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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Another former Twin gets a late-season shot for a non-contending team: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/09/reds-select-alan-busenitz-2.html
  2. stringer bell
    That Ober was a middle-round selection who has thrived as a pro makes his breakthrough even sweeter for the Twins. Also, he's already 29 years old, so the Twins will have team control until he's 32. Can they repeat this success with Festa and Matthews? If so, it bodes well for the future of the franchise.
  3. stringer bell
    It seems that the cap on spending for the Twins has been pretty firm going all the way back to the off season. They couldn't sign Santana until they got the salary proceeds from the Polanco deal, they got Margot when other teams paid for most of his salary and they haven't added much more than minimum salaries since. The relief pitchers they did acquire shared the attribute that their salaries were low for their age and experience, mostly due to injury history. Trading for relief pitchers is a risky business and as noted above, the Twins haven't done well in many of those transactions. The anticipated depth has vanished and we're looking at Ronny Henriquez, Scott Blewett, Caleb Thielbar and Michael Tonkin in the bullpen.
  4. stringer bell
    Winder was on the IL for the Saints. Two rehabbing pitchers threw for the Saints last night (both with poor results)--Topa and Funderburk.
  5. stringer bell
    Given how the Twins are now fighting for their playoff lives and all of the chances that the Red Sox had to win the game at historic Fenway Park and how they managed to fan so many Red Sox hitters, it was a really good win. No, they weren't dominating, but a beaten down team was resilient enough to get the job done. It looks to me that the Red Sox are equally beaten down, which is a break for the Twins. Hopefully, they will win another game or two in Fenway. Also, the Twins are less than a game behind the Royals. Another chance to advance to the #2 wild card.
  6. stringer bell
    Willi Castro has now played 25 or more games at second, short, third, left and center. I believe he’s the first ever to do that.
  7. stringer bell
    Shaun Anderson, who had a minute with the Twins in 2021, gets another major league chance, this time with the Marlins. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/09/marlins-select-shaun-anderson.html Danny Coulombe activated from the IL. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/09/orioles-activate-danny-coulombe-from-injured-list.html
  8. stringer bell
    I’d nitpick that Solano has followed up his nice year with the Twins with an equally nice year with the Padres, but I agree with your point.
  9. stringer bell
    I like Lee or Lewis at second base and if Julien can find his hitting mojo, he could figure in at first base. Miranda has to be a consideration, especially with his good splits against right handed pitching. It also will be AK's last chance to establish himself. Santana is the epitome of a low ceiling, high floor guy with exceptional durability and he's a switch hitter, although his splits against right handers don't merit a starting role. The defense has been very good, but he''ll be 39 next April. The Twins should do better than a 39-year old Carlos Santana.
  10. stringer bell
    No big contracts this off-season. The Twins will try to draw from within the organization to stay relevant in the Central. I think both Irvin and Paddack will be in the rotation to start the season, but both could be in the bullpen by the All-Star break. Zebby, Cory Lewis, Festa and Morris will be auditioning in St. Paul. I don't know what Varland's role will be. I have never been sold that he will automatically be great in the bullpen. I think he will have to earn a job with the Twins. Alcalá, Jax, Sands, Durán and maybe Topa make the start of a decent bullpen. Maybe Funderburk or Moran can find the command to go with their funky left handed deliveries.
  11. stringer bell
    Alcalá hasn't been good lately with the exception of his two innings with a big lead on Sunday. I have been skeptical of his overall value, but the stuff is very good, so he is tough to give up on. He's shown enough that I'm sure the Twins will exercise Jorge's option for next year at a team-friendly price. In this playoff run, with the starters frequently being pulled early, the Twins need innings that Alcalá recently hasn't been able to provide. I suspect that he'll be recalled earlier than the ten-day limit as someone will be placed on the IL and a rested Alcalá will be recalled.
  12. stringer bell
    Rocco used Irvin in a LOOGy role yesterday. I don't know what the rest of the season holds, but given his low salary and ability to start games, I would expect the Twins offer his arbitration and have a spot for him either in the rotation or bullpen. His resume and stuff bring me back the Dylan Bundy type, but having a cheap experienced left hander who might yet adapt to the bullpen isn't a bad idea.
  13. stringer bell
    Reading elsewhere, I see there has been a couple of Justin Topa sightings. The Twins' bullpen might have been considerably better with 2023 Topa in it all season, but that didn't happen. Would he be a better option than Henriquez, Varland, Blewett or Tonkin? Possibly, but he has sat out an entire season with only a handful of rehab innings. With 13 games to go, I can see Buxton and Correa each getting three or four games off, particularly Buxton. That would mean games and innings are available for Lee at shortstop and somebody in center field (Castro?). Would I rather see and gimpy-legged Larnach at DH with Wallner and Kepler in the corners or would I rather see Willi Castro in left with Kepler in right and Wallner the DH? I dunno, but they need to hit because the pitching is on a razor's edge.
  14. stringer bell
    I highlighted the "they won't come to MN" section of the quote. Why would Minnesota be undesirable for a starting pitcher? I have to think that a pitcher wants a chance to thrive and a competitive salary and I think both of those things can be had from the Twins.
  15. stringer bell
    Every Pablo Day is a must-win day.
