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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Extending pitchers in their mid-to-late 30s is risky. I’d be much more inclined to extend Mahle through his early 30s than with Gray or Maeda.
  2. stringer bell
    Twins pitchers need to do what they can to limit base stealing. I can't quantify this, but I would say well over half of the SB attempts are sealed by the time the pitcher releases the ball and the catcher has no chance to throw out the base runner. Stealing second on right handers has been and will continue to be easier and the Twins will most likely carry only two lefties out of thirteen, so the catchers are being asked to do a lot. The above doesn't absolve Jeffers of responsibility for his poor throwing. He needs to improve considerably on accuracy while releasing the ball more quickly than he did last year. I don't think it really correct to call what the Twins will do and have done platooning. It is job sharing and alternating. Jeffers will see more than his share of lefty pitching, I think, but he'll get a fair number of starts versus right handers.
  3. stringer bell
    Those extra large bases will be just as important in taking extra bases. I'd hope the Twins concentrate on taking the bases they can take, whether it is by stolen bases or better base running.
  4. stringer bell
    There are a lot of infield prospects due to break through, along with Miranda and Correa. Is there room for Julien if Lee and Lewis establish themselves as players, with Salas not far behind? I'd prefer to have players that can help win games on offense and defense and having Miranda and Julien at two infield spots doesn't sound like a good defensive infield. That said, there aren't any guarantees. We can't be sure the prospects deliver and we can't be totally sure that Julien will continue to be an outstanding offensive player. First base and DH may be manned by either or both of Miranda and Julien in coming years.
  5. stringer bell
    A lefty with good stuff? Sounds like someone to watch as he progresses. I wish him the best.
  6. stringer bell
    I’ve been a Kirilloff fan for a while. Last year, when the team broke camp I said a healthy Kirilloff’s ceiling was Will Clark offense and Mark Grace defense and his floor was Will Clark defense and Mark Grace offense. I still believe that, but after three wrist surgeries, including the far more invasive procedure, the chances of him being 100% are far from a guarantee. The Twins really don’t have a viable long-term alternative if AK can’t come back at something approaching full strength. The team’s off-season where they didn’t pursue a first baseman seems to indicate that they believe Kirilloff will be able to come back and be productive.
  7. stringer bell
    I am doubtful that there is much upside for him. However, as Ash mentioned, plus center of the diamond fielders have value. He should be back by the end of May at the latest, so he'll have a chance to develop this year barring more injuries.
  8. stringer bell
    Regarding bat-first guys, Julien probably fits that description and maybe Miranda, as well. Lewis, Lee and Martin all would profile to be decent defenders higher on the spectrum than Julien and maybe Miranda.
  9. stringer bell
    I think he will be sent to Triple A and I think that is the right call, as well. If he does well, the Twins possibly could promote him before midseason. It will probably help Julien to face AAA pitching and also work on his defense.
  10. stringer bell
    It seems to me that the Twins chose to blame the injury woes on the training staff. I don't know if this is scapegoating or if last year's head trainer did a poor job. Baldelli seems to be a players' manager and there hasn't been scuttlebutt of discontent from the players. I do think that the teams that he has had since taking over fit with his plan to rest everybody in the course of the season. However, every single year Rocco's teams have staggered at the end. This is particularly true of the two playoff teams and 2022. They weren't healthy going into postseason and didn't really have a chance to advance. Apparently, resting didn't get the desired result of having the players stay healthy through the season. Bad luck? Bad training staff? Poor management? I think it is a little bit of all three.
  11. stringer bell
    Cody Christie article today says that Kirilloff is taking live BP and feeling no pain. That is an improvement from a week ago when he was facing pitching machines and still had "discomfort". If he has no setbacks and can get ten days to a week of games in, I think he can make the club. I don't think the Twins really pushed him last year. He started out hurting and was on the IL in April and then when recalled, he raked until the wrist dogged him again. I'm convinced he can hit if healthy. I want Larnach on the team from the start as well. He has a higher ceiling than Kepler and Gordon and showed last year, before injury, that he can both hit and field. The word is he's playing tomorrow. I hope he rakes and forces his way on to the Opening Day roster. BTW, there are already three injury questions (beyond Trevor) that need to be answered (Kirilloff, Gordon, Miranda) and if any of them don't make it by Opening Day, there is a clear path for Larnach to make the team.
  12. stringer bell
    I think Farmer and Taylor are excellent pickups. Farmer kills left handed pitching and is a versatile three-position infielder. He probably isn't a full-time starter on a contender, but he's solid and a real asset as a short-side platoon option. Buxton's history and Celestino's struggles necessitate getting a capable center fielder. While I have my qualms about WAR, his 3.2 BWar would have been exceeded by only Buxton, Arraez and Correa on the 2022 Twins and he only played in three quarters of the Royals' games. I agree that having both Gallo and Kepler on the team seems unwise, but given all of the outfield injuries last year it might make sense to keep major leaguers rather than entrusting regular at bats to unproven players. Solano has had a good run as a hitter in his 30s. He's also versatile and hits righty giving the Twins another weapon against left handed starters.
