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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Good strategy by Baker. If things aren’t working, try to change the tempo. The Astros have been outstanding on the road. After going to Arlington down 0-2, they are coming home up 3-2.
  2. stringer bell
    I disagree. I do think injury reporting is thankless—Rocco is limited in what he can say and doesn’t want to reveal anything that would give opponents a competitive advantage. I would like to see examples of minimizing injuries, as well.
  3. stringer bell
    Defense is just hard to measure. Positioning, arm strength, instincts and "making the right play" should all figure in. We have known since Correa was acquired (the first time) that he is not speedy (below average sprint speed), but that his reach (6'4") and big arm made up for the lack of range. Correa makes all the plays and has excelled at turning outs into outs. Probably he doesn't get enough credit for that. Or maybe whoever does the analysis of defense automatically penalizes whoever goes to the Twins. In the last several years, the Twins have added three guys regarded as elite defenders--Andrelton Simmons, Josh Donaldson and Correa--and each has seen their defensive stats suffer (Donaldson's rebounded when he went to NY).
  4. stringer bell
    I guess my thought is that if Kirilloff is very likely back and fully healed by June 1st, I'd plan to cover first base internally. Plan A would be a platoon of Julien and Miranda. If there is uncertainty that AK will return healthy, then maybe a more permanent plan should be in the works. Severino is intriguing, although the Ks are concerning.
  5. stringer bell
    For a day or two, Willi Castro (he was preferred to Gordon when Nick was healthy) and for a disabling injury, Brooks Lee. Farmer isn't needed for the key utility role of alternate shortstop. He does hit left handed pitching well, which is something the Twins definitely can use. However, with the emergence of Lewis and Jeffers, that need is less. It would be helpful is the Twins had an outfielder that hit LH pitching well, but that isn't Farmer.
  6. stringer bell
    Both Andrew Stevenson and José De León have been outrighted to St. Paul. That will reduce the number on the 40-man roster.
  7. stringer bell
    Yes, I just saw that. Mods, should this go on "other baseball"? I'm guessing Dan won't be invited to any Twins reunions.
  8. stringer bell
    Two of TK’s “favorites”. I’ll add that I thought both of these guys could be stars, but they could never establish themselves.
  9. stringer bell
    Weren't the same things said about Gio last fall? They are similar, but not identical players. Farmer is certainly more versatile, (although Urshela played short and first for the Angels) and has more power and more pronounced platoon splits. Farmer is 33. He can't afford to lose a step and continue to be an adequate middle infielder IMHO and he may lose that step. The Twins no longer really need him as a backup shortstop with Lewis and soon Lee on the major league roster. His value is enhanced due to the slim pickings in free agency. If the Twins can get appreciable value for him, they should trade him.
  10. stringer bell
    I think that in any trade scenario, replacement needs to be considered. The dearth of MLB-ready catching really rules out moving Jeffers IMHO. Another consideration would be if there is more room to reach the player's ceiling. Perhaps a player like Castro has reached that ceiling, perhaps not. I think that Jeffers is a ways from his ceiling, although he had some pretty good batted ball luck this year.
  11. stringer bell
    I'm a believer in Kirilloff's ability. He has had a career's worth of injuries already and he hasn't reached his 26th birthday. I think AK's injury history dictates that the Twins have a doable backup plan for him. I think having Julien and Miranda as an Opening Day platoon is a decent plan, given that both players could move to other positions if Kirilloff recovers rapidly and hits the ground running. If Alex is slow to recover there are other people capable of playing second or third, so Julien and Miranda won't be missed there. This is another case where we are pretty much in the dark. It isn't clear when Kirilloff will be ready to go and it also is unknown if he'll recover fully. We will be able to infer from front office transactions how serious the threat is to Kirilloff's future.
  12. stringer bell
    K/PA% is the best way to look at the strikeout problem. For example, Taylor walked much less than Julien or Wallner. The Twins struck out a ton, including veterans with track records of better results (Farmer, Solano, Vázquez), so maybe some blame goes on coaching or hitting philosophy. The second-year players might improve their K percentages with further experience and adding an Austin Martin for Taylor or Miranda for Gallo would improve the numbers some, but strikeouts will doubtless continue to be a problem. If the Twins can produce as they did post All-Star break, the high strikeout numbers would be acceptable.
  13. stringer bell
    I think Miranda could and should assume the role that Solano had for the Twins in 2023, probably minus any time at second base. He certainly has better power than Solano and makes contact as much. His 2021 and 2022 seasons looked like he had a chance to become a near-elite hitter. If Kirilloff can't go to start '24, some type of platoon between Miranda and Julien would make sense, with both players able to play other positions if AK is ready to become the primary 1B. We don't know exactly how much the shoulder injury hindered Jose, but it is fair to assume that the injury had some negative effect on his play during the season. A defense that has Julien and Miranda as their first basemen might be suspect, but I think both guys can be adequate with hard work.
