Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

stringer bell

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    21,523

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    95

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Looking at the pitcher usage, if the Twins can continue to get 6 innings from their starter or long man, they can use three relief pitchers per game and still be used every third day. Coulombe, Romero and Pagán haven’t been used since Saturday and should be ready to go for Tuesday for sure. Duffey, Thielbar and Stashak had today off. Lots of options. The key is to average less than three innings out of the bullpen per game. Edit to add: this is counting Winder with the starters. He and Gray worked 7 innings on Saturday.
  2. stringer bell
    Well, we all knew we should have kept Liam Hendriks.
  3. stringer bell
    He’d probably win a batting title like Moreau and Cuddyer. ?
  4. stringer bell
    I don’t think you can give enough credit to Joe Smith today. Second and third, one out and the heart of the order coming up and he gave them nothing.
  5. stringer bell
    Nine games. Not nearly enough to make final judgments on players. Yes, players like Sánchez, Kepler and Sanó have reinforced doubts about them in the nine games, but I would predict that one of the three (at least) will exceed their production of recent years. I understand the doom and gloom. When a team isn't hitting, their pitching and defense deficiencies are magnified, such as pinch hitting and weakening defense in two positions and using less effective relief pitchers when trailing by multiple runs. It's darn hard to be patient, but that is really what needs to be done. The front office and manager need to decide who to be patient with and who to bench or let go. They have much better information than we do and they know more about baseball. Of course that doesn't mean that they're always right. Alexander Columé is a great example.
  6. stringer bell
    Watched the last half of the Saints game. Chi Chi Gonzalez was effective, as was Megill and Hamilton. That makes me suspect any pitcher. The step between Triple A and the majors could be huge.
  7. stringer bell
    Maybe not so wrong. If he’s healthy and can’t get people out, maybe it’s time to cut bait on Stashak.
  8. stringer bell
    If one thing concerns me, I just don’t see who’ll get key outs out of the bullpen. I wonder if Thielbar’s pixie dust has run out and whether Stashak can regain his 2019 form. Romero really didn’t impress either. Maybe the plan is to try a lot of options and see which ones pan out, but in the meantime watching the struggles is pretty painful.
  9. stringer bell
    Weather is not an excuse to be 3-5, but I think the offense will improve with warmer weather. The flip side is that the pitchers numbers might not good so good a month from now.
  10. stringer bell
    Well, I might be wrong about Stashak. He was recalled to replace Sonny Gray.
  11. stringer bell
    Agree about Vallimont, but the Twins went to the trouble of adding Garlick to the active roster and I doubt they will both demote him and take him off the 40-man roster. I think the next guy would be Stashak, perhaps as soon when he completes his rehab.
  12. stringer bell
    It's early, but oh my! A lot of great offense and plenty of good pitching. I doubt Vallimont is on the 40-man by May 1 and there are candidates to be promoted to the majors, although they would have to be added to the 40-man roster.
  13. stringer bell
    I would expect that Gray is put on the Injured List. 10 days means he only misses one start and the Twins do have an extra starter (two if you count Winder).
  14. stringer bell
    Larnach wasn't pulled for a pinch runner and in fact got a third hit in the ninth.
  15. stringer bell
    Seth, TD ranked Martin as the #1 prospect in the system. You've seen a lot more of him than I or most of the fan base has. How close do you think Martin is to being a big-league ballplayer? Do you think both Miranda and Lewis are closer?
  16. stringer bell
    Yeah, I'd like to know what the evaluation is and what the plan is. If he can help the team in the next year+, I would think it would be as an outfielder. There are four players for the three infield spots (Arraez, Urshela, Correa and Polanco) and two prospects at AAA (Miranda and Lewis). What I am getting is that Martin isn't as close to ready to help this club as I thought.
  17. stringer bell
    With the Twins and St. Paul not playing, not too many top prospects were in action last night. It is nice to see that only three of the prospects are on the injured list and only one on it for a long term. Good to see the Surge get a win and also see Varland pitch well.
