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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Agree, that may be high even as worst case scenario. Jorge has been the only sure thing for the Twins though. I am hopeful for all of the players you mentioned and for a return by Polanco. Polanco at his best and the reserves tanking can be a large chasm. This will be an important year to see how well some of the younger or inexperienced players perform.
  2. tony&rodney
    Polanco out could mean 3-7 less wins for the Twins. Hopefully he only misses a few games. The Twins depend on Jorge as their spark.
  3. tony&rodney
    Jorge Polanco is a definite concern. He has been the single most important bat for the Twins, especially from the left side. I wouldn't think that hitting would be so damaging to his knees. It sure isn't clear what the issue is with the current injury. Having had multiple knee surgeries myself, the full strength returns after the rehab. I can see that athletic movements at MLB speed are different but there has to be a way to keep Polanco's bat in the lineup. DH works. One thing should be clear - the Twins need to score more runs this year and using the best bats available is key, whether through platooning or rotating players through the DH. While I know Julien has zero at bats above AA and lacks experience or a clear position of expertise in the field, count me as one who wonders if he is that guy who just hits and hits wherever he suits up. I would rather see Julien against right handed pitchers than Solano. Depending on the injuries, I see Julien as an option for DH and 2B, but the Twins don't yet.
  4. tony&rodney
    This will be an important year for a number of Twins prospects. Sabato has not shown much thus far but I agree he will get a full opportunity to show whether he has the skills to advance with the bat. Wallner has had two big years and seems on the edge of becoming an MLB player. Still, he does have to show a big improvement in the field and also in making contact. The game is still favorable for power hitters, but those guys who strike out too much and struggle to make contact when a ground ball is necessary are slowly being edged out. The Twins will be keeping a close eye on Julien to see if he is for real and can repeat his game at the highest level. Despite not having a clear position defensively, any bat that hits .280 or better with substantial extra base power and an elite walk rate will force its way into a MLB lineup. I do believe Lewis has some power but we should be patient with both Lee and Rodriguez. Lee did look overmatched the last few weeks in the games in Florida. It should be interesting to see who adapts and improves this season amongst our younger players.
  5. tony&rodney
    Sorry to hear that. I sure wish people could walk away from the drugs and refuse violence/ stop hating and learn to love. Chill out and watch baseball.
  6. tony&rodney
    Supply and demand, simple business and not much different than our cell phones arriving from China. We might not like it but that is the world we live in. Big business runs things. We watch baseball. BTW, Kansas has a higher crime rate than the Yucatan, where millions of U. S. people go each winter. Also, Mexicans are generally not big on using drugs.
  7. tony&rodney
    None would want to live there due to all the drugs and crime. You do know there are more drugs and crime in the U.S., right? I spent five weeks in Mexico recently and it was wonderful. I love going to Chicago but there are some areas of the city to avoid. The Americas, both of them, are famous worldwide for being violent if you are in wrong place at the wrong time. At the same time there are terrific places to live and visit in every country. The financial aspect of MLB might make it tough for some cities to thrive, just like a number of current MLB franchises. Still, it would be fun to have a few MLB teams in Latin America.
  8. tony&rodney
    83-79, 1st place in the American League Central Division.
  9. tony&rodney
    It is possible to be opposed to the idea of long term contracts for Lee and/or Lewis without mentioning Joe Mauer and proving yourself uninformed. Mauer never hit 30 homers. He never had a ten year contract. Mauer made the Twins an incredible amount of money above every dollar he ever received from the team. That is well documented by many. However, there are people who were unhappy to see Mauer get paid, which is true but has nothing to do with the post.
  10. tony&rodney
    You make some points about the Twins not signing a top pitcher but they did trade for a little lefty once, Johan Santana. Now if you mean someone who is currently a top arm, then we must agree that very few are ever traded unless they approach their walk year such as Berrios. Maybe the Twins trade Lee and Lewis plus an arm for Corbin Burnes and then sign him to an extension. I wouldn't give up on any scenario except for the Twins paying the top price for a free agent pitcher. Thus we go back to the boring .... sign the best player available. It may be a pitcher, a college hitter, or a high school bat. That is all we know right now. It is worth remembering that the Twins have tried drafting pitchers in the first round in previous years. It is pretty tough to guarantee success of pitchers. Recently the LA Angels have drafted a ton of pitchers with some luck, but the odds are skewed against that strategy.
  11. tony&rodney
    Not happening. Neither of these players are top ten global prospects. Lee has not played a single game in MLB. Lewis has had two ACL surgeries and a week of MLB. We could just as likely wonder about a long term contract for any other minor league prospect.
  12. tony&rodney
    Clark has similarity to Corbin Carroll, which is just fine with me. Max Clark could be a tremendous pick. Whatever, picking at #5 should be a win win.
  13. tony&rodney
    Carlos Correa is a very good baseball player who can consistently produce both in the field and at the plate. I expect him to be the starting shortstop for the American League All Star Game.
  14. tony&rodney
    Julien had quite a series in the WBC.
