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Kirby_waved_at_me

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Everything posted by Kirby_waved_at_me

  1. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I think it is a good thing (for the players, and by extension baseball in general) that contracts are guaranteed - that being said, I think the compromise should be made before a contract is signed. The players already get a physical prior to signing, why not include a drug test with that? If they fail either one, the contract gets torn up before it is signed. The tricky thing then becomes, does the player have a right to privacy on the test results? Like, if someone has a contract offer to sign with the Giants, and fails the drug test, does the whole league know that's why the contract was voided? Or could a team choose to sign a player even if they had a positive test, with the understanding that they are suspended for the first half of the year (or longer?) It brings a new meaning to the term "Rehab assignment" . . .
  2. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Before the Qualifying offer from the Rockies, I probably would have said Cuddyer over Hunter (on a one year deal only) if it was a question of picking between only those two options. I was really hoping for the Twins to get Rasmus, Melky Cabrera, or someone defensive minded for CF... I think Cuddyer will not be the Mets' biggest weakness, and if he stays healthy, I think he can actually help that team win some games. Not the choice I would have made in the first place, but he's a good hitter and the Mets need some of those...
  3. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Cuddyer would also have cost another draft pick, yes? It was a pretty curious choice by the Mets to sign him, just based on the roster they have, though I can see a lot of the reasoning that brought Torii to MIN at work in getting Cuddyer to NYM.
  4. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I think they would have had similar problems against Price if Price was right-handed, but to the larger point, I think Escobar should definitely get the lion's share of starts against lefties. I was surprised to not see him in the lineup somewhere on Opening Day, but I'm guessing Molitor will find a way to use him more going forward. Who sits on the bench for Escobar? Well, Santana could play CF, or Plouffe could DH for a day, or Dozier, Plouffe or Santana could get a day off... Escobar could play in LF for Arcia... There are lots of ways to get Eddie into the lineup - I hope it happens often.
  5. Kirby_waved_at_me
    It's never fun when a game ends on a close call - the team was down 4 to nothing, and there were 2 outs and 2 strikes.... it had been a pretty one sided contest to that point. Hughes pitched decently well, and it might have been enough to earn a win under different circumstances. The Twins' offense was stifled by Price and some uncharacteristically great defensive play from the Tigers. But it was also in the midst of the closest thing to a rally the Twins had all afternoon - there were two runners on - the tying run was on deck. So, it was a pretty important moment for a call to be decided in that manner. The outcome of the game was probably not changed as a result of Hunter striking out vs. getting another pitch. You just hope that the last play is dictated more by the players on the field than by the umpires. It's a bummer, but the live to fight another day. They can still win the series!
  6. Kirby_waved_at_me
    The thing with Steinbrenner was that he hired a gambler to follow Dave Winfield around and "dig up dirt" on Dave because Winfield had sued the Yankees for breach of contract. Apparently, Steinbrenner also leaked stories to the press about Winfield that turned out to be false. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Steinbrenner#Dave_Winfield_controversy
  7. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I'm not taking his side, I might not be articulating that very well. I think he should have been suspended 80 games for taking stanozolol. I think it was a mistake on his part to not know (if he really didn't know) everything that he took.
  8. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I'm saying that he probably knew that he was getting something illegal. But I'm saying he's probably not lying when he says he doesn't know how stanozolol got into his system. He probably paid for something less traceable (and more expensive) than that. And I'm saying that Santana probably did not take much effort into finding out what was in the supplements he was taking. He said as much himself in his statement - that in the future he would be more careful.
  9. Kirby_waved_at_me
    While I think Santana is an idiot for using this stuff, I don't think he's a big enough idiot to have gone to someone and specifically asked for a banned substance. He probably asked someone that has access to supplements / pills / injections to get him "something" to "give him an edge," and then didn't ask or didn't care to know if what he got could potentially get him suspended. This is probably how it goes for most of the guys that get caught. They want the thing that will make them better, but they don't want to know what it is. There are probably other things Santana could have taken that would have gone undetected... maybe he takes those, too. Maybe he thought he was taking something else, and the supplier gave him the "cheaper" PED. If it were me as the player, I would take my supplements or whatever to MLB baseball and/or my team and have them test it before I ingest it. Keep a record of what it is, where I got it, what MLB said about it. Or just only take stuff prescribed by the team... Though from the sound of some reports about NFL locker rooms, even that might not be a safe way to avoid taking a banned substance.
  10. Kirby_waved_at_me
    It seems very simple on the surface... If you are a pro athlete, you have to be aware of what you are ingesting. It's also hard to comprehend how athletes end up driving drunk when they have the money to have personal drivers... I mean, at least they could call a cab? With injury recovery, a player is probably taking advice from a doctor or trainer - I want to know if somebody that Santana trusted gave him stanozolol without his knowledge. He could be telling the truth, but still be 100% guilty. Do you know all of the ingredients in everything you eat? In every supplement or pill? In everything your doctor prescribes? Granted, Steroids are a much bigger deal, and as it has been pointed out before, pretty much impossible to take accidentally. But trainers and doctors for professional sports teams (as well as the trainers, doctors, and nutritionists that pro athletes have contact with) maybe have a different level of access to this stuff than your local GP doctor. I don't know the answer to prevent something like this - a team can tell its players to only take things provided by the team, but the team can't (and probably shouldn't) watch these players all of the time... Just such a bummer all the way around.
  11. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I appreciate amjgt looking on the bright side... Is there any chance the Twins could get that pick back? I guess the $$$ saved is a kind of restitution. I doubt they will use it for a CFer, though. Dustin McGowan? Yeesh.
