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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    There seems little doubt that Varland will be sent to St. Paul before his next turn in the rotation and it seems this is proper. Will Woods Richardson be better than Louie? It seems that this version of SWR has more going for him than what Varland is producing. I would note that in his three starts, Paddack has struggled. In two of those starts, the Twins managed to win, while in the third start Paddack didn't give the team a chance. The Sheriff actually gave the team a chance despite not going deep into his starts against the Dodgers and Brewers. I do think he merits a bit more slack than Varland.
  2. stringer bell
    Camargo's first big league stint with the Twins is probably over. He didn't show anything to me that said that he's more than the third catcher on a two-catcher team. He'll probably get another chance or two this year. I hope he shows more, but from what I saw there is no reason to clear playing time for him.
  3. stringer bell
    I think that the deeper numbers need to agree with (for hitters) high BA and OPS. The contact profile needs to remain strong, with a minimum of grounders. The BABIP should also be in line the the basic numbers rather than taking a huge jump. Velocity of the batted balls also needs to be strong. Pitchers need to get lots of swings and misses and ground balls. Pitch velocity is important.
  4. stringer bell
    Well, unfortunate that two soft contact balls fell in. Two stolen bases also hurt. The Tigers have been aggressive and I think that is preferable to waiting for a homer.
  5. stringer bell
    Strike three.........errr ball four.
  6. stringer bell
    Julien had plenty of time. He took his time to make a good throw and threw a one-hopper that should have been caught with plenty of time for Vázquez to make a tag (for those of you that didn't see the play).
  7. stringer bell
    95% on Vázquez.
  8. stringer bell
    Twins' pitcher 0-2 mistakes (2024)--10 Opponents (2024)--1 Waytogo Trevor!!
  9. stringer bell
    David McCarty passed away at age 54. A #1 pick by the Twins, he never really made it in the majors.
  10. stringer bell
    BTW, I remain very skeptical of Triple A stats. Too many guys rake at St. Paul and can't buy a hit in the majors.
  11. stringer bell
    17 games is less than 11% of the season. Just about every team will have a stretch where they lose 11 of 17 games. That said, if the Twins are having their worst stretch of baseball, they've used up most of the slack they have in a quest to have postseason success. The hitting has been abominable, there is no other way to describe it. If I'm placing blame, it is the players that are the biggest problem and the front office has compiled the roster. I think it is kind of a "Moneyball reimagined" with an emphasis on pulling balls into the seats above athleticism and contact (in hitting). The theory that hitting with power is undervalued somehow doesn't really fit. I'd like to see more players that can win games with their gloves, legs and bats. It also doesn't make sense to me to have not one, not two, but three batting coaches. Too many voices IMHO. Perhaps send one to the minors or something. Finally, let's see what happens in the next 15-20 games. There are guys with track records that say they should be much better. It would figure that there would be some regression to the mean.
  12. stringer bell
    With all the injuries, Camargo was the only real choice on the 40-man roster. It appears the Twins front office and coaching staff don't see anything there that can help the big league team. I'm glad Camargo got in a game, but won't be at all surprised if he is sent out when Kepler is activated.
  13. stringer bell
    Depending on which metrics are used, Farmer ranks as somewhere between average and well below average as a defensive shortstop. His hitting has been buttressed by excellent numbers against left handed pitching. He’s a three-position infielder who is good in the clubhouse. When the Twins shopped him this winter, I don’t think there was any interest at the salary he was projected to get. I speculated that the younger, more athletic Willi Castro should be slated as the preferable backup for Correa and apparently the club agrees. The problem is that neither player is hitting his weight. Jackson Holliday is struggling mightily for the Orioles, but hardly anyone is up in arms because almost every other O is mashing. Noted above, the Twins have nine below the Mendoza Line, with several of them more than one good game away from respectable stats. The team has been out homered 27-15 and if that trend continues they won’t win 70 games. Yes, the guys mentioned have not stepped up, but one could name another half-dozen players who have hurt the club as much as the guys named in the OP.
  14. stringer bell
    I agree that Pablo needs to step up. Even with Buxton pretty healthy, he’s going to frustrate us with skids like he’s been in for most of the season. I can’t imagine it will last much longer. So many guys are scuffling, it magnifies Buxton’s lack of production. The Twins need more from Buxton than for him to be another Myles Straw.
