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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Let him play - well said.
  2. tony&rodney
    I may be on an island but after watching Reynolds a dozen times last year I came away unimpressed. Reynolds is a good player but not a superstar. If we trade with Pittsburgh, I'm asking about Endy Rodriguez.
  3. tony&rodney
    Brooks Lee has high marks for his arm and power but very high for his hit projection. He rarely strikes out and also has an excellent eye at the plate. Thus Lee has a high floor and his risk of not reaching the majors is lower than other draftees. One player mentioned in this post as an exciting prospect is a catcher, Kevin Parada. Parada carries a high mark for his batting and projects to have very good power. However, he is slow, lacks a decent arm, and will need significant gains behind the plate to avoid being a DH. Yordan Alvarez is an example of a young DH, but he is as good of a batter as there is in MLB and also plays a fair LF. A prospect who can field decently, carries a very high hit tool, and consistently hits the ball hard from both sides of the plate while being selective and difficult to strike out is rare. I think this why Brooks Lee is a prospect to follow. Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis (a more toolsy prospect) present the Twins with a pair of guys that could potentially create many problems for pitchers for the next decade.
  4. tony&rodney
    The DH spot sure looks like it may be based on what occurs in Spring Training. Guys like Martin, Larnach, and Wallner need to play consistently. Each might work if they prove themselves ready. Julien is someone the staff will be watching because if he gets real comfortable facing the best pitchers, using him as a DH won't stall his development. If I had to guess today, I would say Gordon and then Larnach.
  5. tony&rodney
    Profar would have been a good player to sign if the Twins had traded two of Larnach, Kepler, and Gordon (not a suggestion). The current roster does not improve with a Profar addition because he hits better LH and Garlick remains effective against lefties. I thought someone would sign Profar for 3/$27M. He doesn't fit right now as a Twin.
  6. tony&rodney
    Agree with all of those saying the time has come to let the talent come forth from our young players. They are ready.
  7. tony&rodney
    Luis Arraez is a really good hitter. I believe he will improve in small ways and would be a tough out batting third in the Marlins lineup. I can see Arraez winning more batting titles. My constant plea was for the Twins to maneuver whatever pieces they could manage to wrestle Edward Cabrera and even (long shot) Jesus Luzardo away from the Marlins. I don't think the Marlins wanted to take that risk. The Twins pivoted and did well to hold strong for the two additional prospects plus Lopez. Miami was not going to listen on anyone other than Arraez. It was a good trade for both teams. Pablo Lopez is a really good pitcher, a true #2 on a playoff team. Like all pitchers the specter of injury will always hover. The Twins can use Sonny Gray out of the gate followed by Lopez. Most importantly, the Twins will put a competitive starting pitcher on the field in every game. This will pay off. The Twins have some good bats ready for their opportunity and the success of the team will depend on positive contributions from a couple of Lewis, Kirilloff, Julien, and Larnach. These guys are ready in my opinion. Their time has come to show off their skills. The improvement of the starting staff takes some pressure off of the bats and despite how excellent Arraez was for the Twins, the guys up next are going to cover his loss even if it is in a different manner.
  8. tony&rodney
    The Twins are counting on Alex Kirilloff to step forward this year, and I think he will.
  9. tony&rodney
    The Arraez-Lopez trade seemed inevitable for about the last month but the conversations started in 2022. Miami took a hard stand at some point with the Twins and narrowly focused on Luis Arraez as the must have player in any trade. I suspect a fair number of names were exchanged. I was hoping for a wider trade that included Edward Cabrera or just an acquisition of Cabrera. The Marlins were only interested in Arraez and the Twins felt that Cabrera was too much of a risk in exchange for Arraez. Thus it is Lopez for Arraez and the Twins also managed to also acquire two fair prospects. It's tough to lose Arraez but pitching is the main currency in MLB. The Twins look more solid with the current pitching staff today. There will be significant eyes on Alex Kirilloff and others who were either injured or underperformed last year. If the Twins were correct on their evaluations of players like Jeffers, Kirilloff, Miranda, Gordon, Larnach, Kepler, and Gallo the offense should be solid. I expect Royce Lewis to contribute this season, starting in late June. Finally, we should all keep an eye on Julien to see if his bat is ready for MLB.
  10. tony&rodney
    Miranda needs a new number.
  11. tony&rodney
    Not very high on Parada. I doubt any move would take place where he is traded by the Mets for Kepler, which would be all the Twins would offer. Maybe the Twins don't even do that trade because Kepler is useful now whereas Parada is not.
  12. tony&rodney
    This seems like the rational decision but the price for Cabrera (or Luzardo, etc.) may be much higher by July. Both teams could likely benefit from a trade but the question of which players is a very difficult one for each club. My best guess is that a gamble now is the ticket for October but I'm just guessing like everyone else. I would say that Arraez is the only sure thing, which should mean his value is higher than any of the other players discussed.
  13. tony&rodney
    Dusty Baker understands and uses analytics extensively. He has spoken about this before in several interviews. There is a time to play the odds and there is a time to play the game in front of you. Francona has also talked about this same topic - when to use and when to ignore analytics. While it is more pervuasive in the game today, numbers have always been a part of the game. This is why guys like Baker and Francona are comfortable managing the game still. The post is about Baldelli, who is an emerging manager, one who appears to be very tightly tied to the game plan. Perhaps he doesn't have as free of a hand as a vet like Francona or Baker.
