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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. I would say that Miranda has been a disappointment so far, but it doesn't take long to change that perception. A couple of good games would make his numbers acceptable. With Kyle Farmer still out, there really isn't anyone to step in for Miranda, so maybe the leash is a bit longer for him. Despite having the most experience defensively at third base, Miranda still looks like a work in progress at the hot corner.
  2. It will be a performance issue with him. If he pitches well enough to stay, he'll stay, there's really no one pushing for a recall that will also cost a roster spot. If the Twins come up short on arms at some point, he well may be outrighted. I also think Winder will be added to the bullpen when his rehab is over, and the one leaving the major league roster should be from Pagan, Moran and Stewart.
  3. I would think so. It isn't optimum to do so with anyone with upside, but Headrick is/was stretched out enough to go multiple innings and isn't high enough on the prospect ladder that they feel like he needs to be pitching in the roatation every fifth or sixth day.
  4. Headrick is still the long man. Cole Sands figures as his partner on the carousel. Stewart can’t be optioned.
  5. Ober was optioned yesterday. Stewart is the corresponding move.
  6. Miranda doesn't have great first-step quickness and only an average arm. If he wants to be a third baseman, he'll need to hit. He didn't have a lot of experience at first in the minors and it showed last year, but I think with work he will be a decent first baseman. It isn't incredibly easy, but the skills required aren't off the charts.
  7. For the rest of the 2020s, I have forseen the infield as Lee/Lewis (3b), Correa (ss), Lee/Lewis (2b) and Kirilloff/Julien/Miranda (dh/1b). There is a ton of positional flexibility there, but five guys now in their early to mid-twenties around one of the better shortstops is a good mix, especially since CC is only 28 right now. One or two of these guys might not pan out and they still would be well-stocked in the infield.
  8. Given the shakiness of Moran, I have to infer that Winder will be back as soon as he is deemed healthy.
  9. The answer is Brock Stewart, 31 years old, who hasn't been in the majors since 2019. He doesn't appear to be the same type of pitcher he was when he was last in the majors. Now he's a short reliever who throws it in the high 90s. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/04/twins-to-select-brock-stewart.html
  10. I wonder what the corresponding move is. I would guess Henriquez was moved to the 60-day IL.
  11. The left handed hitters did well last night, so the calls for Kirilloff now won't be quite so loud. I guess Nick Gordon should be feeling some pressure about now in that he hasn't played much at all in a week and the two guys that can replace him (Farmer and Kirilloff) are getting healthy. On the pitching side, other than Josh Winder coming off the IL, I can't see a clear choice for a relief pitcher to be added. Whoever he is, that pitcher will probably be working in the next 30 hours.
  12. Miranda might feel a little nervous if Gallo starts taking ground balls at third. Also, I'm waiting for this Friday's satire piece which should be entitled "Are the Twins too Healthy?"
  13. Great job by Gray. The offense did enough to win most games. Great formula going forward.
  14. Ober optioned tonight. I think it will end up being Josh Winder added, but we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to know.
  15. Wolters is hitting very well at St. Paul so far. He's supposed to be the prototypical good glove-no hit third catcher. If he can hit at something resembling league average (in the event of an injury to Jeffers/Vazquez) he would be fine. Long term, I'd love to see a switch hitting or lefty hitting catcher develop to pair with one of the two catchers the Twins currently have, more likely Jeffers since he is only 25.
  16. Not a fair statement at all. Willi Castro is a utility guy and he's already played second, short, third and left field, I think starting games at all of those positions. With Kyle Farmer on IL, Willi is the #1 backup at shortstop and third base. Alex Kirilloff won't be a utility guy when he returns from IL or option. Kirilloff has played exactly one nine-inning game since he's been on rehab and has only twice played on consecutive days. We don't know if there is still discomfort, pain or soreness. We do know, the surgery was kind of a last resort, so being cautious with his recovery makes sense. AK mashed two homers yesterday, and today is an off day. He'll most likely be in the lineup tomorrow in Rochester NY and if he keeps hitting and plays in consecutive games, I sure hope they call him up. If it goes slower than that, I wouldn't be surprised to see him optioned to St. Paul.