  14. stringer bell
    I think Varland will be a starter in waiting at worst and a member of the rotation most likely. He hasn’t had injury issues to date and he has some (positive) experience in a bullpen role. I don’t think the Twins will use an option on him unless he is ineffective—that is, if he doesn’t make the starting five, he works out of the BP. This thread makes a pretty good case for acquiring a starter. López, Paddack, Ryan, Ober, Varland is a pretty good start, and four of those five were healthy last year, but even in healthy years, a team needs 7-8 starters at some point in the season. Pagán provided a lot of bullpen innings the last two years—much more effective in ‘23. I do think a mostly reliable bullpen arm should be acquired to replace him ( or re-sign him). A lefty would be preferable.
  15. stringer bell
    Yeah and there is a huge gulf between Texas and Baltimore, Philly and Atlanta and Arizona and the Dodgers. The other series show what a crapshoot postseason is. I do think some factors stand out—starting pitchers and power—but really having a healthy roster might be the biggest factor after making the postseason. The Twins need to address their flaws (lack of contact, not enough reliable hitters), but they are fairly well-positioned to compete in October next year and beyond.
  16. stringer bell
    I count ten of the roster for free agency/release, bringing the number to 37. A reduction of a couple more by non-tender is certainly possible coupled with adding players to the 40-man to protect from the Rule V draft.
  17. stringer bell
    Haven’t read all the replies, but I think this year’s Twins team actually compares with the four remaining teams. It certainly does in terms of record and run differential. So, they don’t have that far to go. Losing Gray and Maeda but adding Paddack would indicate that one additional starter is needed. Given the injuries and history of Buxton, Kirilloff and Lewis, depth must be maintained. I would expect a bounce back from Correa in his age-29 season. I also would expect roster turnover to reduce the strikeouts, although Julien and Wallner (added this year) increased the K percentage. If the team loses Pagán they really need to add a veteran reliable reliever and the pitching staff was heavily right handed, so adding a lefty reliever and/or starter would be optimal.
  18. stringer bell
    40-man issues are nonexistent right now with the Twins having about ten free agents. Lee won’t be added until he is promoted to the majors (the start of the 2024 major league season at the earliest).
  19. stringer bell
    I think Lee is far more likely to be a 3B. Perhaps Lewis would move to second, but that is only if Polanco and Julien are not in the picture there. Julien at 1B makes sense given the uncertainty and injury history of Kirilloff. I think Miranda might be in line to take the role that Solano had last year and that really limits Farmer’s role. A similar trade to the Urshela deal might be in the offing. Willi Castro was a premium utility guy last year and I hope he gets consideration for a Gold Glove. That he is younger than Gordon increases his value IMHO. A Gordon trade or non-tender is more than possible. Willi might end up with a multi-year contract.
  20. stringer bell
    The postseason set up to mitigate a successful, but less than awesome regular season. The Twins got a #3 seed and because many higher seeds failed had a chance to play teams on their level all the way through. They lost to the experienced, but not overwhelming, Astros and would have played teams they had played well in the regular season. They couldn’t get by that second step. The remaining teams have flaws on a par with the Twins IMHO. Are the Twins a long way from being relevant in the postseason? I don’t think so. They need more consistent offensive production and continued excellence from their pitching staff.
  21. stringer bell
    The postseason consisted of six games. A really small sample size. Not many guys hit as well as their regular season and a few pitchers struggled. Ober allowed two big HRs in Game 1 and Sonny allowed two for the first time since he came to the Twins. All season strikeouts were a huge problem and it only magnified in the playoffs. It is especially tough to string together hits in the postseason. ThecTwins got a lot of walks, but not enough big hits.
  22. stringer bell
    The roster construction covered the lack of durability in the regulars. I wouldn’t say the roster was “near-perfect” however. At times the bullpen was really thin and the club lacked a right-handed bat with punch to play a corner or DH. Here’s a rough list of IL stints—Kirilloff (2), Polanco (2), Correa (1), Farmer (1), Lewis (3), Miranda (1–season ending), Kepler (2), Gallo (3), Taylor (1), Buxton (2), Larnach (1) and Castro (1). Castro and Solano played far more than anyone could have predicted. The Twins seldom had to go beyond their Opening Day roster to fill the gaps caused by the injuries and Wallner and Julien showed themselves to be major leaguers when called upon.
  23. stringer bell
    NL behemoths Atlanta and LA are down in their first round. All three 100 win teams lost, also all teams with more than 90 wins are out and between them, they won one game. This year’s postseason is topsy-turvy. In the regular season, the Twins won the season series from all four remaining teams.
  24. stringer bell
    Even in a healthy season, clubs need 7-8 starters. The prospective rotation of López, Ryan, Paddack, Ober and Varland is a great start. Put me down for a lefty with more stuff than Keuchel and the return of Kenta Maeda. From the OP, I think Bauer and Rodón are out and any of the others could be added. Also, it may be time for some on the farm to contribute. Triple A numbers seem skewed by extreme offense, but SWR finished strong and he still only 23. So is Henriquez, although I think he’s a bullpen arm.
  25. stringer bell
    I don’t think AK is “three true outcomes”. He has the admirable ability to take pitches out to left, but he didn’t drive the ball to right and right-center. He still hit .270, which is above average and 11 homers would project to maybe 20 over a full season. How much of Kirilloff’s struggles are injury-related is an open question and the other question is whether he’ll get fully healthy.
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