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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Why not include Jenkins, Rodriguez, or other prospects? Miranda, SWR, and Varland have worn a Twins uniform. Martin and Lee have not made an appearance with the Twins. I do like the possibilities of the five currently rostered: Wallner, Julien, Lewis Duran, and Kirilloff (IL). I might have missed the explanation.
  2. tony&rodney
    Baseball has always used a ton of data as well as other thinking to build lineups and rosters. It all comes down to basically picking a team. One guy picks Royce Lewis, another guy picks Ed Julien and so forth. Then the games are played. Of course there are a host of financial and theoretical differences that combine to give the answers to who is on the roster and plays, but the decisions are made to win games. Right now, I like the way that Julien makes life difficult for opposing pitchers. I see his awkwardness too. He even runs a little funny. I'm not feeling too bad about his defense as long as he hits like has thus far and I think he will improve quite a bit at the plate. I'm picking Julien to play second base or DH for now and next year too.
  3. tony&rodney
    There are a host of folks who don't think batting average is very important in today's baseball, preferring any number of alternate set of data. That's fine if that is what one sees as a more useful or representative hitting statistic. However, baseball does have a long history which includes noting a batting average champion in each of the NL and AL. In order to have a winner be "worthy", MLB determined that an everyday player should average 3.1 plate appearances for the 162 game schedule (502 PA). This ensures that a player who has a hot half season does not get rewarded over the guy who plays all season. This is fair. If a player does not have enough at bats, they can still win the batting crown if the number of at bats are added to the total needed to reach 502 PA and the hitter still has a higher average. Seager has 349 PA and should still get another 150+ PA through the remainder of the season. He will almost certainly qualify, but adding 10+ PA as outs may still find him winning the batting title. There is no reason to water down a batting title. Those who do not see much worth in a batting crown can easily ignore the whole thing.
  4. tony&rodney
    I expect one or two guys to be traded. Based on how they have been used/treated (lineups, demotions, comments) and not understanding anything about whatever the Twins think, I would guess any of Larnach, Julien, and Wallner are fair game. Maybe Kirilloff too. I do not expect either Lee or Lewis to be traded.
  5. tony&rodney
    I commented on this last year when Julien faced the odd crappy umpire in AA. In AAA this year, Julien ws the beneficiary of the ABS system and being able to challenge strike calls. I have no idea why umpires make those calls (actually quite often) against Julien but way less often against either Kepler or Gallo. Julien needs to put some of those balls in play when it is clear that an umpire struggles with the strike zone; adaptation.
  6. tony&rodney
    I agree with the title of the post. Julien does need to keep hitting and having good at bats though. Decreasing the strike out rates as well would be nice. He has cooled off a bit and the Twins need him to be a force at the plate. Finally, pushing him down to the nine hole, but still starting, makes sense against left-handed pitchers. There are benefits of having Julien in the lineup on a full time basis. His long at bats are annoying for opposing pitchers which can have positive benefits for those who come to the plate after Julien.
  7. tony&rodney
    Actually, that is just the beginning of the story. Literally, Brooks Lee has only been in AAA for a little while. Nobody in baseball is making judgments that quickly, which is why a player who enters a level red hot doesn't get immediately sent up. There are so many facets to playing baseball and learning the adjustments at each level. Lee will be fine. I'm not thinking that the Twins will turn to Lee at any point in 2023, but he is an enticing study of a quick learner. Also, I'm with Washington that first base is not an easy position to play well. Mauer is an exceptional athlete, but the other guys have only been playing first base out of necessity. When is Alex Kirilloff going to heal? Of the other options, I'm wondering if Jorge Polanco would be adequate at first base.
  8. tony&rodney
    Some high school kids are exposed to very good pitching, which gives them a solid base from which to begin their careers. The trick is for these young players to stay within themselves with a disciplined approach. That is more difficult, especially for a young athlete who has had a ton of success. Winokur is having some fun right now - good to see/read about.
  9. tony&rodney
    They do.
  10. tony&rodney
    .... and Pablo Lopez too?
  11. tony&rodney
    Oops. Kind of a frustrating season and was trying to think positive - my mistake. Good catch.
  12. tony&rodney
    4-3 on the road works. Now the Twins have 12 of the next 14 at Target Field with 8 games versus teams below .500. Is it too much to hope that the Twins can go at least 9-5 in the next two week? They could also bury the Clevelanders as well.
