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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    I believe he got $12M, paid equally by SF, Seattle and the Twins.
  2. stringer bell
    Topa is under team control for the coming season. If the Twins tender him a contract, he is "signed". While it is not likely Topa will pitch a full season in 2025, he could well give them quality innings for at least half of the season.
  3. stringer bell
    Inconsistent, but he was worth far more than $1.5M last year.
  4. stringer bell
    There’s lots of room on the 40-man, but I’d still non-tender Tonkin and offer him a minor league contract. Stewart and Topa are health issues, but given their (comparatively) meager salaries, they should be tendered.
  5. stringer bell
    The Twins subtracted three players on the first day after the World Series was completed—a buyout for Margot, option declined for Farmer and Alex Kirilloff’s surprise retirement. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/10/twins-decline-mutual-option-on-kyle-farmer.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/10/twins-decline-option-manuel-margot.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/10/alex-kirilloff-announces-retirement.html
  6. stringer bell
    Sorry and sad for this guy. I wish him well.
  7. stringer bell
    Martin had good numbers at St. Paul, fueled by free passes. Also he did hit quite a few doubles, but don’t disagree with you about what Martin showed in 2024.
  8. stringer bell
    I pretty much agree with this. Martin didn't reach base nearly enough to compensate for his lack of power and poor defense. I would also state that the fan in me is hoping for a jump in quality contact to the point that Martin can be a positive offensive player. It is a long shot that a player can enhance his skills that much at 26 years of age.
  9. stringer bell
    I don’t think Miranda’s finish to the season makes other people want to acquire him. He cratered in the last half of the season and produced zero homers. He showed enough to be a near-lock to make the club out of Spring Training and to get significant early playing time, but I don’t think there is a guarantee that he’ll be a full-time player in 2025. Mike Max made a Twins comment about the new Twins batting coach to the effect that he needed to get much more out of Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee or the Twins would be in trouble. I would add Miranda to that list.
  10. stringer bell
    Martin would be a lot more intriguing if he was a plus fielder. I actually believe he could be a good left fielder or second baseman. His less than strong arm really limits his defensive value. I like the speed (second best on the team) and the contact, but he has to be better at getting on base. His production has to improve as well as his defense or he won’t get beyond “bench player”.
  11. stringer bell
    I, for one, have never viewed Nick Gordon as more than a stopgap, thus not comparable to Castro.
  12. stringer bell
    Disagree. Gordon is not and was not as versatile as Castro. Nick was never more than an emergency replacement at third or shortstop and was protected from left handed pitching. Gordon also isn’t and wasn’t the type of threat on the bases that Castro has been for the Twins, particularly in 2023.
  13. stringer bell
    Honestly, I think Popkins was fine as the hitting coach. The team floundered down the stretch, which probably necessitated some coaching changes.
  14. stringer bell
    Toronto has hired David Popkins as their hitting coach. I'm sort of surprised that he would find a job this soon. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/10/blue-jays-hire-david-popkins-as-hitting-coach.html
  15. stringer bell
    The Twins also had Billy Hamilton, another example of a one-tool speed player. He actually played in a couple regular season games with about zero impact. To the OP, the Twins don't have a lot of team speed. I'd like to see a team with 8-9 guys who could steal 20 bags and demonstrate good speed by having plus range, but that really isn't in the system. It would appear that Buxton will forever be limited by health to not be a huge SB threat and nobody else has the wheels to really turn a game with their legs. That said, guys with good speed could help their base running woes if they can get on the field--Helman, Keirsey Jr., Martin and Castro are examples. I just don't know if any of those guys (other than Castro) will make the team out of Spring Training, much less get regular playing time. Another key would be for guys to be healthy. Comments in post season threads about Lewis and Lee indicate they weren't 100% particularly during the last quarter of the season and both were regarded as much faster than their sprint speed stats demonstrated.
  16. stringer bell
    Remember Bubba Thompson? Speed as the only tool isn’t enough.
