tony&rodney
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Everything posted by tony&rodney
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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.
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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.
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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.
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- taj bradley
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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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Always take best player available. I have no idea about these guys. I watch a ton of minor league ball and go to some high school games but have little knowledge of college teams. The current articles put two players as above the remainder of all other players. It is early April though.
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Random on my part. I have not seen him play. Have you? I was looking through college teams a bit and went to mlb.com to see what they said about draft prospects. They have Lackey as a 60 arm and 55 field. I do take those numbers for a grain of salt. I also remember that a number of people suggested that Konnor Griffin had such a serious issue with his "stiff" swing that he might find pro baseball very difficult. I like to see the players, live or via games broadcast a dozen or so times before I make my guesses. I'm not a fan of video highlights as opposed to watching in game action. It sounds like you have seen him play quite a bit though. So I'm curious about your conclusion that Lackey won't catch. The main reason various reports on him caught my eye was a universal view of Lackey as extremely athletic, quick with a big arm. What is your report?
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Tait is certainly going to be an option. Perhaps the Twins draft Vahn Lackey, an athletic catcher from Georgia Tech, with Pick #3 in the draft in July. I'm looking forward to watching Tait this season.
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KC is outspending MN by $149-107 according to Fangraphs. They are trying to win and might. The Royals line up better than the Twins except for in CF, with both teams having less than stellar position depth on the bench. The Royals have tried to entice teams into trades to acquire outfielders but have really struggled. Lane Thomas was a desperation move. He was hurt last year. Don't give up on KC though. Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone are key players in the Royals fortunes this season.
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Kody Clemens is somewhat representative of our Minnesota Twins. He plays hard, has some skills, and is likely grateful to be on an MLB team. Today, alone, Clemens was quite a show. In the 2nd inning Clemens singled but smartly moved up to second base when Caratini (thinking he was invisible) tried to go to third base. Then Kody seemed to lose track of the number of outs and was going to be picked off second except for an errant throw that caromed away into the shallow outfield, allowing Clemens to scamper home with the first run of the game. Clemens dropped a foul ball pop up where he called off the catcher, Caratini, in the 3rd inning. In the 4th inning Clemens couldn't scoop a poor throw. In the 5th inning Clemens smashed his face in a caught stealing. It was a crazy reckless headfirst slide. In the 6th inning Clemens could not scoop a poor throw by Royce Lewis and nearly sacrificed his body and life by falling directly into the path of a hard running Salvador Perez who neatly and politely stepped over Kody. In the 9th inning Clemens hit a sweet home run and then could not bail out another crappy play by Lewis. All in all Clemens was a huge part of the game. I hope I remembered it fairly well. I really appreciate how hard Clemens plays but am sometimes a little befuddled by his actions too. I believe it is possible to recognize the positive contributions of players while also being aware of their limitations. Until such time as the Twins field players who possess above average skills in the field, on the bases, and at the plate I'm going to admire the small things and begrudgingly accept the lesser displays of talent. Clemens was a show today.
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It is not much of a consolation but the Twins are playing as hard as they can. When the team is playing just match up the opponents lineup position by position to the Twins and ask yourself who you would pick. It isn't pretty. Things can change but it may be a while.
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New York is tropical. Right?
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True. A fully retractable dome would be a good. Also it could be used year around. Love Target Field but would love it more if a cover managed to come out of the ground and protect us from .... feels like 19 degrees F. Downside is adding a billion dollars to the cost.
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March is great for baseball .... in Florida or across the warmer southern states. Tomorrow, we expect, snow sleet and rain. That's no April Fool's joke. That is MLB scheduling.
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- tanner schobel
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FWIW, I find nearly all defensive statistics pretty much worthless. I do trust my eyes after being involved in baseball at many levels across more than half a century. Also I rarely disparage an MLB player. They do the best that they can. Different players have different tools: at the plate, on the bases, and in the field. Skills are relative to the competition. We hear a few folks call for players to try first base, a position where footwork, handling errant throws, and being ninety feet from line drives eliminates most guys. We might as well ask players to catch or play shortstop, the two most demanding defensive positions. What is fairly undeniable is that the Twins do not have good defenders in the field and those same players are not exactly tearing up MLB pitching at the plate or excelling on the bases. Thus some changes need to occur over the next year. I have argued that October 2023 was a ripe time to shift. The general idea is to have average to plus average fielders at most positions in the field, hopefully seven of the eight but preferably all eight and that those same players can produce league average or above offense.. In the AL Central, we see other teams doing this or moving in that direction. The Twins are behind the curve. Larnach, Wallner, and others are not the problem. An accumulation of too many DH players on the roster is the problem. When Culpepper, Jenkins, and hopefully others push forward and prove themselves ready for regular playing time there will be some obvious improvements in the field, on the bases, and at the plate. The job of the front office to to roster the best obtainable collection of baseball players. Right now, the Twins are a little down. Things can change. Depending on how change rolls out and the performances of the players currently rostered, a few of our DH types will remain. The two who hit will find a role.
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The Twins are not a balanced team as far as position players. The argument (imo) is not specific to any one player although this article and many others highlight specific players, almost certainly to spur discussions. My view is that the team is overloaded with DH guys. This isn't a Tom problem, unless he has expressly forbidden the trading of any players since last October. It seems like more of a roster construction/ front office issue. We can go right down the roster and see decent players, but many of them belong at DH. Thus, it isn't Larnach, Wallner, Lee or any other player we should take umbrage towards. They get put in the corner outfield or elsewhere and do the best that they can when penciled into the field. I don't think people should be calling to "toss" any players. Perhaps many folks are frustrated. Help is on the way .... it may take a year. Tune in to watch the Saints and you will see several players who hold promise on both sides of the ball, but they need further development at the plate.
