Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

tony&rodney

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    9,761

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    86

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    The development of Ober and Varland is being tested right now, so far so good. I'm thinking the Twins will be in a solid position to add one significant starting pitcher at the trade deadline or in the off season. P. Lopez, J. Ryan, B. Ober, L. Varland, S. Woods Richardson, Brent Headrick, and C. Paddack are a fair seven, which allows the Twins to aim high in any consideration of additional guys for the rotation. I do not expect either Maeda or Mahle back next year unless they are on very very inexpensive contracts. Sonny Gray looks outstanding right now and it sure would be awesome if he can make his run last all the way through the playoffs. Gray deserves to look around in free agency. The Twins will not sign him for 2/$50 million due to injury risks and because if Gray has a good year and avoids injury he is looking at 3/$65 million at a minimum and likely more money and/or years. The best the Twins can hope for is the draft choice from offering a qualifying offer.
  2. tony&rodney
    Just an FYI, but Farmer has looked pretty good at AAA. The pitchers in AAA throw just as hard but have less command and control. Farmer swinging a good stick in AAA seems to indicate that he does not have any residual glitches in facing pitchers.
  3. tony&rodney
    One thing that may be overlooked, although many may disagree, is that Chicago and Cleveland are fully capable of winning a series against any team in baseball. The Twins have been carried by their pitching thus far, but the bats should come around soon enough. A few players may be shifted around and the lineup in mid June is likely to be different than the one that faced Chicago. The preseason forecasts were mostly around an expectation of 85 wins, some at 78 and others at 93, but nobody was too horribly high on the roster to rule all of baseball. Baseball is a long season. I'm expecting the Twins to have a winning record in May. A 14-13 month will be ok and a 12-15 record will not sink the season. I'm expecting some minor changes and an improved team by the middle of June.
  4. tony&rodney
    Not sure what you see in a comparison between a player like Farmer and either of Castro or Gordon.
  5. tony&rodney
    Farmer makes Solano redundant.
  6. tony&rodney
    Except that the Twins did get Farmer, a far superior defender than Urshela. Injuries are impossible to predict, especially a HBP. The Twins will be fine.
  7. tony&rodney
    Most predicted the Twins for 80-90 wins. They are on track. Mistakes happen. I am in favor of Julien still as the DH and leadoff batter, but that doesn't work with Byron entrenched as our DH. Gallo is doing what was predicted mol and playing decent defense. Miranda looks nervous. Solano is doing his best, but we see why the Giants, who loved him, had to let him go. Correa is in a slump but still really solid at shortstop. An aside, the comments from anyone/anywhere singling out Correa as a cheater are dated and out of context, making those holding their venom sound bitter, silly, and out of tune. Remember that the Yankees, Red Sox, and as many as ten other teams were actively involved in using electronics to "cheat" and that the Twins quickly embraced Marwin Gonzalez, the player on those Astros teams who benefitted much more than any other player. The pitching has carried the offense thus far this season and we can expect some of the bats to rebound as the schedule moves along. The Twins are doing pretty good, which was the expectation all along.
  8. tony&rodney
    Kepler gets his name in pen in the lineup until there is someone who is clearly an upgrade. If you were picking teams, he remains the name that is called first among our present outfielders (BB is a DH). The defense and base running, despite a horrible gaff earlier this season, are still ahead of the others and his bat doesn't trail either.
  9. tony&rodney
    Max Kepler is still the one outfielder who you know will be in the lineup on most days.
  10. tony&rodney
    These are fun to read. The Twins are sitting pretty at #5 and then (I think) #34. I believe we pick an outfielder or Kyle Teel at #5, but BPA could include another infielder. Great job at putting these together.
  11. tony&rodney
    Tough to see Larnach optioned to St. Paul, but mechanically (and perhaps mentally) he was a mess. Pitchers were torturing him with breaking balls and putting fastballs right down the middle too. I expect Larnach will be back after a reset. Kirilloff arrives a bit sooner than I expected. He has not torn up MLB pitching in 387 plate appearances. Injuries have interrupted his career thus far. He looked like he was swinging freely for St. Paul and is ready to take a regular lineup spot. AK can hit any pitching when he stays disciplined. I'm hoping he is in the lineup today versus the lefty Logan.
  12. tony&rodney
    Have you noticed that Ober is a tall human playing baseball. Tall players take longer to get in synch for the most part. Tall pitchers often reach their peak in their thirties. That makes Ober a young pitcher. Ober has looked really good all year and has also not tired very easily. He was very good for St. Paul, despite his disappointment at being cut from the Twins team to start the season. Should we expect ERA's of less than one per nine innings? Well, no. Ober is exactly where he belongs and could manage to blow away his innings totals without any harm. I'm expecting he is watched for how he commands the zone and finishes his pitches more than any other worries. Ober looks strong on the mound and we may be seeing a tall guy get it together both physically and mechanically this season. At least I hope so.
  13. tony&rodney
    Cinco de Maya and the Twins bats are ready to party. No reason to worry.
  14. tony&rodney
    "The Twins have too many left-handed corner options ..." This has been a mantra since the end of last season .... and then the Twins added Joey Gallo. Trading time is quite ways off, so the team will need to embrace what they have and let them play. The player who doesn't look up to the task, in my estimation, is Solano. In a week the Twins will need to take a hard look at their current roster. I am unable to predict tomorrow or further into the future, due to personal limitations, but Farmer and Kirilloff should both be on the airplane to Los Angeles. This will be the Twins version of bringing in a couple of keys.
