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Finlander

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Everything posted by Finlander

  1. Finlander
    Oh no, their uniforms will need alterations. It happens when you get older I guess. I wonder if any of the youngsters gained an inch.
  2. Finlander
    Point taken. However, when I made my comment, I wasn't only considering at-bats. It is not far-fetched to suggest that the defensive floors of all three outfielders I mentioned may exceed the defensive ceiling of Larnach.
  3. Finlander
    It's early, but the play of Roden, GG, and Emma so far makes the decision to retain Larnach appear even more puzzling.
  4. Finlander
    Maybe they'll try Outman in the bullpen. Good name for a pitcher!
  5. Finlander
    Wallner may never play an inning at 1B. But maybe his arm would fit in the bullpen. 😀
  6. Finlander
    At least managing a team that is expected to lose won't frustrate him - he's been used to that in Pittsburg. He also has some familiarity with many of the players already. While a seemingly uninspiring hire, I give it a cautiously optimistic C for now, just for his knowing the situation he's coming into.
  7. Finlander
    I'm referring to getting the most out of his players, not the rate of ejections. Even as a coach, he helped Zoilo win an MVP.
  8. Finlander
    Maybe Shelton came in at a lower salary than the other candidates requested. I think the team is way overdue for a Billy Martin type manager. The meek lap dog approach hasn't been working.
  9. Finlander
    My add to this: Boston really wants Ryan. I hold him and pivot to selling them Lopez as payroll relief, once he is proven healthy and effective in the spring. He'd likely welcome being moved to a playoff caliber team at this stage of his career instead of staying through a total rebuild and an uncertain ownership situation. He might bring back a young pitcher and a MLB ready hitter. That move alone gets the Twins payroll into the mid-upper 80s range with some breathing room to look for 1B and bullpen help.
  10. Finlander
    A geographical component may come into play just as much as any perceived analytical procedure. Playing baseball for a team home based so far away from warm climates may not be as appealing to some Latin players when it comes down to signing and developing them.
  11. Finlander
    Maybe ticket and concession prices should be sliding proportionally with the decrease in player payroll and talent level on the field. But, that not being the case, I'd rather spend a lot less to watch competitive games in St Paul than see the Twins become badly battered sparring partners for major league teams.
  12. Finlander
    This year's collapse seemed more self inflicted by ownership and Falvey, as nearly the entire bullpen was traded away. I'd love to see a breakdown of how many of the second half losses occurred in the last 3 or 4 innings. It sure appeared to me that we wasted more than a few decent outings by starting pitchers. The combination of a depleted bullpen, lack of timely hitting, and shaky defense made for one of the worst Twins teams I've seen assembled in decades. And I can't really see how this becomes a selling point to a potential buyer. The only real plusses I saw in the field were some promising starting pitching, a sudden interest in stealing bases, and of course Buxton's awesome season. Can't wait to see a full season from Keashall too.
  13. Finlander
    Baldelli didn't assemble the roster. Losing so many second half games in the last 4 innings is no surprise after trading away nearly the entire bullpen at the deadline. Earl Weaver or Tony La Russa couldn't have won with that pen. While Rocco's decision making could appear weird at times, I think the accountability hook seems a little misplaced, or at least incompletely applied.
  14. Finlander
    (Oops, I quoted a quote..) So then why should we buy tickets or merchandise prior to the new CBA?
  15. Finlander
    Trade all 3 to the Athletics for a lottery ticket arm or something. They fixed Rooker, maybe they can do the same for some more of our developmental failures.
  16. Finlander
    Unfortunately, it's the southbound lane in northbound traffic.
  17. Finlander
    If Falvey wants to either secure an extension here, or audition his skills for his next job, he should be trusted to make the best deal possible for the Twins. Sure, I'd trust him. Plenty of incentive and motivation to get it right. Ryan should go nowhere. But I could see one of the relievers going, especially if the Twins could somehow attach Vasquez to the deal, maybe to the Dodgers for a prospect package that includes their young catcher.
  18. Finlander
    So if Vazquez strains a quad...
