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tony&rodney

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Everything posted by tony&rodney

  1. tony&rodney
    Interesting that these lists often seem to be heavy on A and A+ ball players with a token AAA pitcher. Guess it works. I have no quibble with the lists, although I want to see prospects show their stuff at higher levels before getting too hyped. The guys drafted last year shot out pretty big year. James Ellwanger looked really good in his innings. I understand I'm in the minority in liking Andrew Morris, but he has made progress each of the last few years. The command within the zone was an issue a couple years ago. He has good control. Last year Morris was tipping his pitches with glove placement. That has been corrected. Now he is working on an improved curveball and tweaking his changeup. He has hit 99 mph in his career and almost always sits 95-97 mph with his four seam fastball. I'm bullish on his future despite his slight frame. I guess anyone could have the usual concerns about a smallish pitcher living in the high 90s suffering an arm injury. We shall see how this year plays out. Certainly all these pitchers live on the edge when it comes to elbows and shoulders. One thing about the Twins pitching prospects - it always seems like there are as many as a dozen decent guys and most fizzle before they reach the bigs. This year, we once again are wishing on a pile of promising prospects.
  2. tony&rodney
    Totally agree and meant to include that in my remarks. While he cannot hit a lick, Ryan Kreidler as a 13th player would not bother me. He is the best defensive player at every position and takes hits away nearly every time he plays.
  3. tony&rodney
    Morris was pretty good. He showed off multiple sharp pitches, especially his curveball, and hit 97.7 mph with most fastballs at 96 mph. Both hits were pop ups that are usually very routine outs but the wind was howling. The announcer stated that Morris was specifically working on pitches and that the Saints had stated pre-game that he would only throw so many pitches or four innings because the Twins wanted both Brebbia and Altavilla to pitch in the first game. Altavilla had nothing going for whatever reason. No velocity, no movement, no control. He was lucky the pitches weren't in the strike zone.
  4. tony&rodney
    FWIW, Culpepper has looked really good at shortstop, I mean really good. Maybe the Twins want to keep Arcia happy by giving him every third day at short but Kaelen is far superior to Arcia with the glove. The wind was crazy. The WooSox right fielder needs a chiropractor after getting twisted all around by the wind on Arcia's ball that went for a triple.
  5. tony&rodney
    The talent level is a step low. It isn't one guy or one thing. We see it in ground balls, on throws from infielders, on balls 30 feet hit from the foul line rolling by the outfielders, and so forth. For three years, since October of 2023 I made crazy suggestions for trades in attempts to find a way for the club to upgrade the athleticism. Pitching is the key to winning and offense is needed or you lose 0-1, but if the defense is decrepit the pitchers are constantly trying to do more like going for strikeouts. All I'm saying is that it is going to take time. There isn't much to hang our fandom on right now. The roster construction is among the worst we have seen. My one comment to the coaches is a hope that the team can vastly reduce mental errors. This is most often seen on fielding plays or on the bases, but the batters can be more tuned into what they should do at the plate as well. Baseball always has another game, so there is room to improve. As far as standards I'm a bit of a perfectionist.
  6. tony&rodney
    If you didn't see this coming you weren't paying attention. Things can get better and we hope they do. Things can also get worse, which we hope they do not. Hope is about all there is for now. A number of people have called for changes but there really isn't much to change right now. The best players in AAA are Kaelen Culpepper, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Walker Jenkins among the position players. Andrew Morris is the best starting pitcher at AAA. All of these players could use more time at AAA to work on their game. Perhaps a few are ready by late May or in June. I think that Falvey's Dream Team has come home to roost. It will take some time to sort things out. If you are watching you see some balls just eluding our guys but you also see some small improvements too. Wallner did some fair work on the grass today. Things could get tough through April and May. I'm expecting improvement in June. There is a shortage of ability. MLB players are all really good athletes compared to us but there is also quite an amount of separation within those who fill the MLB rosters. Keep the faith. No use pounding your head against the wall. Or ... maybe that is a preference. I'm just trying to enjoy some baseball. That may sound polyannish but baseball is my refuge from current events. It gets me a few thumbs down and makes me step back .... so it goes.