  17. stringer bell
    On the premise that no immediate help will be brought in, my Plan A would be for Miranda to get a lot of at-bats as the DH and 1B, with perhaps Kirilloff in a platoon. Plan B would be to move Lewis to first base. Plan C would be to giver Severino a shot. On Lewis, in the years since he broke in, he seems to have widened out to the point that he's not an option in the middle infield. Until his second half swoon, the bat would play anywhere. His main problem defensively has been throwing, so a move to first base could get an infielder across the diamond where the throwing wouldn't be much of a problem. If playing first would limit injury risk, that would be a bonus, but Lewis' injuries haven't come as a result of playing at short or third base. The corollary here is that I think Brooks Lee already is the Twins best option as a third baseman not named Willi Castro and with a little more experience, he would probably be a very good to elite option at the hot corner. On Miranda, a long time ago I post something about him needing to be a plus-plus hitter because of his tool kit. He isn't defensively gifted, he doesn't have (any) speed and his power is also below average. When all is going well, the hit tool makes up for that as we saw for a while in 2022 and 2024. I think Miranda will be okay at first, but he doesn't hold a job unless his bat plays well above average. Kirilloff has prospect pedigree and flashes (briefer than Miranda) of being a very good hitter. Because he has an option, I believe he gets one more chance at age 27 to establish himself. I've always been a big fan, but AK has frustrated me probably more than any other Twin of recent vintage.
  18. stringer bell
    Probably a good summary of the Rocco years. Going into 2025, there will be Wallner, Larnach and perhaps Julien or Kirilloff in Bucket #1. Bucket #2 would include Martin, Miranda, (maybe) and perhaps Helman (if you're drawing from the 40-man roster). Bucket #4 would be Correa, Lewis, Buxton and Castro. The key addition to move Willi into a hybrid of Bucket 1 and 2 would be the advancement and success of Brooks Lee. If Lee can validate his high draft and prospect status and become an everyday player, then Castro could move back to a platoon alternative, especially if mid season Miranda could also elevate himself to more than a part-time player. That's probably asking for too much, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. I don't know when or if Larnach or Wallner can move away from strict platooning as long as Baldelli is manager. My hope is that he modifies the plan in light of poor bench options from the right side if the Twins don't add someone with "lefty killer" cred. Jenkins and Rodriguez are getting closer and I'd hate to see possible superstars bench 25% of the time because they hit left handed.
  19. stringer bell
    I agree that Castro and the Twins would be best served if he played less and was available to be a defensive replacement and pinch runner on more occasions. BBRef had his WAR at 2.6 in '23 when he was used less and used more in his better defensive positions. I realize injury might have contributed to his second half fade, but also there should be other better options more of the time. Castro is an asset and he has outplayed his contract for two consecutive years. Fine tuning his usage could make him more valuable.
  20. stringer bell
    Yeah, they have a lot of slow guys. There aren't a lot of guys you'd want to try to steal a base with. I guess the one guy that surprised me is Lee. I thought he had close to average speed. Guys with average speed can be good base runners. Was Diaz the coach responsible for base running?
  21. stringer bell
    Left field.
  22. stringer bell
    I thought Willi should have been considered for a utility GG last year. He was very good at third and above average in left field and adequate in center in my estimation. This year, he spent more time at second (he was okay), short and center (stretched in those positions). I think/hope that he was slowed by a nagging injury in 2024 and he might be able to bounce back as a force on the bases in 2025. I agree that he provides starter level depth at five positions. He is still youngish and provides needed speed (even at 66 percentile sprint speed). I'm not sure he is a real candidate for extension, but he figures to be worth much more than the projected $6M+ that he will be due in 2025.
  23. stringer bell
    To me, depth is what the 2023 Twins had. They withstood injuries to Buxton, Lewis, Polanco, Kirilloff with players like Michael A. Taylor, Kyle Farmer, Solano and Willi Castro--all guys with experience--with Farmer, Solano and Castro able to cover multiple positions. In addition they brought up Wallner and Julien and both thrived. Unless the Twins bring in more experienced players, they might have nine or ten players who would be considered established major leaguers and that would include Julien, Kirilloff and Miranda who finished 2024 on a down note. I would guess Miranda is a lock to go north after spring training, but not Kirilloff or Julien. In fact many think Kirilloff will be non-tendered.
  24. stringer bell
    While I don’t disagree with any of the criticisms in the post I quoted, I would guess that 25 of the 29 teams that don’t win the World Series will have the same complaints. Despite the Twins reducing their strikeouts dramatically, they were less effective at scoring runs. Did they swing less “from their heels” or did they have different personnel? I think that they have a type of player they value and speed and athleticism aren’t as high as generating exit velocity. Good pitching masked some of their weaknesses and a poor last quarter of the season at the plate exposed the weak spots.
  25. stringer bell
    With the probable exit of Farmer there certainly is room for two utility type players—Eeles and Helman would fit in that category, along with Castro and Martin. I am skeptical of late bloomers and previously unheralded prospects who have a big year in the minors and don’t think it’s a sure thing that they can step up and be contributors to a major league team.
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