wait. Available 26 and 40 person positions are just not available.
  9. tony&rodney
    Lazy called strike three on Wallner. That ball was way low, off the zone. This was not a pitch to protect against a bad call with a swing. Sure seemed like rookie treatment.
  10. tony&rodney
    The Twins and Marlins were pretty specific about their needs and wants. I don't believe Miami was willing to discuss anyone but Luis Arraez and only offered Pablo Lopez. Salas and Chourio were added to convince the Twins to complete the trade. It has been positive for both teams, a fair trade. Hey, maybe the Twins can make a similar trade with Seattle in the offseason.
  11. tony&rodney
    Kepler has a $10 M option for next season and Polanco has a $10.5 M option for 2024. Both are club options with $1 M buyouts. Kepler is a free agent in 2025 and Polanco still has another option (club) for $12 M in 2025. I would guess 95-5% that Kepler is in a Twins uniform next season. The outfield situation is pretty fluid this year and may be similar in 2024. A healthy Polanco has great value for the Twins or any other team for that matter. I expect him to return as well unless his health deteriorates from today going forward. Buxton and Correa are not going anywhere. Seattle still needs a good bat and pitching is always good to acquire. I see benefits for both the Twins and the Mariners in an exchange of players this offseason. A trade of an infielder (1B or 2B) could mean that Polanco is a definite option to pick up. I do not know what Seattle thinks about Wallner, Larnach, Kirilloff, Julien, Lee, or Lewis. Any one of those guys might headline a deal for Logan Gilbert that winds up helping both teams. In that scenario, both Kepler and Polanco (unless disabled) are locks to be back next season. Until the offseason, we can only hope that good health allows both Kepler and Polanco to get steady at bats to lead the Twins through the remainder of the year. Neither is old and we have ample evidence of how important their skills are to a winning season.
  12. tony&rodney
    Small reality check. $3 billion does not allow you to buy the Twins. MLB keeps their club membership pretty well closed. A quaint little villa in the south of France though, with internet (to follow the Twins) would be excellent. Buy four of those seats right behind home plate at Target Field. I watched a couple of games from there ... sweet spot to watch the games. Stay away from the food and drink though, so that you don't get stupid or gain a pile of weight. Good luck all.
  13. tony&rodney
    The path to a Hall of Fame, Minnesota Twins or MLB, is incredibly difficult. The road is strewn with the talents of countless players whose futures were bright but whose careers were sidelined by various obstacles. We are all still in awe of the potential of Byron Buxton, and hope against all odds that he can actually play out his contract as a serviceable player. Most of us Twins fans are not expecting Buck to win any more Platinum Glove Awards or string together MVP awards. Baseball is tough and often cruel. Mauer also faced a flood of challenges, but his talent allowed him a brief window of excellence unseen in Twins history from the catcher position. Despite the concussions, Mauer should be making another speech next summer in Cooperstown. Jay Jaffe has argued that Joe Mauer ranks among the top ten catchers in MLB history (7th in his view), and if the writers cannot vote a top ten all time player from the singularly most difficult position in the game into the Hall on the first ballot one might rightfully question the knowledge of those who do not vote for Mauer. I'm hoping the Twins have a player step forward with a career worthy of wide national acclaim across a decade plus, but we should all just be grateful to have had Joe Mauer as a Twins player in our lifetime. Mauer belongs with Harmon, Tony, Rod, and Kirby as the greatest players in franchise history since 1961.
  14. tony&rodney
    Keuchel did a good job of getting two strikes on batters yesterday. He needs to throw more enticing pitches when ahead in the count to earn a strike out or induce weak contact. Dallas threw a number of noncompetitive two strike pitches. The hard contact and lucky outs were easily offset by the weak contact. Nobody should expect more 5-6 inning starts with only one run scored when DK pitches If he can pitch 6 innings and give up 3 runs the Twins and fans should be happy. I expect more experienced bats will cause problems for Keuchel. The Phillies will be a real challenge. I was initially expecting a Friday night start and then another start in Detroit. Philly is a tough park for pitchers and that lineup can score a pile of runs. We shall see.
  15. tony&rodney
    Minnesota was really lucky to have Joe Mauer.
  16. tony&rodney
    I want to agree with this view because I thought that was what would happen. I thought after Julien displayed his readiness in Spring Training that he would be a consistent bat in the April lineup. However, the Twins did not use Julien until an injury to Polanco and sent him when Polanco returned. It wasn't until Polanco was injured again and Julien was overwhelmingly the best bat on the team that he kept a position. I was in favor of the trade for Pablo Lopez at the time and still am. Simple different look at the trade - I do think the Twins knew there was some offense that would be lost but also felt getting P. Lopez was a good deal. One that was made firm by Miami including Salas and Chourio, two lotto tickets. Sure would like to see Julien get back to hitting again though. He is in a bit of a slump.
  17. tony&rodney
    Unless attendance and viewership is up quite a bit from now until the end of the year or the Twins manage an extended run in the playoffs, there are going to be financial consequences to follow like a reduced payroll in 2024. Money is still important in business. The Twins committed to a record (for them) payroll in 2023 and it is reasonable to expect a return on that investment. I do not think the 2024 expenditures will be anywhere near the costs of 2023.
  18. tony&rodney
    The Snakes put the bat on the ball with two strikes, hit a few bloops, and score a run. Two strike approach is not living in the past.
  19. tony&rodney
    The hitting approach on the whole is poor. Flailing with two strikes and hoping the pitcher throws the ball to the bat path is not a recipe for success. If the Twins cannot hit 300 home runs and 300 doubles, then they need a different strategy with two strikes.
  20. tony&rodney
    I'm hoping Julien is more protective with two strikes but that first called strike three was way low. Also mlb.com has adjusted their online box to make all strike calls look like strikes, so it doesn't help to look there any longer. If you are watching you can see the lower zone pretty clearly by the bottom of the knees. MLB needs the challenge system, at a minimum, next year. I was never a fan of all of the interference by technology, but have seen enough to switch my opinion. But, yeah, Julien needs to hit. So does Wallner.
  21. tony&rodney
    One thing that stands out way above anything else since Falvey and Levine were hired is the amount of money that the Pohlads have invested in the franchise. This has been a change from the first 33 years. The contracts for Donaldson, Buxton, and Correa were all pretty large. I wonder how the Pohlads view the manner in which the front office has proceeded. I would guess they are supportive, which means these guys will be around a little longer. Either way, there are some players worth watching every year.
  22. tony&rodney
    The Twins should think about how to manage a trade with Seattle in the offseason. I'm willing to trade one of Lewis/Kirilloff plus Raya and a low A player throw in (not a highly rated young prospect) for Logan Gilbert.
  23. tony&rodney
    Twins are a scrappy lot. Four walks and four strike outs tonight. When is the last time that the Twins only struck out four times?
  24. tony&rodney
    Taylor Motter? Fastball.
  25. tony&rodney
    The towel delay was interesting. Teams hit Duran lately. Now, literally.
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