  13. tony&rodney
    Buxton has a no trade clause and a contract that runs through the 2028 season. He is not going anywhere.
  14. tony&rodney
    There seems to be a general trend on Twins Daily that Julien should be playing first base or used as a DH. This naturally begs the question of what to do with Kirilloff and/or Buxton. Maybe one of Kirilloff or Julien should be used in a trade if either Kirilloff or Julien are not going to have a slot in the lineup. August is likely not a good time to put a player at a new position. As has been discussed in many previous posts, the Twins have a number of decisions to make going forward about who slots where defensively (Kirilloff, Julien, Polanco, Lewis, Lee, Miranda). Three infield positions are open with six players looking to play full time. I am not including those who may be seen as best used in a utility role (Farmer, Solano, Castro, Gordon, Prato, Martin). Expect a trade or two this offseason. For now, the Twins will play out the schedule in the manner we have seen thus far.
  15. tony&rodney
    Gray gets a QO in order to nab a draft pick. Mahle - no way. Maeda presents an interesting choice, 2/$20M. The Twins will trade for a starter this winter. The cost may be steep but worth it.
  16. tony&rodney
    Varland pitched well against a team (Louisville Bats) that hits. The timing is good too. Varland is ready for a call. He could be used as a starter or in relief.
  17. tony&rodney
    Brooks Lee is a quick learner. From my observations (milb.com), Lee has become more comfortable as the season has gone along. He is aggressive in certain counts and on specific pitches. Lee also knows how to put the bat on the ball when needed. His first full year of professional baseball is looking excellent. Each month it seems Lee looks better as he adjusts to the pitchers rather quickly.
  18. tony&rodney
    I agree that Austin Martin could be an effective player for the Twins in September. Willi Castro is best used as a utility player, being stretched as a regular. The issue for Martin is going to be at bats. He needs to be in the lineup on a consistent basis. Who gets sent down or dropped? The Twins have Kirilloff (when he returns), Gallo, Polanco, Solano, Julien, Correa, Lewis (when he returns), and Farmer currently available for the infield. Meanwhile, guys like Martin, Brooks Lee, and Anthony Prato are waiting for their chance. All of Kirilloff, Gallo, Lewis, Prato, and Martin can also be considered for the outfield as well. Kepler, Wallner, Taylor are the guys already up with Larnach, Celestino, and pile of others waiting for at bats. Oh, Miranda? Where do the at bats come from, either now or in the future? I find it impossible to see a pattern that indicates a preferred style of player, unless one sees a general preference for experienced players. Still, yes it would be refreshing to see Austin Martin get on base and steal some bases sometime soon at Target Field.
  19. tony&rodney
    Reverse order.
  20. tony&rodney
    Because I have no idea what Falvey thinks about the game of baseball or the philosophies of play, I cannot get myself worked up over the roster decisions or playing time. I just don't get what Falvey is trying to accomplish and so the signing and rostering of Joey Gallo becomes a symbol of my lack of knowledge concerning the Twins/Falvey. I do not harbor any blame or ill will toward Gallo. In fact, I have come to have considerable empathy for him as he works so hard but fails so often. Gallo clearly loves to play baseball. His play is front and center in the public eye which must be hard for him. The Twins are a bit of an anomaly as they yo-yo just around .500 ball. Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Joe Ryan, and Byron Buxton will all need roster spots soon and I wouldn't care to guess who winds up back with the Saints.
  21. tony&rodney
    There are options which have not been used. The stolen base is one. So are hit and run and laying down a sacrifice bunt. Correa should be batting sixth as well.
  22. tony&rodney
    We all like these players, just like we liked Luis Arraez. I would think that Jeffers is the least likely of this group to go if there was a trade. Seattle matches up well with the Twins this winter, just as Miami did last winter. This doesn't mean anything will happen but it is always a good idea to improve the roster in the offseason. Listening is important.
  23. tony&rodney
    Seems like the Twins will enter the coming offseason needing pitchers, thus no one should get too attached to any Twin position players besides the guys with no trade contracts (Correa, Buxton). If I had to bet, only Walker Jenkins would not be under consideration as a player the Twins would trade this winter.
  24. tony&rodney
    Befuddling why Balazovic wasn't lifted after giving up the home run. He did not look sharp and the bullpen was rested. Oh well.
  25. 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.
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