  7. tony&rodney
    Binged a little on baseball today. Twins, parts of 2 Saints games, and the Kernels. Way too early to get down. April is tough for baseball and we all should be aware of the squad's limitations. I'm not seeing anyone give up. That is something. Simeon looked good. That ball that Caminero hit out was a tough pitch ... tip your hat. Hopefully the barrel of the bats starts to find the ball. I hope the Twins can pitch well too. The next week will be a challenge.
  8. tony&rodney
    Prielipp has good stuff but has only looked good in spurts thus far. Andrew Morris looked good in 1st inning of today's game. Hopefully he can keep it going. The announcers noted that Morris was working on pitches as opposed to just getting outs. Kaelen Culpepper with lead off HR versus Boston's #1 prospect Payton Tolle.
  9. tony&rodney
    It's early but it sure seems like umpires are missing more pitches than last year. One wonders whether they are pushing the challenge system and then calling their own zone. On the other hand, the umpires are cold too. These things get cleared up once the weather becomes reasonable.
  10. tony&rodney
    Do you own a readio? Go sit outside and listen to the game and get back to me later.
  11. tony&rodney
    Absolutely. And I'm not going to criticize the players, who came from Spring Training in Florida and now fall asleep three hours after the game still cold despite a hot tub and hot shower.
  12. tony&rodney
    Funny pun there.
  13. tony&rodney
    The Twins players are doing their best, especially considering the weather. Until such time as the AAA guys have developed enough to push their way on to the roster as regulars, the Twins will suffer from defensive shortcomings. No amount of concentration will turn a current Twins LF into Kwan or a RF into Clemente. I am appreciating the efforts right now and hoping the coaches can reduce mental errors.
  14. tony&rodney
    Wallner is a DH as is Bell, Larnach, and Caratini plus maybe more. That is a tough thing for a team. So far Big Matt hasn't had to lumber very far or cost his pitchers, whereas Larnach and Caratini have already struggled in the field. It is what it is and the Twins need to make the best of it for now until someone better forces their way forward. Wallner cannot play first base, nor can Larnach. Larnach was used one time in summer ball. You have to know that multiple teams/coaches have already made a number of attempts putting Larnach and Wallner at first base. It would not be responsible to place either in such danger from throws or batted balls much less pick off plays. If you still think so that merely shows that you have never had to catch a ball at 90+mph or field a ball at 100+ mph. Both would be safer at catcher, although pitchers and umpires would not be amused. Wallner gets full time play until he totally implodes or someone passes him up. Hopefully he can adjust and find success.
  15. tony&rodney
    It was a messed up offseason. Hard to know anything about what was possible or what was not. Personally, I was present for the loss to Houston in 2023 and saw inherent weaknesses that could only be solved through trades. Soto and the Japanese players (Ohtani, etc.) were never an option and Montgomery and Hoskins were poor choices even at that time. We really don't know where things are going at this time. It seems hard to believe worse is ahead. Agree that at least one or more of Ryan, Lopez, Buxton, Jeffers, Ober, Lewis, Larnach, and Wallner should have been traded (I favored multiple trades), but that is in the past. I am hoping that all of Culpepper, Jenkins, and Rodriguez force their way on to the major league roster as regulars. Back to the post, the Twins need to be judicious about their roster and we can only hope that a number of players arrive in the next 15 months that will actually make a difference.
  16. tony&rodney
    How does one define "best hitter"? Unless a bater hits a home run getting on base is important for a leadoff batter. Schwarber does both. Ricky Henderson is arguable the best ever as a leadoff hitter. He also did both. The Twins have experimented with a number of guys at the leadoff position, often using OBP. Byron Buxton was one of the better on base choices last year and he hits for extra bases. Until the Twins have a more set/talented roster we should expect different people hitting leadoff. Lastly, I will add that some players do not feel comfortable hitting leadoff. This is more common below the MLB level.
