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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    ??? There were plenty of us that knew about Thorpe having no minor league options. I believe most believed he had an inside track on making the team because he was out of options. Thorpe’s 40-man was already taken by Archer.
  2. stringer bell
    Brian is right about one thing for sure, who is on the Opening Day roster or lineup isn’t really that important in the larger scheme of things. Quickly now (no cheating!), who was the Opening Day left fielder last year? Who remembers that Ryan LaMarre was on the Opening Day roster in 2019 or Aaron Whitefield in 2020? For those of you who have forgotten, Luis Arraez was the starting left fielder, although he didn’t play left a single inning in that game.
  3. stringer bell
    Rooker has two options left. Putting him on the IL doesn’t do much to solve the left field/backup outfielder problem. He can’t be DFAed or optioned while on the IL and adding Cave or Garlick to the active roster (and 40-man) would require someone to be removed from the 40-man roster. If he is deemed healthy, he could be optioned.
  4. stringer bell
    Rooker isn’t in the lineup again today. Really hard to justify him making the squad with so little time this spring on top of his underwhelming performance last season.
  5. stringer bell
    I also don’t hate on Jake Cave. He plays hard and has had some productive interludes. Last year was wrecked by injury. That said, Cave isn’t a good CF, not horrible, but not a great alternative. He hasn’t hit like a corner OF and the other corner OFs are lefties. He just doesn’t fit with the 2022 Twins. If Kirilloff, Kepler or Larnach were out long term, perhaps there is a spot for him for the duration of the injury.
  6. stringer bell
    Word! And I don’t think you’re wrong. Probably the better move is to claim an outfielder who better fits the Twins needs……RH hitter, solid defense, CF capable, hits lefties better than righties and maybe good speed. In this era, defensive replacements are few and far between, but I could see times when replacing Sanó with this type of replacement would benefit the defense at first and left.
  7. stringer bell
    I’ve liked what I’ve seen of Faria, but not enough to add him to the roster at the expense of a DFA to another pitcher., especially when the staff will have to be reduced in three weeks. The obvious move is to bring Winder and/or Duran north. If they are deemed not ready, they can be optioned.
  8. stringer bell
    Arraez would be a better choice in LF right now. Miranda has minimal experience in the outfield, while Arraez has considerably and grades out as neutral. I suspect the only reason Arraez was taken out of the LF scenarios is his rather fragile leg health.
  9. stringer bell
    Garlick and Rooker are not equivalent in the field. I continue to maintain that Rooker has no place on the active roster of the 2022 Twins. Regarding the non-roster pitchers, it doesn’t make sense to risk losing a guy by removing them from the 40-man roster when the guy prompting the move would then be exposed barely three weeks later when the staff is reduced to 13. Unless the club is willing to cut bait with a Stashak or Cotton to keep Smeltzer or Coulombe, both of those guys should be sent to St. Paul.
  10. stringer bell
    I really would like to see Sanó get the majority of PAs as the DH. I’d like to see Arraez mostly start at third and Sánchez and Jeffers share catching time 60-40.
  11. stringer bell
    Trade Sánchez for “future considerations” , sign Sandy León to back up Jeffers.
  12. stringer bell
    Given that no one looks like they will go beyond five innings for the first week or so and also a pretty full slate of games in April, I would bet the team will go with 15 pitchers. I’m pretty certain the club won’t lose a player off the 40-man roster to add a guy for April, who will be DFAed himself in three weeks. So I don’t think they’ll add Smeltzer or Coulombe as the 14th or 15th pitchers on the team. Now that that's out of the way, back to being critical of Brent Rooker. I'm sure he's a nice guy and has a new child and is kind to animals, but I continue to see no value in him being on the 2022 Twins. It is documented that he is a lousy outfielder and he hasn't, to my knowledge, played an inning of first base either in spring training or in a regulation Twins game. He would rank behind Sano and Sanchez as a right handed DH and he has not, through his minor league career or in his 200+ plate appearances in the majors, fared well against left handed pitchers. In addition, in this spring training, he is 0-8 with one walk and four strike outs, and has not played in a week due to injury. The need on the team is for a right handed corner outfielder to spell Kirilloff and Kepler, but I fail to see why Rooker should basically be handed a spot given his pedigree and his skill set. I'd much rather see Garlick in the role, given that he does hit lefties and is acceptable in the outfield. Cave would be a square peg in a round hole.
