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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    I like it. A few small tweeks: Julien, Buxton, Kirilloff, Polanco, Correa, Larnach, Lewis, Kepler, Vasquez with Farmer, Taylor, Castro, and Jeffers as the reserves. If Buck cannot play centerfield, things change.
  2. tony&rodney
    Enlow has a ways to go before getting an opportunity with the Twins. He has shown enough thus far that 2-5 more good outings could see him promoted to the Saints roster to show himself at AAA. Success for St. Paul points to an improved chance for MLB consideration down the line, likely in 2024. He has looked (milb.com viewings) like an improved pitcher this season.
  3. tony&rodney
    I'm thinking the Twins cannot mess around - take one of the guys who have been consensus top five. Anyways, all is good.
  4. tony&rodney
    Situational hitting is important and how a player approaches a pitch can and should change within an at bat. Ahead in the count it makes sense to be looking to drive the ball, while a two strike strategy must strive for contact. Miguel Sano became useless when he just swung for the fences on every pitch. Gallo has had some luck but sure takes a big cut on every pitch and looks very vulnerable to any pitch up in the strike zone. The flatter swing path has a better chance and baseball players can adapt. Both Correa and Buxton seem to change their swings with two strikes but are also both struggling with low batting averages. Batting average, slugging, and OPS are useful for evaluation only to some extent. We heard Dick Bremer state that Justin Morneau had 74 sacrifice fly balls in his career. Joey Gallo has 3. I believe that the Twins batters are working hard to be successful in their at bats, but a shift to conceding power for contact with two strikes is needed as difficult as that may be.
  5. tony&rodney
    The week ahead finds the Twins facing left-handed starting pitching. Time to let Julien lead off with Kirilloff in the third hole and Larnach batting fifth. Maybe Castro can continue his decent play too. The offense needs to help out the pitching staff and find their groove. Both the Giants and Blue Jays are good teams and the weather looks agreeable for some winning baseball. No real word on Buxton yet but Correa had some decent swings and fought through most of his at bats in Los Angeles. The Twins could use an exciting homestand going into the summer months.
  6. tony&rodney
    Moniak made quite an effort but it wasn't ever clear if he had any control of the ball. He dove into the stands and the replays show that the ball bounced up, out of his glove. It would have been a miraculous catch. Kirillof is looking to make a difference. I sure hope Buxton is back tomorrow and that Julien is at second base. The Twins need some runs.
  7. tony&rodney
    I watched a couple of games where Dollander pitched. He looked pretty hittable. He may indeed have a fair MLB career but he does not project anywhere close to the top five prospects. If you get a chance to find a Ken Griffey Jr., you take him. It doesn't matter if you have Byron Buxton or others. Talent will rise and make a difference in multiple ways for a team. The Twins don't need to get cute. They need to take the best player available. There are plenty of pitchers who will be available to draft. Think of Bailey Ober and guys in the system now like David Festa and Brent Headrick. BPA is the way to go.
  8. tony&rodney
    One recent mock has the Twins taking Langford. Most people seem to agree that Clark has the highest ceiling, but Langford could be starting for the Twins to start 2025. Langford is really good and has right handed power. Any of the top five are win, win.
  9. tony&rodney
    True. I get the frustration and there are others thinking of October too. I just hope people don't let their team ruin a beautiful day. I watch the games and have my opinions but like to turn the page after the final out. The attendance this season will be a sort of comment by the general public.
  10. tony&rodney
    Try a different type of coffee and your morning will unfold more smoothly.
  11. tony&rodney
    David Festa had pinpoint control of his fastball early in the year and pitched very aggressively. The guy I watched last night looked unsure of what to throw and struggled with location. The minor leagues are a tough learning curve and both Festa and Brooks Lee exemplify the need for experience. They are both talented and should be solid contributors in MLB down the road a year or two from now.
  12. tony&rodney
    My concern with Jax is that most of his pitches are in the same relative area. The old maxim of pitching in and out, up and down are not in use when Jax pitches. Ryan gets a ton of strike outs high in the zone because he moves the batters' eyes on every at bat. Additionally, Jax seems to throw his fastball only for a waste pitch, again in the general zone where he wants his slider to go. The hitters dismiss all of his pitches and are able to tune into one area. Jax and Pagan are positive points for opponents batting averages. I'm not sure what the options are at this time. Pitch selection and location?
  13. tony&rodney
    The kid, Kiefer Lord, that went to Carleton is a smart flyer, 3rd round pick maybe. Take the big Texan, Travis Sykora, with #34 pick if he is still there. Thank you for these write ups.
  14. tony&rodney
    I watch specific players quite often and watching the games one can see various players improve and sometimes hit bare spots. Cedar Rapids has Kala'i Rosario and Ben Ross as their two best bats. Noah Miller is smooth in the field but has a weak bat again after swinging better in April. A number of pitchers look promising but still a ways to go with command and control. I like Jaylen Nowlin and Regi Grace among others. Wichita has Yoyner Fajardo leading the offense with Brooks Lee looking decent and DaShawn Keirsey improving. Blayne Enlow and David Festa are looking good among the hurlers. Julien leads St. Paul on the hitting side getting on base often and both Headrick and Balazovic have looked good on the mound.