  15. tony&rodney
    A couple of years back a kid named Luis Arraez pushed his way into the lineup. Julien will need to follow the same blueprint. He is not a stud defender but if he hits like he did the last two years and has done for Team Canada, it won''t be long before his name is on a Twins lineup card.
  16. tony&rodney
    Hopefully De Leon can get an opportunity in St. Paul, maybe in long relief because the Saints might be deep in starters. These games are fun.
  17. tony&rodney
    The Twins have P. Lopez, Ryan, Ober, and Paddack for next season. Varland, SWR, or another could fill the fifth spot. There is always a chance that there is a trade for a pitcher or two that happens at the trade deadline or next offseason. Then there is the qualifying offer which brings back a draft choice or a pitcher hoping to be better in 2024. Maeda might be open to a two year offer and he could still be effective, which means there may be interest on the part of the Twins at the right price. I doubt whether Gray or Mahle are signing for the same as their current deals. They will be looking for AAV of $20 million plus per year for multiple years. The Twins say no. I'm thinking the Twins make another trade before signing either Mahle or Gray. I do think there will be discussions on an extension for P. Lopez and a pitcher acquired via trade.
  18. tony&rodney
    Emmanuel and Marco are still raw and even explosive seasons will not bring them to Target Field. Brooks Lee is pretty refined and skillful, yet he still needs to get up to speed with professional baseball. a brilliant year for him ends in St. Paul. It would take injuries to several players to push Lee to the majors. The three guys in this paragraph are looking to debut this year. They are focused on learning to have good at bats by recognizing what pitchers are doing to attempt to defeat them. I think we should expect both Lewis and Julien to see time this year. Lewis will need a rehab stint in St. Paul after he is cleared to play and could be called up right away if he shows he is ready to pick up where he left off last year. Julien is a wild card. If he continues to hit the ball hard and gets off to a torrid start in St. Paul, he could push for DH at bats against right handed pitchers with a few starts at second base as well. Both Lewis and Julien will need to prove they are ready to get a roster position, but they have some unique talents that are being watched by management.
  19. tony&rodney
    Did everyone like the swing Julien put on the first pitch he saw? What a game for the young fella.
  20. tony&rodney
    Have the Twins had a starting pitcher throw 97 with sharp breaking pitches?
  21. tony&rodney
    I'm watching Pablo Lopez pitch to Puerto Rico right now and thinking he should pitch every fifth day.
  22. tony&rodney
    This is an interesting point. Mike Marshall (PHD in kinesiology), now deceased, stated numerous times and wrote concerning the correct way to throw a baseball and arm injuries. The problem is not whether a pitcher throws a breaking ball, curves, sliders, etc. Marshall focused on two specific issues. First, the lack of knowledge meant that most coaches have no idea how to teach much less analyze the correct methods of throwing a breaking ball. Note here - this information is from a period of time from roughly 1975-2000. The teaching and coaching is far superior today. Secondly, coaches paid little attention to stressful pitching situations and often asked maximum effort on every pitch. Thus, most injuries were actually from throwing the fastball. There is a marked difference between throwing 12-20 pitches per inning for a complete game than throwing 25-40 pitches in a difficult inning. Max effort pitching continues to be a problem. Arm injuries were quite common in the 1960s and 1970s. Poor coaching and the tough guy mentality ruined many arms. The best coaches protected their pitchers, the worst abused them badly. Still, even position players like Austin Martin can suffer arm injuries that set back their careers. Austin Martin has had some misfortune but he still is athletic and young. He has earned a significant amount of money choosing baseball as a career and I'm betting that he will recover and get an opportunity to show his skills at the major league level. It may be 2024 or even later, but guys like Austin Martin have an understanding of how to deal with setbacks and focus on the future. Yes, Martin has seen others climb above him on depth charts but he will get his chance too.
  23. tony&rodney
    Cleveland is pretty deep up and down each position with top global prospects backing up young players who made their mark last season. The pitching is good, they field well, run the bases better than any team in baseball, and are tough to strike out. We should all expect the Guardians to be a strong team. The Twins will win the division because of their depth and because they have a year of great performances from guys who have been injured too much: Buxton, Polanco, Kepler, and Larnach. A deep starting staff will make the bullpen stay effective all year. The Twins will need everything to click to beat Cleveland and I'm taking the Twins to emerge on top in a much improved AL Central.
  24. tony&rodney
    You can choose which guys you want for 2023 for yourself. The Twins decided that Maeda, Gray, and Mahle fit an MLB roster better than Graterol, Petty, Steer, Hajjar, and E-S. My guess is that the Twins pitchers named above provide more value to their team this year than those names traded by the Twins provide for their new MLB teams. As far as the future goes, there is zero guarantee that any of the prospects traded would have fit in ahead of the other Twins prospects. I really liked the pick of Chase Petty and enjoyed what I saw of the others as well. But even if I might have wanted Montas (oops) or Castillo instead, the Twins have a pretty good rotation heading into this season. Trades remain a solid way to improve a roster.
  25. tony&rodney
    Sure could happen but Julien will need to show well for Canada.
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