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mudcat14

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Everything posted by mudcat14

  1. mudcat14
    Our starting pitchers can't even attempt to hold a lead or stem the momentum after we score. It's like they just Tee it up for the next few hitters they face.
  2. mudcat14
    How bad at SS can Escobar be? He sure seems like an upgrade to Florimon offensively. Is it his versatility that keeps the Twins from giving him a multi-game shot at SS, or do they already suspect he can't cut it?
  3. mudcat14
    Since last week? No. But over the past couple of years? Yes. His K rate has risen dramatically. He now plays a much less rigorous position defensively, supposedly allowing him to maintain his energy. He's in the line-up every single day. He's being pitched inside, almost exclusively. Many teams put their SS directly behind the bag for him, even though they know he prefers to hit the opposite way. Bottom line he's still an athlete with superior hand/eye coordination and above average pitch recognition. But he needs to evolve into his body, position and opportunities that are afforded to him. Not unlike a Little Leaguer who has to make adjustments to keep his eye on the ball or not step in the bucket, Joe has to want to condition himself to use his vast talents in a more productive way. Doug Mientkiewicz never made $22mil/year.
  4. mudcat14
    Whether it's due to age, wear or whatever, Joe's quick reactions and batspeed are slowing down. Since even before the concussion, his K rate has been climbing steadily over the past three years, to an all-time worst. It's time he give up the fantasy of being Rod Carew and embrace the fact that he's Kent Hrbek. A .320 singles hitter with gap power had great value at catcher, but at 1B he's worth a lot more as a .290 hitting lumbering slugger. He's 6'5' & 230 for Chrissake! The time has come to stop waiting back on every pitch and flicking them the other way. He needs to start aggressively attacking the first good pitch he see's, and fulfill his destiny.
  5. mudcat14
    Don't look now, but Levi Michael is raking at Ft. Myers. Finally! Due to his age and experience, I wouldn't be too surprised if he gets the call to New Britain before Polanco does. Anyone know if he's still considered a potential SS or has he proven that 2B is all he can handle?
  6. mudcat14
    Any word on how my fellow Iowan BJ Hermsen has fared this spring? I know he was battling injury early last season and never seemed to recover. He is still only one season removed from being the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Dare I get my hopes up for a rebound season?
  7. mudcat14
    I don't claim any inside knowledge. But I'll offer this scenario for Bartlett & Kubel sticking despite their respective springs. There were a lot of rumblings about apathy in the clubhouse and a general failure to approach the game the 'Twins Way' last season. Maybe there here as much to try an install the right attitude on to our current roster as for their playing ability. Mauer's leadership skills are what they are. Gardy might just feel these guys are needed to bring back a necessary edge to the team.
  8. mudcat14
    My ample gut tells me that Parm makes the team due to his lack of options. Cola deserves to stay, but will fall victim to his ability to be optioned. Hopefully he plays in the OF exclusively with the Red Wings.
  9. mudcat14
    ...do Willingham & Kubel get in the #4-#5 holes before we try anyone with even the slightest possibility of a future? Honestly, I'd much rather take our lumps with Colabello & Parmelee and have hope for improvement. I'd gladly eat my words, but I think the spring has proven that the veterans are as dead as Julius Caesar.
  10. mudcat14
    I didn't realize that Pudge Jr. was making the transition from CF to Pitcher. Assuming he pitched as an amateur, has he pitched anywhere else? Winter ball perhaps? I'm guessing he has a live arm with plus velocity. Any scouting reports?
  11. mudcat14
    Mark my words. Colabello is gonna play his way onto the roster!
  12. mudcat14
    No thanks. He's 29 and has regressed as his playing time and experience have increased. He struck out 147 times last season. We don't need that kind of man in our lives. We're better off giving Hicks the job and seeing once and for all if he can be counted on. He may not hit DeAza's robust .264. But give Aaron the 602 AB's the White Sox gave DeAza last year, and Hicks won't do any worse.
  13. mudcat14
    Gonna say over as well. I think they want to get as good at him as possible. Plus they want him comfortable around the clubhouse because I seriously see him with the club after the Futures Game.
  14. mudcat14
    This!
  15. mudcat14
    I certainly would give more credence to the direct Ryan quote above, but Len3 didn't make it sound very dire in his news and notes in attached link. Len3: http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/239165491.html
  16. mudcat14
    Nishioka's failure at a relatively modest expenditure will prevent the Twins from spending what will be required to land Tanaka. I'm not so sure he will end up being worth what he will cost anyway. I think I'd rather see how things shake out with Garza at half the price.
