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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    It really is quite difficult to project players from the draft. As I have said repeatedly I will leave it to the scouts who have watched these guys a ton. Don't rule out Jacob Lombard.
  2. tony&rodney
    Andrew Morris is a work in progress with his breaking balls. He could really use a good changeup. He was working on his pitches at St. Paul to the detriment of his line score, not much different than veteran pitchers working on stuff in Spring Training. The biggest problem for Morris is the defense behind him. We don't even need to look at FIP if we have watched the games. When a pitcher needs to strike everyone out because the defense is deficient, there is bound to be some improved contact when the pitcher goes for the K. Put some defenders behind Morris and everyone will wonder how he improved so dramatically. His last outing was nearly a blueprint of how things have gone for Morris. He could use refinement at AAA but he has the stuff. The broken bats and weak contact are real. Most of the hard contact comes after the 3rd or 4th out, which is partly youth and partly extended pitches in an inning. I'm not down on Morris. There are not any pitchers in MLB that would put up fantastic numbers with the Twins current defensive alignment. I do think that some steps have been made that are making a difference. When Clemens plays 1B, Lee at 3B, and Martin in RF more plays are made in the field. Lewis might pick up 1B quickly. Second base, shortstop, left field, and catcher are lean. Buxton is not the centerfielder he once was due to injuries. It is what it is but change needs to happen before Twins fans can expect their team to move to .500 baseball or higher.
  3. tony&rodney
    The Twins return from New York after the 4th of July weekend. One wonders if the decision is made at that point to go with a couple of AAA players, which results in the release of two of Arcia, Gray, Kreidler.
  4. tony&rodney
    This is exactly how the Twins and all fans should feel ..... because it ignores issues beyond any predictions, like service time and financial stuff, in favor of fielding the best talent and letting that talent learn and develop.
  5. tony&rodney
    Wow. Maybe the only question about Witt Jr. when he was drafted concerned his hit tool. We cannot expect anyone to reach Bobby Baseball's skill level in the next few years. He is the fastest runner, has a rocket arm, is the best defensive player in MLB, and hits for 300+ total bases a year. There are things to like about prospects but Witt Jr. is a dream.
  6. tony&rodney
    The White Sox and Rays are using a ton of young player. The Mariners mix in rookies as well. Hopefully, the Twins feel Culpepper is ready by the time June ends. Players on the 40 person roster cannot play in the minor leagues during a lockout. There isn't any reason to hold players back if they are ready to contribute at the MLB level.
  7. tony&rodney
    I have long wondered if Royce Lewis might have had or now has more value as a trade piece. Brooks Lee looks far better at third base than Lewis ever did (someone can look up what the various stat sites say about that). I think Lee will also grow as a hitter and his ability to switch hit is an advantage. That takes away 3B from Lewis and he (and his agent) probably prefers the left side of the infield. What is not known at all to me is whether Lewis has any real value for other teams. Certainly there are teams looking for decent production from third base but there is no future in trading Royce Lewis if the return is only a risky lotto pick. So it seems like first base is a good spot for now and if a team (Boston, Milwaukee, ?) is interested they will need to pay with a strong prospect. Lewis is working hard to correct his flaws at the dish and he can be a key player for the Twins this year. I do wonder about his legs holding up and he seems likely to move on in a couple of years no matter what occurs. Lewis is under team control for two more years. Next year will not be very expensive. Where does Royce fit? A team might give up a really good prospect if Lewis shows consistently from now until late July. Ironically, Lewis may be most valuable to the future of the franchise in a transaction.
  8. tony&rodney
    The number of times that Twins pitchers have needed to get 4-5 outs in an inning due to substandard defense really makes it difficult for the manager because of pitch counts. Morris feels like he needs to strike every batter out because of the defense behind him, which is counterproductive to good pitching. It is going to take time but the Twins need to find players who can turn those outs into outs. Keaschall is a confounding player. His approach looks like he is trying to power the ball but he lacks any power. He has good speed but his jumps on ground balls look poor and he just has too many problems fielding ground balls. The lack of improvement is concerning, even if he is relatively inexperienced. Outfield seems like an option until one remembers that his arm is weak. I'm not sure what the Twins can do with Keaschall. The article that suggested he relax and play in AAA for a bit doesn't really fix his weaknesses either. We can be certain that conversations are ongoing among the dugout staff seeking solutions.
  9. tony&rodney
    It seems strange that Royce has such an inconsistent base when he swings. The dancing feet issue (both moving) looks to be reduced, although it still exists. One can still see the backside buckle on many pitches that look like they may come inside and good sweepers/breaking pitches are really tough for Lewis. Most baseball players have a pretty consistent base when they swing. When Lewis has a solid base and firm backside he is a good hitter. The lack of production is a result of so much difficulty having a consistent process.
  10. tony&rodney
    Wonder how Cholowsky compares to Brooks Lee? Lee had a better rated hit tool and was rated higher on speed coming out of college than Cholowsky now. Cholowsky has better ratings of power and defense than Lee did. Something tells me that the best pick for an infielder is extremely risky - Jacob Lombard. I find it impossible to second guess draft picks when I haven't seen them play. My only caveats are picking DH types or players with athleticism who have not shown much in terms of baseball ability. In other words, leave it to the scouts.
  11. tony&rodney
    I'm hoping that whatever player the Twins pick is someone who makes the regular lineup or rotation by 2028. Currently I am on Flora and then Emerson, but gladly defer to the experts.