  15. tony&rodney
    I may be alone on an island but I might rather see a line drive double play than futile hacks for the fences at high fastballs above the zone. The strike outs are not what sells tickets.
  16. tony&rodney
    Wake me up when Rooker wins the triple crown.
  17. tony&rodney
    I was only adding who I expected beyond those five starting pitchers who opened the year. I think it is possible to add a significant SP in late July.
  18. tony&rodney
    The Twins have used seven starters thus far this young season. Only the Mariners, Marlins, Mets, Athletics, and Rays have used more starting pitchers with several of those teams using an opener. Perhaps the Twins go with an opener at some point in the year. Ober, Varland, Woods Richardson, and Headrick should do it for starters this year, but Sanchez and De Leon could start a game or two. Sanchez may use an option to become a free agent. If the Twins need to use more than nine starting pitchers, their season will be on the rails. One exception to note is the possibility of an addition via trade in late July.
  19. tony&rodney
    Yup, can't win 'em all. Did anyone count how many swings and misses at high fastballs (more than four inches high out of the strike zone) there were in the game tonight. ? It seemed like an abnormal number of swings at pitches that cannot be hit. Varland up next.
  20. tony&rodney
    I suspect this entire discussion revolves around both of Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff forcing their way into the lineup. That is, more or less, how the fortunes of baseball players and teams go. Lewis is very athletic and displayed, in a very small sample, that he can hit MLB pitching. The hangup may be finding him a position. Centerfield would be a prime choice, yet Lewis has largely been an infielder and favors the dirt over grass. Potentially, Lewis provides offense and defense. Kirilloff is also pretty athletic, though not at the same level as Lewis. AK plays a decent right field, does fine in left field, and is a smooth first baseman. Kirilloff's real value is a bat that sprays line drives to all fields with power and he projects to hit for average. He is, for sure, unproven at the MLB level. First, AK has to continue to demolish minor league pitching and force the Twins to call him up. Then in June we should see Lewis. There will be changes to the roster in the next two weeks. Farmer should return (he is batting second for St. Paul today - first inning fly out to right field) by May 15. Castro is then likely to get sent down. I believe he has an option. Kirilloff's call depends on his bat, injuries, and the play of some Twins. He can force the issue by May 15. If Kirilloff is brought up, I expect that Solano, who has played well, is released or traded. Gordon will escape until either Lewis returns or a trade. Trades are common for players in his situation, but significant trades early in the season are uncommon. The beauty of it all is that the options are all pretty good if you are a Twins fan. I'm hopeful that the position players can avoid the IL this year, especially long stints.
  21. tony&rodney
    The Twins opened the year with a satisfactory month. The pitching was good mostly and now the team is hitting well. I sure hope the good at bats and sound play continues because May looks to be a much tougher schedule than April. Chicago and Cleveland have both been in a funk but these teams are competing every day. The seven runs by Chicago in the bottom of the 9th inning today came as a shock to Tampa Bay. Kansas City just seems off a bit. The Royals looked better than the Nationals, but started games slowly and didn't get enough from their starting pitchers. This next week should be interesting given how the Twins struggled versus these clubs last year. Alex Kirilloff presents an awkward situation. He has not proven anything at the major league level but he also has nothing left to learn or prove in AAA. Additionally, he is a player with the ability to hit for both average and power while playing a good first base. Tough calls will need to be made by the middle of May.
  22. tony&rodney
    This seems improbable, yet I have no knowledge of what thoughts the Twins actually have for Buxton. Taylor has been pretty solid in centerfield but there is a reason he was easy to acquire and has a relatively low salary. The calendar turns to May tomorrow and it feels like everyone expects Buxton to get hurt any day now. Bremer has made several comments about Byron getting up slowly and hoping he is alright on normal inconsequential slides. Now that i think about it, has anyone seen or heard anything about Buxton shagging fly balls in Florida or before games?
  23. tony&rodney
    Kirilloff will play in St. Paul for a couple of weeks for two good reasons: 1) the Twins want to see AK play at an elevated level to show where he is at as a baseball player, and 2) the Twins do not want to interrupt the current flow for a player who still needs to prove himself. When we hit mid May, Buxton should be able to play centerfield 3-4 days per week. Kirilloff should be on the plane to LA on May 14 if he continues to show what he has shown thus far. AK is that player who can hit for average and power.
  24. tony&rodney
    I agree with this take. Thus far though, AK has been swinging the bat hard, hitting line drives all over the field and bombs well over the fences in all directions. Alex has run the bases well with two steals in three attempts. He has also played a very smooth first base. Now, the Twins want to see a full week or two, maximum, of AK playing five days a week and maintaining what he has done to date. A healthy Kirilloff could really be a tough out in the middle of the Twins lineup.
  25. tony&rodney
    It will be interesting to see who the Twins use in Mahle's spot. It seems like Varland would have the edge over Headrick or Woods Richardson, but we may even see a bullpen game depending on what management thinks.
×
×
  • Create New...