  17. mudcat14
    Has he recovered from the arm woes that allegedly lead to his demise last season? Unlike his stint with the Twins, his AAA numbers weren't terrible in a limited role. What are the odds on his having a big bounce back year?
  18. mudcat14
    My point is that age really isn't a factor between the Chris's. Unless one of them really explodes in the spring, neither really projects as anything more than a bench option going forward. IF (a big if) Colabello out performs Parmelee in Florida, losing the latter to the DFA list shouldn't factor into roster decisions. Sure the Twins have made a serious investment in Parmelee in terms of time and money, but it's time for him to sh*t or get of the pot. If he can't beat out Colbello, it's time to move on from him.
  19. mudcat14
    At this time and for the foreseeable future, I think we're only looking at additional 1Bmen on the roster as fill-ins. I wouldn't rule Colabello out just yet. I think it's likely that Arcia, Willingham & Kubel are the front runners for the corner OF/DH positions. CC & Parmelee both figure into the competition as well. Parmelee is younger and a better fielder at each position, but hasn't really shown anything offensively other than his initial September call-up 3 years ago. CC is older but bats right-handed and will be cheaper, longer. Since neither really figures to be anything more than a reserve or platoon player, I think each will be given equal opportunities to win a roster spot. Parmelee has already had two full off-seasons to adjust to major-league pitching and has failed to respond. Maybe CC will be able to repair the holes in his swing and excel. I think he at least warrants, and will get a chance
  20. mudcat14
    Exactly correct. Why clutter the roster with a 3rd catcher in case of emergency, when Mauer is quite capable of finishing a game if necessary. If someone gets hurt, a replacement could be onsite long before the start of the next game.
  21. mudcat14
    I would like to see some kind of RH bench option, but what the hell. CC could be very productive in Asia. IIRC, at least in Japan the pitchers are known to be shy about pitching inside. Don't know if that applies to the Korean's as well. If so, it could be CC's wet dream. A chance to extend his arms and go deep oppo is exactly what he is looking for at the plate. Financially, I guess it all comes down to whether or not he thinks he can stick with a major league team. $300k is better than a AAA salary, but falls well short of the MLB $500k minimum. As for the Rochester 1B gig, I agree that it won't be Vargas or Hicks. We do have several other options on hand already though. Debinson Romero, Reynaldo Rodriguez, the new Indy guy we just signed and even Sano could all end up there. Did Clement stay with the Twins or did he go elsewhere as a FA? Not sure that CC in AAA this spring would be blocking anyone, but he needs to cash in while he still can given his late entry into the affiliated ranks.
  22. mudcat14
    I'm not in favor of dealing Plouffe to the ChiSox, but I'm not against moving him somewhere. I think the Twins need to go all in on Sano @ 3B, even if it means Escobar handles the spot for most or all of 2014. Perhaps I'm wrong about Trevor, but I don't think his value will be any higher than it is right now. Seattle seems to be a team that has a heavily LH leaning line-up. Plouffe could give them a RH bat at either corner IF or OF position. Willingham might be an option otherwise. Seems to me that they now have a surplus of middle IF's, and Nick Franklin would be a nice offensive upgrade and perhaps long-term solution for us @ SS.
  23. mudcat14
    Smoak? No thanks. He's Chris Parmeless, but older. Montero however is very intriguing. A full time DH and emergency catcher who has always hit, until last year. A definite high reward type of guy, if the price is right. Maybe we could snooker the M's into talking Willingham for him. Cleary they're trying to surround Cano with some experienced hitters.
  24. mudcat14
    What is the price? He made $2.5m each of the past two years. Seems like an extravagant insurance policy to safeguard against failures by Willingham, Presley, Arcia, Hicks, Mastriano, Parmelee, Colabello, et al.
  25. mudcat14
    I don't have a big problem with 3-years for Arroyo if it's front-loaded or has a reasonable buy-out as insurance for sharply declining performance. Our starters have been sh*t for so long, it's refreshing to see the Twins charging so hard into a potential solution. Arroyo, Nolasco, Hughes & Correia would reasonably lock up about half of the 1400 or so innings (barring injury, of course) that the Twins will rack up next summer. Realistically, Deduno, Gibson, Diamond, Meyer & Worley (among others) plus the bullpen should be able to cover the remainder without having to send someone out there who isn't ready to go. As much as anything over the past several seasons, I think our biggest pitching problem has been making guys try to assume roles they either weren't ready or weren't capable of filling. An Arroyo signing can't hurt, unless it hamstrings us in salary a couple years down the road.
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