  18. stringer bell
    This is a recurring issue. While we see more of it with the home team, I think all teams deal with it to some extent. When do you play through some pain or discomfort and when do you go to the training staff and say "I can't go"? I don't think the Twins have all the answers and I don't think anybody really does.
  19. stringer bell
    I wrote before the season started that the Twins were betting on Jeffers and Kirilloff to take the step of being full-time regulars. While Jeffers has looked okay in the early going, Kirilloff has not and now we know why. A few days ago I was thinking that the Twins were doing very well on the injury front and then on consecutive days Alcala and Kirilloff go down and both appear to be season-threatening injuries. Ouch.
  20. stringer bell
    The last two games have been "good Luis" and "bad Luis". Arraez was in the middle of everything good on offense on Sunday and played a solid third base. Monday, he had a tough day at third and did nothing offensively. Such is baseball. Given Arraez' unusual skill set, I think his usage has been about right. He should be in the lineup against right handed pitchers for certain. Against lefties, he is a mediocre singles hitter and guys like Urshela are better fits. Although, if all one needs to do is make contact, Arraez is pretty reliable doing that against southpaws.. Defensively, Arraez isn't going to win any gold gloves, but he is functional at second, third and in left field. I believe his knee issues are why the Twins don't want him patrolling the bigger area in left field. I don't like seeing a guy with such limited power as anything resembling a full-time DH, but I'm sure Luis will get some chances there. The positives that Arraez presents, plus his age, perhaps make him a trade chip. The Twins top prospects mirror some of his strengths (Miranda-positional flexibility. Martin-positional flexibility and on-base skills) so I do think he is replaceable. Arraez is fun to watch, plays hard and enjoys the game. He was third on the team in WAR last year (3.4 per BBRef) despite only playing in 3/4 of the games. He is an asset, but not indispensible.
  21. stringer bell
    I didn't consider Rooker a prospect either. 27 and up rookies breaking in and making an impact are pretty rare. If the Twins part with Kepler or make Kirilloff an full-time first baseman, I think Contreras would be a good fit to be promoted and I think he would do okay. With the amount of injuries that occur, I would expect one of the three non-roster outfielders getting a chance with the big club at some point this year. Cave and Garlick have the advantage of MLB experience, but if Contreras has performed clearly better than those two, he might get the nod.
  22. stringer bell
    Great start for Contreras, but he's 27 and not on the 40-man roster. On a different roster, he might be a good candidate for fourth OF, but it is pretty hard to call him a prospect.
  23. stringer bell
    Noah Miller looked outstanding late in spring training. I didn't realize that Encarnacion-Strand was a third baseman. If he is for real, the Twins have an embarrassment of riches on the left side of the diamond in the minors. Why do people limit a starting pitching prospect to "middle of the rotation"? I think Woods-Richardson, Canterino and Balazovic, to name a few, have the potential to lead a rotation, maybe not as rookies but soon. Finally, Martin appears to be off to a tough start in Wichita. I wonder if a permanent move away from shortstop might not help him. I like what I saw of him hitting in spring training, but he looked shaky in the field and he's already committed three errors in three games at AA. I realize that errors aren't the be-all and end-all in projecting a player's fielding ability, but the consensus since Martin was acquired was that he wouldn't be a major league shortstop. There doesn't appear to be room for him to play short at the next level and I'm confident his bat is capable to be advanced.
  24. stringer bell
    I imagine Celestino will get a start today. He could replace Kepler, Kirilloff or Sano. My guess would be that Kirilloff gets the day off. So far, Buxton, Correa, Polanco, Sano and Kirilloff have combined for two hits in two games. That won't continue.
  25. stringer bell
    Rogers (not Rodgers) was traded. Duffey (not Duffy) is now the Twins longest serving relief pitcher. Both have been around long enough to properly spell their last names.
×
×
  • Create New...