Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

Kirby_waved_at_me

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,147

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    2

 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 Kirby_waved_at_me

  1. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Yeah, Cliff Lee was part of that crazy Expos trade with Brandon Phillips and Grady Sizemore for Bartolo Colon. That ended up being a big win for Cleveland. It was like the AJ Pierzynski to SF trade that the Twins made, lots of value came back to the Twins in that one. If the Twins had hit on another one like that in the last 5 years, I think the front office would be more highly regarded locally. The trade the brought Delmon over, the trade that brought JJ Hardy over, those didn't pan out very well at all. The other team got more value out of what the Twins traded away than what the Twins acquired. If Meyer and May become regulars in the rotation for 3 or 4 seasons, it will make the trades to get them look a lot better in hindsight.
  2. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I do wonder if Colabello will have another chance to play overseas - it could be the best outcome for both the Twins and Colabello. I don't think there will be a place for him on the 2015 Roster, especially if the Twins add another outfielder.
  3. Kirby_waved_at_me
    When was the last time the Twins traded for an impact bat? Shannon Stewart? Luis Castillo? When did they last trade away pitching prospects? It seems like the Twins have been acquiring pitching (specifically minor league pitching) with most of their recent trades. That has definitely impacted the WAR numbers . . . I think the chart shows the kind of players that teams have been trading for and trading away. trading away MLB pieces to get minor league or fringy guys does not help the WAR numbers very much. The Twins traded away Denard Span, Ben Revere, JJ Hardy, Carlos Gomez, Justin Morneau. The guys that they've gotten in return for those players that could still contribute some WAR: Alex Meyer and Trevor May. One of the reasons the Twins have been treading water the last few years is that the first round of trading away position players for pitching did not pan out, and the second round is just about the reach the majors full time. Would the Twins be better had they done the opposite, and traded away pitching for hitting? Maybe, but that's only because the Twins' own pitching propects have largely disappointed. I think the Twins pitching would be just as bad or worse in 2014 if they still had Revere and Span and Hardy. (Defense would've been better though - holy moly) I think this off-season would be a good year for the Twins to seek OF help via trade. The options in Free Agency all have questions, so finding a better option via trade should be possible.
  4. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I think the three Chris' would fit into someone's plans. Other teams might want Herrmann to catch most of the time, and the other two to stick to 1st base. If the Twins don't keep Eric Fryer I assume that some team will want him. A backup catcher with his skill set, though not flashy, is still harder to find and of value to teams. The Twins will probably keep 2 of the 3 lefties, and I think Pryor might get to come back and have more time to make a case to stick. I think that he's going to be on the 40 Man to start the season, unless he has a terrible Spring.
  5. Kirby_waved_at_me
    These Players are all currently on the 40-Man roster - They probably won't all be back with the Twins in 2015. Which ones will the Twins keep? Which ones should they keep? Position players: Chris Herrmann Chris Parmelee Chris Colabello Eric Fryer Eduardo Nuñez Pitchers: Anthony Swarzak Brian Duensing Stephen Pryor Caleb Thielbar Aaron Thompson
  6. Kirby_waved_at_me
    ^^ whoa, I'm going to be spending a lot of time reading that blog. Very cool insights. There's another entry from March with footage from a Yankees / Senators game from the following season that had two very significant footnotes. Walter Johnson started that game, too. http://baseballresearcher.blogspot.com/2014/03/some-very-fortunate-footage.html?m=1
  7. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Probably two somebodies as he's the 2nd best guy the Twins have assuming that Santana is going to be playing SS in 2015.
  8. Kirby_waved_at_me
    From Ken Burns' baseball: Ty Cobb's remembrance of his introduction to the legendary pitcher Walter Johnson: "On August 2, 1907, I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field. He was only a rookie, and we licked our lips as we warmed up for the first game of a doubleheader in Washington. Evidently, manager Pongo Joe Cantillon of the Nats had picked a rube out of the cornfields of the deepest bushes to pitch against us....He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves and with a side arm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance....One of the tigers imitated a cow mooing and we hollered at Cantillon: 'Get the pitchfork ready, Joe-your hayseed's on his way back to the barn.' ...The first time I faced him I watched him take that easy windup-and then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn't touch him...every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park."
  9. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Yes, walks are valuable and the fact that Hicks seems to be good at drawing walks has served him well. I think if he's gonna stick in the majors, he's going to have to be more aggressive at swinging at strikes. He's done a very good job at not swinging at not strikes. That's worth something and he should get credit for that part of that.
  10. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I think they should look elsewhere even if they tender Schafer a contract. Every player is unique (just look at Brady Anderson), but it does seem like regression is likely for Schafer. As long as he can play competent defense, he has value to the Twins. I hope they keep him for 2015 in addition to adding a new outfielder (or two) to challenge him for a starting spot.