  13. stringer bell
    I'm disappointed for Larnach. He's done well in the spring and appears to be healthy. Regarding the post that Rooker can take over in left field, I'd prefer if Kirilloff played first base and there would be room for a lefty in left field. Whatever. I'd rather have Celestino on the roster than Rooker, but I would think not both will survive the cutdown.
  14. stringer bell
    Lewis almost certainly will start the season in Wichita.
  15. stringer bell
    Gordon is out of options. If he is to be sent to the minors, he has to be exposed via DFA and could be claimed by any team.
  16. stringer bell
    Pretty much the way I see it. If Sánchez seldom or never is the DH, then it is fine to go with two catchers. Sánchez will most likely be catching at least twice a week and to pay him what he will make for catching twice a week is well, a waste. I expect he’ll DH at least occasionally, necessitating a third catcher. As I mentioned upthread, I would hope the Twins can tweak both their active and 40-man rosters before Opening Day. Adding an experienced and sound defensive catcher and a right handed three-position outfielder who is a plus defender would be the two areas to upgrade. Nick Gordon is no better than a third option at second, short and center. While I like his speed and versatility, he is superfluous, if the Twins have to sacrifice him to get a better bench fit, they should go for it. I feel the same way about Rooker, who also isn’t an asset against LH pitching (reverse platoon splits).
  17. stringer bell
    Arraez, Godoy, Larnach, Gordon could and should all make the roster. Assuming Sanchez serves as the DH at least a quarter of the time, the need for a third catcher ratchets up and Godoy fills the bill. For Larnach, getting playing time would depend on having one of three right handed hitters not in the starting lineup--Jeffers, Sanchez, Sano--which would be a pretty good bet against right handed pitching. Gordon is serviceable in center field can fill in at shortstop as well and is out of options. Nick does provide speed off the bench if the Twins are looking for a pinch runner. If there is no need for a third catcher (that is that Sanchez seldom is the DH) then Celestino is a logical choice to provide better defense and speed and a right handed option at the corner outfield spots, as well as a backup in center field. I would hope that the Twins could improve their options for their bench. Cutdown time is coming for all teams and many players will be DFAed when the rosters are reduced. Finding a right handed outfielder who could provide a platoon edge in left and who could cover center field short-term would be ideal as would be adding a fourth option at catcher.
  18. stringer bell
    Fangraphs states that Rooker has not one but two options remaining, so that shouldn't be a consideration, The other players of note with no options remaining are Gordon and Cotton.
  19. stringer bell
    Rooker hasn’t played for about five days since suffering a mild injury. In the meantime, Larnach is playing well. I can certainly see Larnach starting most games in left against right handed pitching, with one of Sanó, Jeffers or Sánchez on the bench. Unless Celestino or a non-roster guy makes the team in the scenario I’m envisioning, all of the Twins corner OFs would be left handed hitters.
  20. stringer bell
    I think Larnach is the eventual right fielder for the Twins, with Martin becoming the left fielder perhaps as soon as this year. That would leave Kepler as the odd man. I hope Kep has a good season and raises his trade value.
  21. stringer bell
    I've projected Godoy as a third catcher making the club and I would expect Sanchez to DH occasionally. If the Twins don't DH Sanchez frequently most of the DH at-bats would go to Sano, with Kirlloff then getting more duty at first base. I see no role for Rooker on this team, particuarly since he had reverse splits as far as hitting left handed pitching. Celestino is the best fit for backup outfielder (RH hitter, center field capable, decent running speed and defense), but the question is whether he (and the Twins) would be better served by him getting playing time at St. Paul.
  22. stringer bell
    There's a news item about Larnach today, as well. I think he'll break camp with the team and get plenty of starts in left field. This does leave a real gap in terms of backup outfielders, but i think there's room for Larnach and Kirilloff on 2022 Twins team.
  23. stringer bell
    I think Larnach will make the team out of Spring Training and I think he'll get quite a few starts in left field, with Kirilloff at first base. His 2021 season did change after the HBPs and the injury to his lower leg. I think he has go some to restore the luster, but he's off to a good start.
  24. stringer bell
    Somewhat surprised that Thorpe wasn't claimed, but everyone is crunched for 40-man room.
  25. stringer bell
    Well, he's been an All-Star as often as Correa. I guess that shows that All-Star appearances aren't an exact indication of how good a player is. I see he had thoracic outlet surgery, same as Phil Hughes. How many pitchers have recovered and thrived after such a surgery? Better to have someone than no one, but I have my doubt how well he will do. I'm guessing they thought he has more in the tank than Cueto. I am wondering who gets taken off the 40-man roster to make room for Archer.
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