  16. stringer bell
    It would appear that there is one more position player move to be made in the last two weeks--Max Kepler could be activated as soon as tomorrow. IMHO, the two possible moves would be putting Trevor Larnach to the IL or optioning Edouard Julien to St. Paul. I'm not sure if there is a move to be made to help the bullpen. If not, the Twins are finishing their season with the likes of Scott Blewett, Mike Tonkin and Ronny Henriquez. To be honest, I don't know if there are any better options available in the Twins' system, but the BP is getting lots of innings because of the short starts from the three rookies in the rotation. Louie Varland has miserable numbers after yielding a couple of big innings recently. I don't know if he could or should be counted on to get any key outs in the remainder of the season or in post-season.
  17. stringer bell
    Almost every player has peaks and valleys, that is the nature of the game. When Lewis returned from his last injury and kept hitting homers, how many of us would have answered the following question in the affirmative: Is Royce Lewis one of the top 20 players in baseball with a future as a perennial All-Star, MVP candidate and possible Hall of Famer (if healthy)? On Miranda: Should José Miranda be considered a regular who starts more than 120 games a year and gets playing time at first, third and DH? On Alcalá: Can Jorge Alcalá be counted on to get important outs in the stretch drive and post-season? I think the sentiment on each of these questions has changed since mid-season.
  18. stringer bell
    As things stand now, the Twins would get the #3 Wildcard and play Houston on October 1. I will be making my first ever trip to the Space City on that Tuesday, so I totally approve of that matchup!!
  19. stringer bell
    I'll pile on here. Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the top five baseball players in MLB. He has great skill for someone so young and breathtaking tools. There have not been many like him. Lee has been thought of as a guy who will be a regular for a long time, who will get to some All-Star games and could have a long and successful career, but his tools are nowhere near what Witt Jr. has. I'd take a Roy Smalley-like career for Lee as a win. I think he ends up as a third baseman BTW.
  20. stringer bell
    It's hard to expect much more than.500 from the Twins the rest of the way when they are starting a rookie 60% of the time. Maybe Buxton (and hopefully Correa) can help the club offensively and defensively enough to win some games they've been coughing up lately, but IMHO they still short on pitching, leaky on defense and slump-prone on offense at exactly the worst time. To the OP, I still think the Red Sox are a threat with three home games vs. the wounded Twins coming up with a sweep winning the Rose Hose the tiebreaker. Seven wins is probably enough to get a series in Houston, six maybe and five means a longer off-season.
  21. stringer bell
    Half a season or even more isn't a guarantee. The Twins have several players who looked to be well on their way to establishing themselves as regulars or perhaps stars and now maybe the jury is out. Royce Lewis--Since the All-Star break, Royce has a .685 OPS. He broke a lengthy slump yesterday with two hits and two RBI. Lewis' overall numbers for the season are good, but not at a superstar level. Jose Miranda--He has a .600 OPS in the second half. The power is seemingly absent, only ten extra-base hits among his 31 hits, with no homers. He's played a satisfactory third base, but he has limitations as a defender. Brooks Lee--Lee came out of the box hot, but has looked overmatched for quite a while. Since returning from the Injured List on September 1, he's 5-32 with three extra-base hits and three RBI. Willi Castro--An All-Star at the break, Castro has slumped noticeably, particularly as a right handed hitter. He has a .605 OPS since the All-Star break. Castro has been asked to play a lot of shortstop and center field, positions where he is stretched. Jorge Alcalá--6.62 ERA since the All-Star break with an astonishing seven home runs allowed in 17.2 innings. Walks well above league average and strikeouts at league average despite what looks like great stuff. His overall numbers now look a lot like 2021. None of these guys is old--the oldest are Castro at 27 and Alcalá at 29--but their performance over the course of this season seems to beg for a longer runway to see if they can sustain high-level performance.
  22. stringer bell
    Tigers lost to Colorado, Red Sox lost in extras to the Yankees, Guardians lost to Tampa. Mariners down early as well.
  23. stringer bell
    Keirsey Jr. could be used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. I doubt that he would be called on to try to steal a base in a game situation. Keirsey Jr. is fast, but I don’t think he has game-changing speed. Buxton as DH? I thought we learned that lesson last year. My first reaction to activating him without rehab is that it is a panic move. I hope I’m proven wrong.
  24. stringer bell
    I don't think any of us know enough about the condition of Buxton's hip to say that he should be playing. IMHO, a "clean MRI" doesn't mean he's not injured. I'm sure that BB doesn't want to go down the path of last year, when he was trying to play at considerably less than 100%. He didn't help the team as a DH and still wasn't able to finish the season. There is no doubt that Buxton hasn't put up numbers, based on both his so-so career numbers and his limited playing time due to injury. His injury history can be debated--unlucky, made of glass, something else--but he's undeniably missed huge amounts of time and this projects beyond this season. He's really valuable when he plays and the team is better when he's on the field and he was going through one of his better heaters when he went down. Twins fans can hope he can find it when he returns.
  25. stringer bell
    Reminds me of the end of ‘22. The best players are beat up and they’ve got a bunch of non-roster players getting playing time. Waiting for Buxton and Correa seems futile. A lot of guys are struggling after having success earlier and three rookies are in the starting rotation.
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