Boom Boom
-
Posts
1,838 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Minnesota Twins News, Rumors & Analysis
Minnesota Twins Videos
2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospect Rankings
2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses
Minnesota Twins Trade & Free Agent Rumors
Minnesota Twins Fan Guides & Resources
2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses
The Minnesota Twins Players Project
2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses
2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses
2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses
Forums
Blogs
Events
Store
Downloads
Gallery
Everything posted by Boom Boom
-
I like to see it from a glass half full perspective. Deolis Guerra is now all the Twins have to show for Jared Camp.
-
The fact of the matter is that Blackburn is under contract through next year and no one will trade for him. He'll continue to get every chance regardless of how he performs.
-
Less useful, evidently. If you're not a fan of WAR, then you're probably less of a fan of statistics that rely on the accuracy of WAR, like Player Value.
-
What about all the DH starts?
-
I'm not convinced that Mauer isn't overpaid. Also... if you're tired of hearing people complain about Mauer's salary, starting threads like this isn't going to stop that. It's just going to start the argument up all over again.
-
When has Gardenhire ever shown up for a game involving the Yankees? Zing.
-
Yes. If the Twins sign Liriano to a 3-year deal... do you think the Twins will be a division contender in the next three years? I don't, so I'd like to get something for Liriano now. -
Right, just about every pitcher is somewhat worse with runners on. But the difference with bases empty and with runners on for Liriano would indicate that either having runners on gets in his head, or pitching out of the stretch makes it more difficult for him to locate his pitches. Or, most likely, some of both.
-
Part of it might be that he's struggling with his mechanics more when pitching out of the stretch. For his career, hitters' OPS against Liriano improves from .659 to .761 when there are runners on.
-
I'm pretty sure that Liriano, Capps, and Span will be traded. The Twins will try to get rid of Pavano post-trade deadline but I'm not sure they'll be able to pull it off with his bad shoulder. Casilla will probably be dumped.
-
How much do outs count for on Thursday or Sunday getaway days?
-
I criticize Mauer for not hitting for more power or driving in runs, and being too patient at times. But I recognize that he's one of the elite talents in the game and I don't think it was a mistake for the Twins to sign him to the contract that they did. Now, if the Twins, after signing Mauer to that monumental contract, use Mauer as an excuse to not spend more to surround him with better players, then it's open season to criticize.
-
I've heard this said before. The Twins aren't actually paying Mauer $23 million to just play baseball. A portion of that salary is "goodwill" or "marketing" to the fans and taxpayers who helped build Target Field. So if that's the case, Mauer's salary should show up as $15-16 million of payroll, and there should be a few million payroll dollars left to sign better pitchers than the Jason Marquises of the world. Marketing should be separate from payroll.
-
I get what you're saying, but it sounds counterintuitive to teach your pitchers that allowing walks is the worst thing you can do, and then from the other side of your mouth tell your hitters to swing aggressively. If the hitters in the low minors don't have great strike zone command anyway, telling them to "get a pitch and swing" might result in young players swinging at more pitches than they really should be swinging at.
-
Hardy was backtracking from his previous comments. You can believe that he was taken out of context the first time, or that he changed his tune because he didn't want to make a public stink about how the Twins coached him like David Ortiz did.
-
I wish the interviewer had brought up the contradiction in hitting and pitching philosophies that Ryan mentioned. He said the Twins like strike-throwers first... and they teach their hitters to get a strike and swing away. If walks were so dangerous to pitchers, why would you not teach your hitters to work the count? And if getting a strike and hitting it is a good approach to hitting, why would you teach your pitchers to fall right into that trap?
-
You could be right, Chief. Let's say hypothetically the Twins were not using ballpark revenues to fund their contribution. If that was the case, do you think the Twins would be spending more on players? If not, IMO it really doesn't matter which pocket the money is coming out of.
-
Wow. The Twins TV contract is for $29 million annually. I didn't realize the Phillies had it so bad. I wonder what the Twins payroll would look like if their Victory Sports ship had stayed afloat. Probably about the same...
-
http://pitchfx.texasleaguers.com/batter/408045/?pitchers=A&count=00&pitches=AA&from=4%2F1%2F2012&to=7%2F10%2F2012 I can't disagree with Ted Williams's approach to hitting. But I never saw him play, and as such I never saw Ted Williams take a first pitch fastball down the middle. I'm looking at pitchfx graphs for Mauer in a 0-0 count, and it would appear that it somewhat contradicts your assertion that Mauer only swings at the first pitch if he gets the pitch he wants. Like I said before, if he's looking for a particular pitch to hit 0-0, in most cases that's a fastball down Broadway. But it appears he's taking a lot of those, and offering at very few, which would indicate that he's not necessarily looking for a pitch to hit 0-0, but sometimes he's going up to bat intending to take the first pitch regardless of where it is. This may be to see the pitcher better, or to make him work harder if there was a quick out in front of Mauer.
-
I can't speak for the Phillies but the Twins money numbers are notoriously hazy and vague. Forbes is a legitimate source but if they're trusting the Twins numbers they're probably somewhat off. What I've heard frequently since the opening of Target Field is that the Twins still have one of the worst television deals in MLB. So plugging one hole only magnifies another.
-
I'm not saying swing at every first pitch and turn Joe Mauer into Delmon Young. But if the pitch he's looking for 0-0 is a fastball down the middle, he's letting that one go too much for my liking. Admittedly I have no stats to back that up, only what I've seen from watching Joe Mauer hit for several years.
-
Article: What Would It Take To Come Back?
Boom Boom replied to Nick Nelson's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
I was going to say "You're out of your gourd, Nick"... but that's been disallowed. So instead... remember that historically improbable run in 2006? The Twins could get right back in it with another one! All it'll take is to make the 2006 Twins look like the 2003 Tigers! -
This bothers me a bit too. I hear Dick and Bert say all the time what a great 2-strike hitter Mauer is, like Carew or Boggs. But any good 2-strike hitter is probably a better 0-0 hitter. In fact, for his career, Mauer has a .658 OPS with two strikes, and a 1.003 OPS on the first pitch. And you can't walk on the first pitch.
-
The Pohlad's and the Cry for Them to Spend More Money
Boom Boom replied to powrwrap's topic in Minnesota Twins Talk
-
The Pohlad's and the Cry for Them to Spend More Money
Boom Boom replied to powrwrap's topic in Minnesota Twins Talk
Huh? LLC or not... the Pohlads own that money. It's theirs, regardless of how they launder it.