  17. Pretty much agree, but Nick did an OK job defensively at second base for the first week of the season for what that is worth and he can play an acceptable center field. That amount of positional versatility might be why Gordon would be preferred to Larnach.
  18. I might argue that's ... not the worst thing? Obviously Gordon is not as bad as he's looked so far, but even at his best he's sort of an odd fit on this roster – not the 1A starter at any position and maybe not even the top backup anywhere. To me this is the key quote. Nick Gordon isn't really the next man up anywhere. I'd make the case that as a utility player, Willi Castro is superior. Castro is younger, faster and more versatile, especially because he's a switch hitter. Willi probably is what he is as a hitter--substandard with very few free passes--but he plays an acceptable second, short and third as well as all the outfield positions. Nick Gordon as a platoon player on a fair to poor team is about right. I'm not ready to give up on Trevor Larnach, but certainly his leash is getting shorter. He started well for the first week and I thought that maybe he was on the road to establishing himself as a major league regular, then came about two weeks of low productivity.
  19. With the encouraging news about Alex Kirilloff, a topic that has been talked about off and on is back on. The Twins appear to have four left handed hitting players to man three positions--first base and the two corner outfield positions. Kirilloff and Joey Gallo can play first base and both corners, Trevor Larnach can play both corners and Max Kepler has settled in as a right fielder. Kirilloff and Larnach have options. Gallo and Kepler are both on the last guaranteed year of contracts. So far, Kepler has hit poorly, Larnach has hit better than Kepler and Gallo has done well, while Kirilloff is rehabbing in the minors and hitting very well. What should the Twins do? And what do you think they actually will do?
  20. Kenta Maeda is apparently good to go for his next start. With that news, the Twins can send Bailey Ober back to St. Paul and add another bullpen arm. However, their choices are limited. Due to the 15-day time limit on an option, Alcala, Woods Richardson, Varland and Sands are not eligible to be recalled at this point. That leaves only two active pitchers in the minors, Jordan Balazovic and Trevor Megill, who can be recalled and are on the 40-man roster. Josh Winder has more than a week remaining in his allotted rehab time, but he could be recalled as well, however he pitched three innings yesterday at St. Paul. The other move the Twins could make would be to clear a 40-man space and recall someone not on the 40-man roster. Sands and Megill would be candidates to be removed from the 40-man and Ronnie Henriquez still isn't pitching and could possibly be moved to the 60-day IL.
  21. Kirilloff's rehab runs 20 days from April 11, so that would be May 1. AK has an option remaining that could be used and as I noted, he has played on back-to-back days infrequently and yesterday was his first nine-inning game. I would think the Twins want to see him play nine innings on back to back days before activating him. I've been watching Miller's results in box scores for the last week or so. He is doing very well. I think most of the fan base should take a breath when 19-year-olds struggle when playing against older competition.
  22. One other positive note—this is as healthy as the club has been in a year. Kirilloff and Winder are more than half done with their rehabs.
  23. I don't think there's much question Varland is ahead of Woods Richardson at this time. SWR is quite a bit younger and still might be the better prospect, but for a rotation spot or a spot start, it is Varland, then Richardson.
  24. The second homer was the first extra base hit that he pulled in his rehab. To my knowledge, he has played on back-to-back days only once and today was his first nine-inning game. He does have another week allotted for rehab and I wonder if full games back-to-back and more hard-hit balls to the pull side would convince the front office that he is ready.
  25. Good win! Still not getting much production from the lineup top to bottom. The rotation still looks solid and the four high-leverage bullpen guys look outstanding. A good defensive game is necessary as long as the offense is so hit-and-miss.
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