  13. stringer bell
    While it is fun to predict the roster, the reality is that composition of the roster will change through the season. I’m pretty sure Polanco and Buxton will be on the roster and in the Opening Day lineup. I’m not so sure that Kirilloff will be ready. I think about three of the bullpen spots could be classified at TBD.
  14. stringer bell
    Well, I hope he doesn't lose the whole year with Tommy John surgery. Tough break for a guy who seems to have the skill set to really help the Twins.
  15. stringer bell
    After listening to Bonnes and Nick Nelson today, I feel like there is a bit more clarity in regard to the bullpen. There are four guys comprising the high-leverage (back end) of the bullpen--Jorge Lopez, Caleb Thielbar, Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. They are locks to make the team and will be the guys to get most of the wins and saves. The second tier will be guys occasionally in high-leverage, but often in middle situations. Jorge Alcala, Emilio Pagan, Jovani Moran, Trevor Megill and Dennis Santana. They will sometimes be asked to get more than three outs. Someone else could also join this group and not all five will go north for Opening Day. Finally, Rocco would like to have a guy who is really a long reliever, perhaps nominally a starter. This was Josh Winder's role early in 2022, but eventually he joined the rotation. Cole Sands, perhaps Winder again or a host of non-roster pitchers could figure here. As the season progresses, there doubtless will be changes and adjustments. It would not be a surprise to see several guys using up their allotted number of optional assignments and a lot of names not shown here to get opportunities.
  16. stringer bell
    I think it's not really fair to imply that Jeffers is injury-prone. Last year's injury was a rather freak broken bone and he is a catcher. It appears Jeffers will get most of his plate appearances against left handers as long as Vazquez is healthy and it wouldn't surprise me that he thrives in that role.
  17. stringer bell
    Lots of nuggets provided. Thank you! Really appreciate your observations about the bullpen. Is it too early to point out a dark horse to make the Opening Day roster? Is there anyone that has really caught your eye as a prospect?
  18. stringer bell
    Well, Megill has an option. I really believe Celestino will be assigned to the 60-day IL for one spot. Rocco has directly said that he would like at least one multi-inning reliever (Rodriquez, Hoffman, Sánchez, de Leon, and perhaps Oliver Ortega could step in). Dennis Santana can’t be optioned, so if he doesn’t make the team, that will open a roster spot. Lots of balls in the air and decisions to be made. The only sure thing is that there will be a lot of changes in the course of the season.
  19. stringer bell
    Glad to hear that. I confess I didn’t see the velocity on every pitch, so I may well be wrong about his velocity.
  20. stringer bell
    Megill looked good yesterday, probably the only guy in competition for one of the last spots that has so far (I think Moran is a near-lock so I am not considering him). I hope someone(s) steps up and that Winder and Henriquez get healthy.
  21. stringer bell
    Agree. It looked like Alcala was throwing high 80s meatballs yesterday. I didn’t see a single pitch with velo above 90. It is early and he is coming back from surgery and missing virtually a whole season, but I’m not confident that he will help the club early.
  22. stringer bell
    With his R/L splits, Farmer should be starting against lefties all the time. Not as a good for him to fill in against right handers. He’ll get quite a few at-bats filling in anyway. I guess I’d prefer him at third and Miranda at first.
  23. stringer bell
    The best thing for the bullpen would be success from the current deep and relatively experienced rotation. Two things the Twins FO and field staff had to like about Pagan were his willingness to take the ball on consecutive days and ability to throw multiple innings. I hope that Pagan is infrequently used in high-leverage situations. The last two or three in the bullpen already look a bit shaky (I know it's early!). Alcala gave up several base runners, Megill got knocked around and both Winder and Henriquez are dealing with arm ailments.
  24. stringer bell
    The injuries to Larnach and Miranda are concerning, of course. I'm sure that in Spring Training, the Twins aren't going to take any chances with anyone. Any complaints about having competent veterans on board bring me back to last year when the not-ready Wallner plus Cave, Celestino and Contreras were playing regularly in the outfield. I'd much rather have major leaguers playing and if the prospects come through, they will get their chance. If Rocco can get the veterans at-bats where they have the best chance of success, they will be fine, but I doubt the club will suddenly believe they are foundations of the team. There is a jumble of young, ready or nearly-ready position players without clear places where they will play. It's up to the field staff and front office to handle this, but the time is in the future. Goodness, guys like Kirilloff and Larnach haven't established themselves and a bad season could change the opinion of Miranda and Gordon.
  25. stringer bell
    My thought was that the Dodgers might be interested in Gordon to fill Rojas’ utility role, with Rojas moving in as the primary SS.
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