  15. tony&rodney
    June will be a pivotal month for the Twins and their usage of a couple of younger players. Lewis will need to show he is ready before he automatically gets handed third base. Miranda will need to turn things around to get recalled. Some people have called for Brooks Lee. Have they watched his at bats for Wichita? He still has a long way to go before he is ready for MLB pitchers. June should give us all some idea of the possibilities for the remainder of the year. I'm thinking Lewis should be attuned to making his time with the Saints display his talents and he will fill third base for years. We'll see.
  16. tony&rodney
    Tune in to Bob Marley, "Don't worry about a thing, cuz every little thing 's gonna be alright..."
  17. tony&rodney
    I have been against pretty much all replay. I believed that salary increases and a grading system that held umpires to a high standard in order to keep their jobs was a better path. The players lose their jobs. Every single day an MLB player is demoted, dfa, or released. The umpires seem to have absolute job security. Now I think the quality of MLB umpires is far superior to basketball or hockey. I don't follow football so out of the loop there. Still an evaluation system should have the teeth to comb through those who do not meet a standard. That is what I thought. Now, let's see a challenge system on any play. Two per game with three challenges on balls and strikes. The challenge must be made with five seconds or immediately on balls and strikes. The umpires will not give up total security so a challenge system needs to be implemented that can include any call.
  18. tony&rodney
    The Twins do need to get some runs in with the bases loaded and too many walks will hurt any pitcher. However, the gloom today should not forget the giddiness of the prior night. The Twins are fine. The have some decent players, they have been working hard to have good at bats and pitch well. Sometimes baseball is really hard. The talent level is unreal. Consider that the best SEC players often start in A ball and that D1 baseball teams are basically pretty close to very good town ball teams and the rookie leagues. There are wins for the Twins just around the corner and they have competed well with some of the best teams in MLB.
  19. tony&rodney
    Ober was so focused last night and put on quite a pitching display last night. The pitchers have been keeping the Twins around in most every game. Moran showed again why he deserves his roster spot. Yes, he wobbles with his control but hitters struggle against his pitches. The Twins have been having good at bats more consistently and making the opposing hurlers work hard. Kershaw needed 90 pitches to complete four innings. The base running and situational hitting has improved dramatically from last year. When was the last time the Twins had four stolen bases and really another when Kershaw threw to first base three times. That was a real display of professionalism by Kershaw, knowing his catcher has arm issues right now. Bunting and running are good options to use and it is encouraging to see the Twins use every strategy possible to score runs. Correa has struggled to bring in runners in some important at bats but is also running into a little hard luck. One thing not to be overlooked is how often Correa is involved in a difficult play that results in an out. His play at shortstop this year has been absolutely terrific.
  20. tony&rodney
    Yes, they have their top three starting pitchers via trade and before injuries the entire rotation had been acquired via trade. I'm not sure one can do any better than 5/5 to start a season.
  21. tony&rodney
    Maybe, but he is better at third than he was at first base. At third a player is involved in less than three plays per game whereas the number is close to eight for a first baseman.
  22. tony&rodney
    The Twins are doing well and the pitching has carried the team mostly giving the offense time to warm up. I was pretty sure that two young guys were big keys for the Twins this season. Both Alex Kirilloff, already showing his glove and stick matter, and Royce Lewis can be dynamic. I did not think we would see both Bailey Ober and Louie Varland this early, and man have they been good. The season is young and counting out Cleveland, or any team, is looking for bad luck. The Twins need only to take care of their own fortunes. Right now I'm not seeing consistently good swings from Brooks Lee at AA, and Jose Miranda looks like he is still searching for the ball at AAA. Eddy Julien looked pretty good for the Twins in his very short stint with the team and continues, even in a minor slump, to have good at bats, get on base, and hit for extra bases. Julien does not have a golden glove but all talk of that shortcoming has been blown way out of proportion. Eddy gets to most balls and make the plays. He just isn't as athletic and always looks a little stiff. Matt Wallner may have a rough time getting his next opportunity. He has done a fine job working on his defense and his speed is more noticeable in the field as he has become more comfortable out there. Something tells me that he always believed he would be a pitcher/DH and never worked as hard at playing defense. I think the Twins are sitting on a decent roster collection right now. If Buxton, Correa, and Polanco reach expectations, we could begin to see how good the young guys (Kirilloff, Larnach, Lewis, Julien) are as compliments.
  23. tony&rodney
    I agree that it would be ideal and wonderful, but he may be a top ten pick. Teel does not compare to the top five though, according to every scout or baseball draft writer.
  24. tony&rodney
    Disagree. I like a batter who can hit the ball.
  25. tony&rodney
    The Cubs seemed to sit on a pitch on Friday night and yesterday afternoon, which did not work because both Gray and Ryan varied their routines and hit their spots. This is the typical life of a pitcher, needing to be effective with at least two and hopefully four offerings from the mound. I think Varland has looked good thus far and he seems committed, mostly controlling the at bats and making the batter work. Louie sure does pitch quickly, no nonsense or hesitation. Today should be another good test for Varland. I'm real big on his potential to have a good year because he seems to improve in small ways each time out.
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