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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    I'd like to see Castro free to move all over the diamond as opposed to being a backup at one position. I think Martin can be the better offensive player and Castro's equal as an outfield defender. Let Willi fill in everywhere and give the regulars a day off. Hopefully Martin shows he's capable in center and left.
  2. stringer bell
    Solid pickup at a bargain price.
  3. stringer bell
    JD Martinez wouldn’t be part of a platoon, but assuming good health of Buxton, he’s going to be the DH about 40 games at least. I don’t know if there’s room for a DH only on the 2024 Twins.
  4. stringer bell
    Yadi will be a first ballot Hall of Famer despite offensive stats that are not HOF-worthy. Part of why the Mauer vote was intriguing is because of his relatively short time behind the plate. I think defensive stats and metrics can be inaccurate and disproportionately affect WAR.
  5. stringer bell
    Derek Law, who had nine appearances with the 2021 Twins, signed a minor league deal with the Nationals. Law has been a decent last man in the ‘pen for a while. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/02/nationals-derek-law-agree-to-minor-league-deal.html
  6. stringer bell
    Agree with @Riverbrian 100%.
  7. stringer bell
    It could be that the Guards and Rangers had the amount displayed as part of the bankruptcy proceedings. Since the Twins were not under contract with Bally/Diamond, perhaps both sides are able to not disclose the exact amount.
  8. stringer bell
    I expect Camargo gets his first MLB action this year, but I'm far from convinced that he's more than a warm body to back up either of the two guys in front of him. Everybody hit with power in Triple A and I don't know if he is anything special defensively.
  9. stringer bell
    I think "regular catcher" in Rocco's book is no more than 100 games behind the plate. If Jeffers hits like he did last year the first quarter of the season we might see him DH a bit more. It would be a huge surprise if both catchers avoid the IL this year. My best guess as to distribution of starts is 90-60-12 with the equal chance that Jeffers or Vázquez gets injured, and it is probably both.
  10. stringer bell
    Further additions to the rotation? I'll believe them when I see them. Personally, the money paid for decent to mediocre (or worse) starters in free agency just blows me away. The Twins have managed to trade for good starters (Gray, Maeda, Ryan, López) but it seems to me that more and more is needed to get these guys. Maybe they will develop more in their system going forward.
  11. stringer bell
    Piggy-backing rules out two multi-innings guys for several days. If there is someone else having a short start within a day or two of voluntarily using two pitchers for multiple innings, then chaos tends to ensue. Limiting Paddack's innings (to me) means that he won't get that questionable sixth or seventh inning. Also, if he seems to be losing a little, they would be prone to putting him on the IL for a "tired arm" or some such. Finally, if the Twins are trying to nurse both Paddack and the fifth starter (perhaps Canterino), we might see some recalls to give pitchers and extra day or two. They used Varland like that at least once and I would expect Woods Richardson or someone else coming up for a cameo in the course of the season.
  12. stringer bell
    Anecdotally, here are my thoughts/memories on Jeffers' 2023 defense: 1) Throwing/stolen bases: Jeffers was about league average 13/53 and considering that bases are easier to steal off right handed pitchers and that right handers logged well over 90% of the innings for the team in 2023, I think that number is respectable. 2) I remember Bremer bragging that Jeffers had blocked 100% of expected low pitches sometime during mid-season and he promptly let a low pitch go to the backstop. Overall, I thought RJ was okay blocking low pitches, but he seemed to slip a little as the season wore on. 3) I mentioned in an earlier post that I recalled Jeffers having a good "Catcher's ERA" (better than Vazquez), but I can't find that stat right now, (if someone would enlighten us that would be great). 4) Also mentioned earlier, the various sources are all over the board on defense, not only for Jeffers, but Carlos Santana and many others. I think catchers are probably the hardest to judge with much of their rating depending on an umpire's judgement or how much working well with a pitcher (calling a good game) matters and how much is the catcher. I thought Jeffers was more than acceptable defensively in 2023. He may have worn down a bit at the end of the season, but his hitting was so far superior to Vázquez that it was proper that he start all the post season games.
  13. stringer bell
    Baseball Reference lists Jeffers as positive both in Total Zone Fielding Runs Above Average and Defensive Runs Above Average, showing that defensive metrics for catchers are all over the place. I couldn't find Catcher ERA, but I recall seeing a post earlier that said that Jeffers in 2023 was better than Vazquez.
  14. stringer bell
    The Twins almost never skip starters unless there is a current health issue.
