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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Sanchez or Maile? Miranda or Naylor? Gimenez or Gordon? Ramirez or Urshela? Rosario or Correa? Kwan or Cave? Straw or Celestino? Gonzalez or Contreras? The bench, starting pitching, and bullpens? The Twins simply do not have the talent up and down the roster. Sure there are a few guys we might pick and maybe an injured player too, but injured players cannot win games and there is a whole entire difference in styles as well. Cleveland plays fundamental baseball and has an energy and talent lacking in the Minnesota team. The Twins are playing hard and hustling but they are a step short of Cleveland at this time. If Buxton, Polanco, Kepler, or others are too injured to play they need to try replacements. Maybe Billy Hamilton. Maybe someone else. Right now Caleb Hamilton is just taking up a spot that could be used for anyone else: Wallner, etc. Tough to catch a break if you don't look for one.
  2. tony&rodney
    DH? Actually, having watched Wallner from the beginning of the year I would suggest he has improved quite a bit in the outfield. Still for now - DH. Why not?
  3. tony&rodney
    Wallner still has some holes in his swing but considering the guys who have filled the DH and RF positions, it is befuddling why the Twins haven't let Wallner get some starts while Buxton and Kepler heal. I'm not thinking that Wallner is entirely ready for MLB yet, however, how are the Twins getting help from the Hamiltons and Palacios much less Cave and Garlick. Atlanta and Cleveland have gone with some fresh faces when injuries opened a spot. The Twins should have followed suit.
  4. tony&rodney
    Fighting until the last game.
  5. tony&rodney
    Larnach will get his shot. He still has some potential. I'm curious whether any other teams see Larnach as a piece of a puzzle. Last night, Larnach looked helpless against a curve ball, but this is largely meaningless if he can get back into a groove and start smacking the ball around to all fields with power. The other question - Who are the other considerations for corner outfield/DH? Wallner has holes in his swing but I'm not sure anyone hits a ball harder and his on base and slugging are strong and he seems to be making adjustments at each level too. So Larnach gets put in a pile of prospects with Wallner.
  6. tony&rodney
    There are many people who I have known who are serious baseball people. Some made it their career and others were just aficionados who players, coached, did both, or were totally just into the game. Every single person I have met or know who falls under the above categories hold Joe Mauer in the highest esteem. Mauer is a consensus top ten catcher in baseball history. He signed a long term contract with his home town team for far less than he would have received on the open market and as the face of the franchise was worth well more than the contract. His contract never impeded team spending in even the slightest fashion, a fictional fallback of those who choose their own reality. Mauer will soon be a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I totally understand why Kansas City would be a favorite place to work for an athlete.
  7. tony&rodney
    True. Paul was a superior baseball intellect and the players respected him. There was a huge chasm between the dugout manager and the front office. Although the Pohlads loved Molitor, the payrolls and player acquisition left the team short of competitive players. Take a look at some of those pitching staffs.
  8. tony&rodney
    The team is going in the wrong direction.
  9. tony&rodney
    I'm still waiting for a miracle. However, I might just be seeing a dose of reality heading my way.
  10. tony&rodney
    Because Maeda is really the only guy likely to be healthy next year, does tomorrow's article get titled "From the beginning the 2023 Twins never stand a chance?" Now I don't mean that in any negative manner (it does sound bad) because I like your articles. It just seems like the Twins are more reactive than proactive. In 2019 Manfred and a very weak AL Central gifted a flawed yet exciting team a path. The Twins had multiple options to address their weaknesses and chose to reboot. I liked that the team won but the manner was flawed from strategy to player personnel. I'm not going to quit on the Twins but having been a fan since the beginning (1961), the poor fundamentals are a sour point for me as it has been with other teams through the years. Perhaps Varland, SWR, Lewis, Lee, and Wallner (DH) can bring something to the team in 2023, but it does seem like there is a pile of players who are going to find themselves too often on the IL again instead of in the lineup. I hope I'm wrong, I really do. From last November it seemed like this was the year but so much went wrong. I agree the injuries were horrendous but the planning and player acquisition along with the continued failure to care about fundamental baseball hurt the team even more.
  11. tony&rodney
    We shall see what the Twins think of 2022 when we see the active roster for the Cleveland series. The roster moves will speak.
  12. tony&rodney
    Totally agree. Nobody hits behind the runner, few players hit the cutoff man, and players are weak at taking a base on balls that roll away from the catcher among a host of other small skills. These are all true and I agree with you that nobody bunts. All skills need to be practiced and when a philosophy just ignores an aspect of the game, teams cannot effectively use the practice. That is the way it goes.
  13. tony&rodney
    .... injured? I like Lee, Raya, and Rodriguez. The low minors are a time of quick maturation and learning. When I lived in Florida years ago I was at a rookie league game where a pitcher struck out 7 guys and ripped through the first nine guys hitless on 27 pitches. Inning four comes and poof - four home runs and three walks.
  14. tony&rodney
    Agree, but I guess it is desperate measures for desperate times. I like Palacios for no good reason, but it is time to give another guy a shot because there is nothing to lose. Time to roll the dice and wish for good luck.