  12. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Oh yes it's quite possible - though I think his suspicious season was still about 4 or 5 years away from his age 28 season. No, I don't think Schafer will meet or surpass Brady Anderson's stats, and Anderson is really the only comparable player to Schafer that got better instead of worse after this point in their development.
  13. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I'm not too worried about Torii's bat - I think he could have a season at Age 39/40 like Dave Parker, Luis Gonzalez, or Chili Davis. He's probably good for roughly a .270 or better batting average. He's never drawn a ton of walks, and he seems to be getting worse at that over the years. His OBP probably won't be much higher than his batting average as a result, optimistically it could crack .300. I don't see why the HRs would drop much unless he gets injured and misses a chunk of the year, so I would say 15 Home Runs is reasonable. 20-25 doubles should be attainable as well for the same reason, he's had at least 24 doubles a year since turning 35. That should make his SLG around the neighborhood of .440 to .450 or so, which is a little under his career totals. I'll guess .274 / .299 / .453 (.752) 16 HR, 24 2B, 25 walks Pretty close to what Loosey has a couple posts above. I also agree with the sentiment that I hope he gracefully accepts a move to DH / part-time player to give at bats to Rosario, etc. as the season wears on. I think Brandon Moss and Alex Rios will have bad years, and Garcia and JD Martinez are young enough to go either direction. Martinez will have to prove that last year was repeatable; Garcia the opposite, proving that last year is in the past and he's healthy and ready for the next step.
  14. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I mean, Mike Pelfrey could stand in the outfield with a glove on his hand... I think the bar needs to be a bit higher...
  15. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Well Baseball Reference lists Brady Anderson as his #1 Comp through age 27... so how about Brady's Age 28 season? .271 / .373 / .449 (.823) 21 homers , 53 Steals Ok, maybe not. I could see the 53 steals if he was in the lineup everyday all season long, but I doubt that is going to happen. Jordan's last two seasons: 2013 - .247 .331 .346 (.677) 2014 (total) - .238 .310 .305 (.615) I will predict.... .242 / .325 / .327 (.652) He could get over 20 steals if he plays enough games. I can't wait until the day the Center Field position is a strength for the Twins.
  16. Kirby_waved_at_me
    #1 – Brian Dozier - Minnesota #2 – Jason Kipnis – Cleveland #3 – Ian Kinsler - Detroit #4 – Micah Johnson - Chicago #5 – Omar Infante – Kansas City I'd have them ranked this way. I think Dozier will probably be 3rd or 4th in Batting Average; but I think he'll be #1 in OBP, #1 in runs scored and play better defense and steal more bases than at least three of those guys. I think Kinsler is going to decline this year, and I think Kipnis will have a better year than last year.
  17. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Final week of Spring Training, last chances to guess on which date will Molitor throw up his hands and start Torii Hunter in CF in a regular season game. Remember, the Twins are heading into the season with Schafer and Shane Robinson platooning in Center. . . Hicks is in AAA, Molitor is committed to Santana as the everyday SS.
  18. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Whichever player the Twins end up putting in CF, Rodon can probably strike that guy out.
  19. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Well, if the goal is to acquire a relief pitcher that is better than Tim Stauffer, I think Fryer is not an unreasonable starting point. If they want someone especially good.... Yes, they might have to trade away someone like Escobar, which to me would be a mistake. "Moved" includes being put on waivers in my mind. As in, the Twins could claim a pitcher that someone else discarded and then waive Aaron Thompson, or Fryer, or whomever... Still improving the bullpen, without really giving up much in the deal.
  20. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Could Nuñez or possibly *ahem* Aaron Hicks be dealt for more piching? http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/03/twins-looking-for-relief-pitching.html http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/297735661.html Other guys that could be moved- Herrmann or Fryer ? Milone or Pelfrey?
  21. Kirby_waved_at_me
    So.... Are the Astros saying "I told you so" to anyone who will listen? http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/03/brady-aiken-undergoes-tommy-john-surgery.html
  22. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Hmm..... The bit about Molitor acknowledging that Arcia may be in a competition for his job in left field got my attention. Also, the implication that Hicks could be traded if he doesn't make the 25-Man roster. That seems short-sighted and very unlikely given the Twins' lack of CF'ers in the upper minors. Sure, Buxton is on his way, but just logistically speaking you still need to have someone play in Center at every level... I wouldn't advocate trading Hicks to keep Robinson, for instance. Having Arcia start the year in AAA with Rosario in LF for the Twins would be pretty gutsy and unlike the Twins as well.
  23. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Right on - thanks everyone!
  24. Kirby_waved_at_me
    As you may or may not recall, Trevor had an abrupt end to last season when his forearm was broken in a play at third base, which led to him having surgery on the arm in the offseason. I've looked at stats and recaps, etc., but I'm curious to hear from people that are seeing him play and practice in Fort Myers - is he recovered from that injury? Is he hitting the ball well? I know he also had an oblique injury this spring as well. With Sano already sent to minor league camp, does that make Eduardo Escobar the guy that will play if Plouffe is not ready? Any reason for concern here for Plouffe or does he seem good to go for Opening Day?
  25. Kirby_waved_at_me
    finishing a convo from the other thread: Yes - the Twins could trade Dozier in a couple years, though recently they've generally only traded guys that were playing poorly or "didn't fit" the Twins Way (see JJ Hardy). Dozier has been playing well and seems to be a front office favorite. My guess is that he will not be traded if he maintains this level of play (and the front office stays the same). He's more likely to be traded for next to nothing following a slump.
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