  15. stringer bell
    Camargo might get to play today.
  16. stringer bell
    All right, which Twin has the most plate appearances this year without hitting a home run or stealing a base? It’s Carlos Santana, but a close second is Byron Buxton who has 54 plate appearances without going deep and without attempting a stolen base.
  17. stringer bell
    Really? What, 11 at-bats?
  18. stringer bell
    Larnach has less than 700 plate appearances. It has been often quoted that managers and coaching staffs need to see 1000 plate appearances before they know what they have. He has struck out 50% above league average while hitting homers slightly below league average. He does walk at a bit higher rate than league average. He definitely needs to put the ball in play at a higher rate and put more balls over the fence. How can he do that? Better recognition of pitches is one part, but he needs to do damage when he gets his pitch. I haven't given up on him yet, but I'm nearly certain he won't get any/many more chances with the Twins. He's their best hope right now to contribute.
  19. stringer bell
    Trevor Larnach has been recalled after playing a couple of rehab games for the Mighty Mussels. Larnach is now 27 years old and his last minor league option was used to start this season. He was a first round draft choice out of college and has played part of three seasons for the Twins. There are prospects in the pipeline who would seem to have high ceilings that are also left handed hitting corner outfielders (Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins) so it would appear that this is Larnach's last chance to establish himself as a major leaguer with the Twins. Larnach has had a bunch of injuries and illnesses and has spent a fair amount of time on the Injured List, but has so far accrued just over 2 years of service time. In that time, he's batted .222 with a .699 OPS (95 OPS+) and has hit 20 homers in just under 700 plate appearances. Larnach will never be a Gold Glove outfielder, but I would say his defense is adequate for a corner outfielder. He's struck out over 33% of the time while drawing walks at a 11% clip. I do think this is Larnach's last. best chance to establish himself. He should get at-bats against right handed pitching and if he can raise his production, he would likely trade places in the Twins minds with Matt Wallner. I wish him good luck and good health.
  20. stringer bell
    Who takes his spot? Brigham is on the minor league IL, I guess they could add another non-roster guy--Jensen, Henriquez, or maybe St. Paul's closer Hobie Harris, but the roster might be getting tight for relief pitchers pretty soon--adding another to the 40-man might be tough without exposing someone they want to keep.
  21. stringer bell
    The Twins gave Wallner 19 days--Wallner demoted to St. Paul, Trevor Larnach off rehab and promoted to the Twins.
  22. stringer bell
    I was kind of expecting the DFA of Matt Bowman after he worked three innings against the Orioles last night. Bowman doesn't have any minor league options remaining, so he would have to be given the DFA treatment if the Twins wanted to try to get him back to St. Paul. I guess there really isn't anyone to take Bowman's place at the moment with Staumont still a few days away. Staumont and Topa would figure to be back before Durán or Duarte and there isn't room for everybody, so I imagine lots of transactions for those last few spots in the bullpen. Funderburk, Duarte, Sands, Staumont and Alcalá all have options and I expect all of these guys will find themselves in St. Paul at some point this season.
  23. stringer bell
    Given that so many are struggling, playing Miranda at either first or third makes some sense. His three-hit game last night makes his statistics look much better. Regardless of platoon advantage here are the nine guys on the active roster I would play right now: Catcher--Jeffers, First Base--Santana (ugh) Second Base--Julien, Shortstop--Castro (ugh), Third Base--Miranda, Left Field--Martin, Center Field--Buxton, Right Field--Margot, DH--Kirilloff.
  24. stringer bell
    Farmer/Castro at shortstop: Farmer doesn't have the range of Castro or the throwing arm. I would say that he has surer hands and he has plenty of experience at shortstop. Combining these factors with Farmer's really slow start at the plate and I would say it is real hard to put Farmer out there regularly right now. Unfortunately Castro hasn't been much better with the bat and he's made a few fielding mistakes (one not charged as an error). Willi's defense was very good last year, but much like his hitting and base running, it might be a mirage. So far, Castro has hurt the team more than he's helped it and his strikeout rate is second worst on the team.
  25. stringer bell
    Tony Kemp signed to a minor league deal. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/04/twins-sign-tony-kemp.html
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