  17. tony&rodney
    You make a point that many will agree with. It always seemed like the Pohlads had zero input and perhaps didn't even know much about the team much less the minor leagues; a hands off approach. If Tom is now involved he can make a difference somehow. Of course this can potentially be very drastic in either direction. I think it is certainly too soon to tell. Looking at the roster, this is still Falvey's Dream Team, although changes are coming. Whether Tom Pohlad put a "NO" to any moves over the winter isn't clear. Did any team make any reasonable offers? I never saw one. We do know that the former PBO ran operations until at least mid December. Is it possible that restrictions were put in place earlier? I have not seen any evidence of that. The July deadline through November were prime time for trades and roster improvements. Nothing happened and we do not know why. While i actively opposed the sale of the Minnesota Twins to Carl Pohlad in 1984, I'm not prepared to identify Tom Pohlad as an obstacle to an improved baseball team. It is early and he is the first family member to actively show an interest. Whether he can pull off positive moves is for speculation. He won't get a long time to make his moves. Certainly many, if not most, people will give Tom zero chance. I'm waiting until next March.
  18. tony&rodney
    Interesting. Coaches tended to create their own "analytics". I did too, decades ago, for roughly similar reasons. It is one reason I fail to kneel at the altar of the current trends, although I don't dismiss them. The managers and coaches are working with the team on hand. It is different from level to level: who tries out, volunteers, recruits, and those signed by upper management. There are no more Connie Macks. BTW, even now there are rare moments when I run into or hear from a former player about my "strange" formulas and the initials for them.
  19. tony&rodney
    Baseball in this weather is brutal. Hard to get on the players. One has to be impressed by the fan turnout today. Sitting or standing in 30 some degree wet weather with a wind blowing while watching a game isn't recommended for anyone's health. Kudos to the fans. The Twins are trying their best in my opinion. No sense in criticizing a player for physical errors. If the Twins can vastly reduce mental errors they can improve. On the subject of errors, people need to totally disregard those. There is no standard or even a fair judgment on how those rulings go in today's MLB baseball. At this point I'm fine with getting rid of ERA (use runs allowed) and errors. Just make it standard. A guy reaches base, it is a hit. Of course, that is ridiculous but we have already seen a dozen errors ruled hits this young season. Does anyone else note that Ober's loss of velocity (he never threw hard) has concerned too many people. When Ober keeps the ball out of the middle and keeps batters off balance he gets outs. His stamina seems to lag and that seems strange because he sure looks like a big strong man. I think Ober will always get hit when he throws it middle, middle and it doesn't make much difference if he throws 88 or 92 mph. The funky delivery and mix of pitches on the edge or just off the corners will work. He needs the stamina back though. The Tampa Bay players and Manager Kevin Cash looked shocked that the game wasn't postponed.
  20. tony&rodney
    This is Falvey's Dream Team. Don't be so hard on the fellas. The effort is there so far. The talent level is what it is.
  21. tony&rodney
    To be clear, I merely put Lackey's name forward and he seems interesting precisely because he is seen as a terrific athlete. Does that transfer? No idea. My preference is for the Twins organization become more athletic as regards hitting, fielding, throwing, and running. The top two names continue to be Grady Emerson and Roch Cholowsky. The general consensus among prospect sites is that there will be quite a bit of variance amongst the next 10-15 guys. Be that what it may, there are months to go and the speculation will run right up to the draft. The only times I find myself being critical of a draft choice is when the guy picked is one dimensional,
  22. tony&rodney
    The Twins have 3 plus months to figure this out. The money always gets spent. The MLB draft can be tough to get right. The Twins need to catch a (make their) break and get a star (position or pitcher) at pick #3.
  23. tony&rodney
    Best player available. A position player who can hit, field, run, and throw - above average in all areas. Someone with a lower K-rate and higher BB-rate too. A pitcher with an outstanding frame who has multiple plus pitcher with command and control. For the #3 pick the Twins should be greedy about obtaining a guy with talent/playable athleticism.
  24. tony&rodney
    You may be correct but Bell or Caratini aren't any better. All are bad options. We have to hope they work hard and play hard. Maybe the infielders could make better throws too .... but they also are all limited. My view is the boys are doing their best but have some limitations that show .... quite often.
  25. tony&rodney
    I'm sure others or you will think otherwise but the answer is no. First base is an adventure for all three guys.
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