  11. Kirby_waved_at_me
    It's all lower body! Kent Tekulve is a more recent example of that arm whip motion. Less stress on the arm, and with Big Train it created some serious velocity and deception. There's more video of Walter Johnson pitching in the Ken Burns "baseball" documentary 2nd inning or 3rd inning, don't remember which one.
  12. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Yes, there's definitely a bump to the first year for these guys. I would point to Ichiro and Hideki Matsui as two other examples of guys that beat the sophomore slump. But Ichiro is a once in a generation superstar. Abreu still might be that guy, we'll have to wait and see. The one thing that is in Tomas' favor at this point is that he's younger than Puig, Abreu, and Cespedes were - It's possible that his development track would be different if he's learning on the job in MLB instead of in Cuba. Certainly, the numbers to this point in his career show he's closer to Cespedes than Abreu.
  13. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Hmm - that changes things a tiny bit. He still performed poorly, whether he was released by the Bravos or left on his own.
  14. Kirby_waved_at_me
    If the best chance for a player to reach base is when he doesn't swing, then that's a problem. It's good that he can draw some walks, I wonder if pitchers assume he will chase bad pitches because his batting average is so low? I would think by now opposing teams know that he's selective at the plate. Also from Fangraphs, He was 2nd in the league (lowest) in %O-Swing - he swung at just 20 percent of pitches outside the strike zone. But really, the telling stat to me is that he doesn't swing much at all compared to the rest of the league: his total swing% was 37.4% which was the 6th lowest in the league last year. "He should swing more" is probably over-simplifying a bit, but that's what I would suggest Bruno and co. examine and find a smarter way of conveying that to Hicks. Swing at more strikes, anyway....
  15. Kirby_waved_at_me
    It's maybe a bit tough to figure out how the numbers work out in today's dollars, but the hypothetical Joe Mauer being a Free Agent this off season reminds me (a little) of Wade Boggs going to the Yankees. His last season in Boston, Boggs "only" hit .259, only had one outlier year ('87) in which he hit 24 homers, and was considered to be washed up by various people in his own organization (The Red Sox did the same thing to Roger Clemens a few years later). Boggs was a few years older than Mauer, but was likewise a multiple time batting champ that offered less power than typical from a position that generally supplies it. Like Boggs, Mauer would just need one team to want him badly enough. Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Brewers, Pirates, Marlins - there are lots of teams that would gladly pay and/or overpay for 2 or 3 years of Joe Mauer.
  16. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Barry Zito wants to try a Comeback: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11867010/barry-zito-36-looking-make-comeback-year-away Probably would need to take a minor league deal. Think the A's would be interested in a reunion? Who else might roll the dice on the 36 year old lefty?
  17. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Yes - I think he'd be getting a contract near $12-15MM annually. I think the other piece is that the Twins would absolutely, no question, extend a Qualifying Offer to Mauer. If you were Joe Mauer, and you were looking for a one year make good deal, would you take the 15.3MM from the Twins, or would you still want to test the waters?
  18. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Yes and no - I think there's a more steady stream of Cuban defectors now than there has been for a long time. There are several smaller name Cuban players that may sign with MLB clubs. Specific to the big name guys, though, I'm inclined to agree that no one is going to be flying under the radar from Cuba. The market could adjust itself, though, especially if Tomas (and Rusney Castillo) are not as good as the hype.
  19. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Not if he wants to show improved power - Killebrew is the only guy I can think of that could have hit one out of Anguilla... Maybe Thome...
  20. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I think Hicks' time in the Winter League wasn't going to change the Twins' opinion of him much one way or the other. It's too bad that he washed out, but it's not like he was facing MLB pitching anyway. It's distressing to see he only managed 1 extra base hit, but again, I don't think the Twins were going to alter their plans regarding Hicks much one or the other if he was the Winter League MVP.
  21. Kirby_waved_at_me
    ouch.
  22. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Agreed - and really, the 30+ 1 year contract guy is only acceptable if he was paired with another acquisition of a starting pitcher that is better than a bargain bin pickup.
  23. Kirby_waved_at_me
    I'd even take that at this point considering he didn't even do that much last year or the year before to address the lack of depth in CF.
  24. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Cuddyer signed with the Mets V-Mart re-signed with the Tigers Fransisco Cervelli was traded to the Pirates (insurance in case Russell Martin goes elsewhere?) The Tigers also traded prospect Devon Travis to get Anthony Gose, the guy that was a super prospect for several years 2010-2012 but has yet to reach his potential. He's going to play CF for Detroit ... What will the next big move? Which big name Free Agent will be the next to sign? Nelson Cruz? Hanley? Pablo Sandoval?
  25. Kirby_waved_at_me
    Ah - I did not know that - good to know.
×
×
  • Create New...