  19. Finlander
    Never gonna happen. My first look at Mayo, 3 games ago against us, 0-3 with 3 Ks, and also two errors at 3B. No thanks. There will be hitters to get at the deadline.
  20. Finlander
    How many hitting coaches has the team cycled through in recent years? James Rowson, Rudy Hernandez, David Popkins, Derek Shoman, and now Matt Borgschulte. The lack of continuity and coaching talent might be a contributing factor, as nearly the entire team seems affected (minus the early success of batters like Wallner and Keashall). Jeffers may be nursing some aches and pains from the nature of his position. Let's see how he's swinging by the end of May. The warm weather may loosen up the ol' rheumatism.
  21. Finlander
    I'd be just as concerned about which catcher would be assigned to attempt to catch the knuckleball reliably. A pitcher can mess with hitter's timing by varying his delivery to combat their sitting on a pitch. Luis Tiant's array of moves, Muscat Grant's double toe tap, Jim Kaat's quick pitch and eephus pitch - and more recently, Luis Garcia with Houston, all come to mind. If memory serves me correctly, Tim Wakefield had some sort of fastball to keep hitters honest. He did give up a few dingers, but being a knuckleball pitcher in Fenway is pretty brave! He had some nice seasons. I can't wait to see Lewis and some of the others (Soto, Prielipp, et.al.) in action against established MLB hitters and see how they do.
  22. Finlander
    Looking at some candidates: I'd not be comfortable having someone with knee injury history (Lewis) trying to turn double plays at 2B. I agree with the several posts who'd like for Castro to remain as the versatile supersub, primarily in the infield. Julien has shown hitting skills in the minors and at the major league level before nosediving. His defense had improved a bit too before his hitting plunged. This is a critical period for him. Lee and Martin both have pedigree as high 1st round picks with supposedly elite hit tool. Unfortunately, the hit tools haven't quite emerged yet. In my opinion, they should be honed by playing everyday in the minors, rather than fossilizing on a MLB bench. But I wouldn't be surprised if one makes the Twins roster. Given their draft position, they'll both be given every chance available to make it, a la Kirilloff, Larnach, etc. The wild cards - Eeles and Keashall. I like them both. There are some exciting aspects to their games, and they're hungry. Eeles has a sneaky good bat, reminds me a little of Pedroia. I look for one of them to have an impact on the club by August, and I wouldn't be surprised if one of them is in contention to be the starting 2B in 2026. No one else seems to be grabbing it. My gut (which is substantial) tells me that whoever emerges as a primary 2B this spring will be a placeholder for someone else in 2026, unless Lee or Julien show some drastic improvement.
  23. Finlander
    I think it's fair to say that the pitching depth and quality has improved a bit during the Falvey regime. It doesn't seem too long ago that the pitching was downright thin and scary. But the hitting...the baserunning...the defense...basic fundamentals and situational play...yikes. I don't think the giddiness of the Bomba Squad setting the HR record (outlasting the NYY) has worn off yet, and it's likely affected roster construction and approach.
  24. Finlander
    Article says that Justin Ishbia lives just outside of Chicago. So this leverage moves makes plenty of sense from his standpoint.
  25. Finlander
    You could argue that we really haven't developed a permanent answer positionally at either 2B or 3B either. It seems to be drafting the bat first, then see where they can field, if at all. Royce Lewis hasn't shown yet that he can beat either Miranda or Lee at 3B. I wouldn't risk his knees turning double plays at 2B - so I guess I'd like him as a 1B candidate. We have no clue who will be even adequate at 2B. It seems like Keashall and Eels should have some opportunity to compete for infield consideration this spring, at least to push the so called incumbents. To answer the article, I don't see France as a "risk" per se, at $1M. He's around to push the incumbent, likely Miranda. What Baldelli says about France may just be an addition to that push - I see his statement as encouraging and motivational to Miranda, rather than threatening. In the meantime, if France finds his swing, maybe we have a useful power righty bat, PH, DH, and PT 1B for a few weeks, and he becomes an additional trade chip this summer.
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