  15. stringer bell
    Willi had three years of major league experience with the Tigers when he was non-tendered at almost exactly the same age the Prato will be (two years younger than Helman) coming into spring training. Castro had a great 140 PA run in the COVID year (with an obvious BABiP outlier), so his credentials going into 2023 are significantly different than Prato and Helman in 2024. I wish both players well and hope they can reach their major league dream, but to me both are long shots for breaking camp with the Twins.
  16. stringer bell
    Goodrum signed a minor league contract and likely will be a multi-position player at St. Paul. IIRC, Goodrum hasn't played middle infield for a couple of years, so he might be limited in his utility value.
  17. stringer bell
    Not to demean Prato and Helman or to rule them out altogether, but Helman will be 28 and Prato will be 26 and neither has sniffed the majors as of yet. It may be past their time and younger guys will get their chances (Lee and Martin). Adding either to the 40-man so that Martin can get 50 at-bats at Triple A makes little sense to me. Neither guy is primarily an outfielder, although I understand that Helman has played a fair amount on the grass. I just don't know what to make of Triple A statistics right now. Guys without much power are getting lots of homers and guys that aren't great hitters are putting up boxcar numbers, like Andrew Stevenson last year. To me, it's an open competition for the final position player spot and the guys on the major league roster have the advantage.
  18. stringer bell
    I’ve said that Kirilloff has the tools to be a good fielder at first and I do agree that he struggled with popups. For someone who has played as much outfield as Kirilloff, you would think balls hit in the air wouldn’t be a problem, but …. I still think he can be good at first with good reach and being left handed.
  19. stringer bell
    Good point. The thought that is coming to me is that Carlos Santana has always been a full-time player and that he will be in the lineup against right handed pitching more often than not. I don't like that thought. As much as I don't like the idea of Trevor Larnach making the club with his lack of versatility and struggles to hit in almost 700 plate appearances, I'd rather see him as the "regular" DH against right handed pitching than see Santana try to squeeze out one more year of near-league average hitting against righties. Using Castro as a means to rest regulars by having them DH and rotating through as many as five positions makes some sense to me, but it would require for Willi to hit at least as well as he did last year. I wouldn't rule it out, but I don't think it should be Plan A. I really don't want to see another veteran who may or may not be good enough to stay on the club for the entire season. Santana is more than enough for 2024, thank you.
  20. stringer bell
    Martin was put on the 40-man, Keirsey, Prato and Helman were not. None of these guys are waiting to drink their first legal beer. Whoever is better should be “ahead” in the pecking order.
  21. stringer bell
    I don't think Larnach should be the 26th man for the Twins, however I think there's a lot more than 0% chance that he makes the club and runs with it. Larnach looked like the Twins best hitter the first couple of weeks, then the wheels came off and pretty soon he was optioned. He had health issues as well. It was pretty clear that Larnach was clearly ahead of Wallner by Opening Day last year. Trevor didn't do enough with his opportunity and Matt did. This all could be reversed in 2024, all one has to do is look at what happened to Miranda last year. He is a corner outfielder with limited versatility. He has to be a better hitter than his competitors because of that.
  22. stringer bell
    Kind of Kyle Garlick (not lite, but heavy) at this point in his career.
  23. stringer bell
    Yup, that is Martin. Flexible in what positions he can play and also able to be optioned. I know that is not what you are saying, but it fits for me too. I don't want to see whoever they might sign (Pham, Duvall, Taylor) Santana or Farmer hitting for Wallner or Julien (as the DH) or Kirilloff in the fourth inning. It is just too easy to do and the guys with their future in front of them have their progress stunted. The 26th guy would be slated to start against lefties and that only guarantees about 40 starts a year. I think one of Miranda, Martin or Larnach can do better, although Miranda really doesn't have a position with the roster as it stands right now.
  24. stringer bell
    In other threads, I have made the case for Austin Martin as the 26th guy. He runs well, is reputed to be a good outfielder (center field capable) and is versatile. Martin is projected to be someone that makes contact and gets on base, two things the 2023 Twins lacked. IMHO, Martin is the best fit for the vacancy at this time. I think this position battle is really a free-for-all where Spring Training actually matters. If any of Miranda, Larnach or Martin look really good and substantially better than the other two, I think they get the job to open the season. Maybe one of the other guys mentioned shows they belong. It's a little tougher when you're not on the 40-man roster, however. Also, it figures that all three of the guys mentioned will get their chance sometime this year. The season may be the last chance for Miranda and Larnach to establish themselves as big leaguers (Kirilloff too), but whether they make the club out of Spring Training is not the end.
  25. stringer bell
    Santana had a .727 OPS against right handed pitching. I believe that is pretty close to league average. Kirilloff was better, obviously, but I doubt we'll see AK pinch hitting for Santana much.
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