  12. tony&rodney
    Every player can be traded if the return makes sense. Who exactly are people targeting? Is it DSL, GCL, and FSL lotto tickets? I'm all ears for specific ideas. A month a go I floated a Wallner for a Comp Pick to Arizona. I don't know if that works. Talk to everyone, but trade only if the transaction makes sense.
  13. tony&rodney
    Wonder how it helps to conduct/ share negotiations publicly. Hopefully a decent CBA gets worked out soon. The history of MLB labor disputes is not pretty. The 1987 and 1991 Twins flags are even affected by the shenanigans that took place in past disputes. The collusion of that era was quite severe. Some of you will remember that some of the best players in the game received zero offers. Andre Dawson, Gary Gaetti, and Jack Morris were among the dozens of players who had to take what they could get. Dawson was the most illustrious example. MLB was found guilty in the ensuing lawsuit and paid billions in penalties. Unfortunately, the MLBPA and MLB still harbors ill will towards each other and the loser is always the fans. I cannot see much traction towards a solution in the current published positions. Once again, it seems like fans will take the brunt of raised ticket prices or it seems inevitable. I'll just hope for the best as neither position makes me feel comfortable that the parties have the future of the game in mind.
  14. tony&rodney
    Anyone who pays attention to earned runs and errors by a fielder isn't watching baseball. I would hope that these figures don't count for much in contract talks.
  15. tony&rodney
    Didn't call for the rookies now. In fact I have said Culpepper is more likely in July but late June would not be a surprise. The others are more August calls. The larger point is that there are players with a broader spectrum of skills that are coming and there is hope. The talent takes time and patience is required.
  16. tony&rodney
    There doesn't need to be any concern about where Winokur plays defensively. If he can manage to rise through the system and reach MLB, it will be because he has learned to hit and produce offense on a consistent basis. The defense is already really good and would improve with repetitions, no matter the position. The speed, power, arm, and defense are above average. The hit tool is still a work in progress.
  17. tony&rodney
    Tune in and get a decent sample of the prospects.
  18. tony&rodney
    Every player can be traded if the return makes the roster/team better. I cannot see any trade that involves Kody Clemens returning a player of note. There is not likely to be any demand unless we are talking cash.
  19. tony&rodney
    Not at all. You need to consider that change happens. We are going to die some day. Different players take the place of those who are currently in place. It happens and nobody and nothing can stop time. There are players who are better and those who are not. Kirby Puckett arrived as a surprise singles hitter who held down CF. Everyone can have their own opinion on the next guys but they are coming. You may think that the prospects like Culpepper, Jenkins, etc. are the same as Julien, Wallner, etc., which is your right on this site, but I will suggest the next crew fields better, runs better, and will hit better. Choose the negative, laugh, and down vote but that only brands one as stuck in a bad place of negative thought. Finally, those who have negative views of the minor league players, please tell me you have watched at least 25 games to form your opinion as opposed to looking at lame data.
  20. tony&rodney
    No comparison.
  21. tony&rodney
    The two are not very much alike. Lewis was drafted 1-1, ranked among top prospects, and has been highly rated and featured in dozens of articles. He has been a darling of Twins fan and Twins Daily for years and his jersey is everywhere. Winokur was a third round pick and has never been rated in any top 100 to my knowledge. He also has not been rated very highly by Twins Daily. The article today was the first I remember that featured Winokur but I may not be correct about that. It seems reasonable to feature another prospect than the usual guys. It also doesn't hurt to be positive about a player doing well right now despite being at least two years away from any MLB time.
  22. tony&rodney
    Winokur has been on my watch list for several years. The athletic talent is there. Tall players often, not a requirement or always, take longer to manage their swing mechanics. The article does a good job of explaining the areas where Winokur has worked to improve and correctly adds the improvements still needed. The plate appearances are better but still need further focus and refinement. The swing is shorter and the bat path moving in a positive direction but occasionally Winokur does get long and jumpy still. There are good days and bad days. If you only see him once or twice, it makes sense that one could question his future. Looking merely at statistics, likewise, only gives a partial picture of his qualities and ability to eventually transition to the major leagues. I would say Winokur is still at least two years away but worth the wait and development time. Naturally, one an tell that I may be higher on him than others. Where I do not question Winokur is in the field. While he will look lackadaisical on the rare occasion (everyone has bad days), the defense is almost always well above average wherever he plays. Recently he made a Witt Jr. relay to nail a runner going for a triple, catching the ball and throwing it all in one lightning quick motion. Winokur has a cannon and he is very accurate. If and when Winokur manages to gain consistent control of his swing to become a threat on offense at a higher level he will fill whatever position is open: shortstop, third base, or centerfield. Whether the tall athletic prospect can make the gains will be well worth watching because a well above average defensive player who steals 25-40 bases and hits a ton of XBH with a .275 BA would be a treat to watch.
  23. tony&rodney
    My money is on Kaelen Culpepper, Walker Jenkins, and Emmanuel Rodriguez all surpassing the trio of Lewis, Julien, and Wallner. Look to the future. At the close of the 2023 season I suggested the Twins cash in all three of those rookies. Lewis had high value and both Julien and Wallner only had futures as DH guys for a good team. The next group has a significantly better set of baseball tools.
  24. tony&rodney
    Never give up. Hope is eternal. The last decent season was when three rookies led the team. It can happen again.
  25. tony&rodney
    Yes, second guessing is a thing. The Twins should have drafted Aaron Judge, Tarik Skubal, etc.
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