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What I meant is that we are seeing Keaschall swinging hard early in the count but shifting to contact later in the plate appearances. He has swung out of his shoes a few time but pushed the ball into play when he was down on the count. He has also been more aggressive in the field. His arm does look stronger if not exactly strong. Luke is the least of our concerns right now. I hope people are not hyped too much about him because I think he should not be expected to hit above .275.
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FWIW, my take is that rosters can be turned to field a more competitive squad in a couple of years. It does depend on some (moderate) willingness to spend, develop of younger players, efficient trades, reasonable signings of fringe players, and (most importantly) a specific overall plan. The slide (imo) started with the close of the 2023 season. The weaknesses stood out and there were a host of players who held high or solid values for trade purposes. The Twins identified slugging as a means to an end. It didn't work and the three offseasons of inaction brought us to the current team. I have faith things will begin to turn but it will take time and luck. A critical point - Do the Twins have a different plan now? That is still an open thought, one currently unanswered. We may have a better idea of an answer by some time in June and by August a clear picture should emerge of where the franchise is headed. I don't think a fourth year of sitting on the hands will work. So patience is in order for 2026. Already there were some positives. Ryan, Bradley, and Woods Richardson looked good. That's a start.
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Diverging Paths: San Diego Padres Nearing $3.4+ Billion Sale
tony&rodney replied to NYCTK's topic in Other Baseball
Perhaps a small difference which could be impossible to quantify is how the two ownership groups view baseball. Seidler loved baseball. I'm not sure the Pohlads have ever felt totally committed to baseball or were die hard fans. -
Good breakdown. It is one reason why Keaschall is an interesting player. He adapts. Hopefully he can barrel more balls when he gets a cookie. I'm not ready to give up on Keaschall's glove. He has some quickness and speed that should help him get to ground balls and pop ups where others simply cannot due to physical limitations. At this point, Keashall is still a work in progress defensively.
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Tom, I respectfully disagree with your take on Shelton's argument. Saw it live and four replays. Pitcher did touch hat and then took four steps before tapping his hat which is the protocol/rule. At that point, the pitcher is beyond "immediately" and the challenge should have been denied. Are we going to use a clock? Perhaps a tweek to the rule is in order, giving only catchers and batters the challenges. The umpire can hear those guys voice a challenge as they are signaling one, which eliminates doubt. If a challenge is given every time a pitcher or batter reaches up and touches their hat/helmet, challenges will be done by the end of the first inning. Many pitchers and batters will habitually touch their helmets/hats after every pitch. From my view, the Orioles pitcher did not clearly tap twice, initially, as required. It was the second base umpire who overruled the home plate umpire. If that play happens to the Yankees you will see Aaron Boone on the field for 15 minutes. Boone is already a master at extending the 15 second challenge; he is good. On another note, I would like all other challenges reduced to 3 seconds. It eliminates the video delays. All egregious calls would be challenged, which was the original intent of bringing replay into the game.
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Well, the third out fell for a double yesterday and two runs scored via the next batter, The strategy relies on Larnach providing enough offense to overcome his defensive shortcomings. He might need to have a .900 OPS to accomplish that trick. I guess we shall how it plays out. So far? Not so hot. The front office went heavy for DH types in recent years, but they did shift to an extent and there is hope in AAA. Gonzalez is a DH type, but Jenkins and Rodriguez are solid gloves. Can they hit their way to Target Field by June?
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Depending on personal preference for the type of baseball an individual likes to watch, I would suggest that the Saints are a clear bet to be more entertaining from the standpoint of fielding, running, throwing, and hitting. The AAA players are still learning skills needed to be successful at the MLB level though, so it is a nuanced argument. I have enjoyed all three of the Twins games and all three of the Saints games (one on TV, other on computer). The Saints brand has been more exciting but MLB is obviously a higher quality, more fine-tuned quality of baseball.
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Tristan Gray had a sweet bat for the Twins today. I was mildly surprised the Twins chose Gray over Kreidler because Ryan is a far superior defender. Kreidler easily catches the ball that fell for a double between the lumbering Larnach, the retreating Lewis, and Gray. We shouldn't expect Kreidler to hit too much, but his glove is real. Morris looked good. Batters pop up quite a bit against him. Morris could use a little more movement on his fastball. He was 96-97 most of the time but did not put batters away. He is still learning but looks good. Klein also looked good. The Pittsburgh prospects are highly regarded. Konnor Griffin is crazy talented. A feather for the Saints to sweep Indianapolis.
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I have only seen Marek Houston a half dozen times (milb.com), not enough to make any sort of comment on his glove. Kaelen Culpepper looks good at shortstop. Jenkins and Rodriguez are both at least average or better outfielders. Help is on the way. When? Who knows? DeBarge may have difficulty making the majors and Winokur needs to hit. He is a couple years away even if he does begin to hit. The glove is real though, anywhere.
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A few general thoughts: First, the Twins don't exactly have a talented roster and must eliminate mental errors. Four base-running mistakes is not acceptable. Second, two corner statues in the outfield is at least one too many. The ball that dropped for a double to score two runs was exhibit A for substandard infield and outfield defense. Third, not all starting pitchers do well in a piggy back situation. Fourth, there is talent in AAA that holds promise for the future, so Twins fans will need to be very patient for a few years. The Twins are playing hard but baseball is a tough game. The team seems to be supportive of each other and pulling in the same direction. Keaschall pocketing the game ball after the last out on Saturday and giving it to Buxton to present to Shelton was a sweet moment. Talent limits the upside but if the coaching staff can get the players to reduce mental errors we can accept the efforts of the squad. Wins can flow from there.
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