  14. tony&rodney
    If Brooks Lee plays the field with average skills his bat could push him to Target Field this summer. That is super optimistic for sure, but he does profile as a rock steady player. I believe he was passed over by some teams in the draft because the guys ahead of him are super athletic with the potential to become superstars. Keoni Cavaco is such a player, which is why he was drafted by the Twins. Luckily, Lee fell to the Twins and he looks like a player that can start for the Twins for a dozen years and be very productive with his bat while playing a very good third base.
  15. tony&rodney
    The trade would need to be after the Twins put a couple of guys on the 60 day IL. It is a good idea worth a prospect outside of our top guys, maybe Enlow. Hard to say what the Angels see as fair value for Adell.
  16. tony&rodney
    Best case for Jorge Polanci is .... Jorge Polanco in odd numbered years.
  17. tony&rodney
    The roster is not set yet. We need to wait until March 29 to make our predictions.
  18. tony&rodney
    Pablo Lopez simply rates higher than any current Twins starter. That said, he has just two years of control remaining. The guys with multiple years of control (more than two) to look at are Cabrera and Luzardo. They also project as better than what the Twins currently have in their rotation. On the other hand, all of Arraez, Miranda, Kepler, Larnach, and Jeffers would be big pickups for the Marlins. NO, not all of them. The Marlins and Twins match up nicely for a trade and fans of both teams will find fault if it occurs, when their favorite player is moved.
  19. tony&rodney
    Arraez is still improving as a baseball player and batsman. Miami is correct to target Luis but the Twins are right to be stubborn in their demands. That said, i do believe that both teams would benefit from a trade. The Twins need to take the gamble on the unproven starters with tremendous potential, while the Marlins get a sure thing to boost their offense. Arraez, Larnach, and two players not on the 40 person roster (Urbina, Miller) for Cabrera and Luzardo is my current deal. I would miss Arraez and Larnach, but I'm hoping for a breakout from Cabrera and Luzardo that pushes the Twins into post season baseball. Miami would also be a more balanced team.
  20. tony&rodney
    McCutcheon was never going to happen unless he was still unsigned in mid March and the Twins felt a need at that time.
  21. tony&rodney
    Yes, Houston has a pretty good bullpen. Let us look at the Houston-Minnesota starting pitcher innings. Twins IP Houston IP Ryan 147. 0 Valdez 201.1 Bundy 140.0 Verlander 175 Mahle 120.2 Urquidy 164.1 Gray 119.2 Garcia 157.1 Archer 102.3 Javier 148.2 Smeltzer 70.1 Odorizzi 60.0 Houston replaces Verlander and Odorizzi with a healthy McCullers and a top prospect Hunter Brown. Minnesota replaces Bundy, Archer, and Smeltzer with Maeda, Ober, and Winder. The Valdez, Garcia, Javier, McCullers, and Brown talents all slot above Gray, Mahle, Ryan, Maeda, and Ober. While the Twins do have good starters, they need to add one or two starting pitchers with talent/upside. Any of Cabrera, Luzardo, and Lopez would help and that alone would strengthen the bullpen. This would be especially true if the added starter pushed Maeda into relief, where he would be terrific and also build his arm strength.
  22. tony&rodney
    What does Houston and Dusty Baker say on this?
  23. tony&rodney
    Alan Page played college football at Notre Dame at somewhere between 275-295 pounds. He was the first defensive player in NFL history to get a single vote and subsequently won the MVP award in the NFL as a Viking playing at 245-275 pounds. Page became concerned about how the weight he carried would affect his health long term. He is a runner and dropped his weight to 218 pounds when Coach Grant demanded he add back weight. Page refused, wound up playing his last four years quite effectively with the Chicago Bears. I wonder if Sano has any concerns about his weight. The past few years, we saw several examples of the big man huffing and puffing after scoring from second base on a single. Sano is extremely muscular but also well over 100 pounds larger than he was as an 18 year old. Honestly, I don't want to see Sano have a heart attack. His health and attention to conditioning are his only paths back to MLB. I wonder what Miguel Sano at 220 pounds could accomplish after rebuilding his swing and quickness.
  24. tony&rodney
    I watch way too much baseball, the Twins and snippets from other teams as well. Sanchez was really brutal behind the plate for the Yankees, to the point where several pitchers demanded a different catcher when they started. The issue was growing. One had to feel bad for Sanchez because he plays whenever he is asked to play and rarely sits due to an injury. Gary looked renewed as a player for the Twins compared to his last two Yankee years. My comment is specific to his catching. I actually think he was acceptable last season and appreciated that he was available all year. Christian Vasquez, however, should be a major upgrade behind the plate.
  25. tony&rodney
    It is a good idea for baseball fans to watch Francona manage about 100 complete games to get a better idea of the difference a manager can make within a game. Just watch how Francona talks with the players, press, umpires and how he goes about making decisions. 100 games of watching Cleveland under Francona is very instructive. I don't have any problem with Baldelli specifically. He just lacks the skills of Francona. Not every team can have Francona either but if you watch at least 100 Cleveland games you should be able to understand the differences, and then you will know that Baldelli is not the perfect modern manager.
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