  15. tony&rodney
    Given the state of the Twins batting order and bench players, Wallner likely represents something of a blind hope for a change in the outcome of the futile at bats we are seeing right now from some of the overmatched Twins players. In other words, Wallner can't be any worse at the plate. He should be seen as strictly a DH though until he has a chance to work more at being an outfielder. It should be noted that Wallner has improved some this season in the field.
  16. tony&rodney
    Man I so agree with the haphazard roster construction. It was put together with a plan that no player would miss time during the year. The sweep at Target Field was such an expression of the separation of the two team's philosophies. The Guardians are the youngest team in baseball, had more than half their roster debut this year at the MLB level, and have a top farm system with many skilled athletic players near ready to make the next step if they can only get an opportunity. Oh, and the way the contract with Jose Ramirez was constructed, Cleveland pays him less each of the next four years than he makes this year. Cleveland is flush with players and cash. Hentges could be the next dynamite starting pitcher for Cleveland. Will the Twins sweep the Guardians in Cleveland next weekend? Will they sweep the Royals at home before that?
  17. tony&rodney
    Sorry for not including that Correa has the opt out and will almost certainly be a free agent, which means the Twins will have the option to negotiate with him as can any other team. Correct, Correa makes the call.
  18. tony&rodney
    The injured roster isn't going to win any games because they cannot make it on to the field. The team has performed admirably at times. I think I predicted 79-85 wins just before the season began. When a team fails to plan thoroughly in the offseason there are consequences. My main concern in the last 3-4 years with the Twins (including when they win) is the number of mental errors. The number of mistakes due to a lack of fundamentals is actually pretty glaring: throwing to the wrong base; not backing up every play; missing the cutoff or failing to have a cutoff; not reading wild pitches to advance; failing to advance a runner; getting doubled off on clear line drive outs; failing to score from second base with two outs on a single to the outfield; and more. Physical errors will happen as will the occasional mental mishap, but the shear number of fundamental problems are something that can and should be reduced through an emphasis on playing basic baseball.
  19. tony&rodney
    Correa has been terrific at shortstop and mostly takes great at bats. The Twins need to make a decision - pay Correa or live with Jermaine Palacios for a year or two while waiting for Lewis, Lee, or another to step forward or hope Palacios finds a MLB bat. The money spent on Correa is really irrelevant. For those concerned about money, look to those salaries that deliver much less: Sano, Kepler, Sanchez, Pagan, etc. Folks need to get over the contracts of key players and see the value. I am much more concerned about the expenditures on Buxton than on Correa. There is always a budget and superstars fit into every budget. Cleveland finds money for Jose Ramirez. The mistakes in drafting and developing combined with identifying value players are much more key than spending $35+ million to Correa.
  20. tony&rodney
    Gotta give Wallner some shots at DH in Minneapolis. Nothing to lose.
  21. tony&rodney
    Winder goes tomorrow and Varland versus KC with Polanco coming back. It's getting late.
  22. tony&rodney
    It is September and every option and strategy needs an opportunity. Last night Sandy Leon took off for 2nd base but a foul ball ensued. This was refreshing no matter who initiated his running. Injuries have Celestino in the lineup every night and he looks mentally fatigued and makes so many odd mistakes, yet he is the guy who can catch a ball in CF. Did anyone else notice Leon score on a single from second base when Celestino cannot. The Twins should play for a run whenever they get a chance. Cave was at the plate with two on, no outs in the 2nd inning. He should bunt those guys over, but the team likes home runs so he attempts to lift and launch with the expected result. Cave really works hard but it has been difficult to see him struggle. The Twins need to use every option available now because the season is slipping away. November will be the time for reflection and sorting through what is needed next year.
  23. tony&rodney
    The Twins front office needs to make some attempts at finding players within their system that may find more success than those currently on the roster. Yes, I know this is a dire situation but I'm thinking that rolling out these same lineups are causing regular and casual fans to lose all interest. The Hamiltons, Palacios, Cave, and Kepler if he cannot walk or swing a bat are five spots to consider. Megill and Pagan and possibly Archer are three pitching spots to replace. When attendance falls below 20,000 like last night, with your team is still ostensibly in a pennant race, there are dark clouds gathering around the franchise. The malaise is real right now. Old diehard fans will still be there even when the Twins lose 100 games and are hopeless but when the team drops to low levels of viewers and attendance there are expected consequences in player acquisition that follow. While I'm not suggesting that any players called up from Wichita or St. Paul will be an improvement, there has to be some attempt to fix the massive decline in play. Doing nothing is a white flag.
  24. tony&rodney
    Well, i appreciate the positive thoughts. However, the Twins made the bed for 2022 last offseason and forgot the sheets.
  25. tony&rodney
    Ryan has done much better than I expected. Rookie pitchers mostly have moments of difficulty when they pitch through their first year. He is a 26 year old rookie who has to rely on command and control, which he has done reasonably. The better hitters across MLB often don't bite as much on that high fastball from Ryan which reduces his effectiveness against the best lineups. IMHO this makes him a mid rotation (#3/#4) pitcher if he can stay consistent and throw more innings. Ryan has been a pleasant find for the Twins.
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