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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Three recent pennant winners in the NL were far different teams in the playoffs compared to where they were at the All-Star break. 2019 Nats, 2021 Braves and 2022 Phillies. Nats got healthy and added a couple of key performers as they won the World Series. Braves remade their outfield--Rosario, Soler, Duvall--and won the WS and the Phillies caught fire after being around .500. The Phillies won 87 regular season games last year, the Braves won 88 in '21 and the Nats won 93 in '19. They were far different teams when they hit the stretch run and the playoffs.
  2. stringer bell
    Specifically, it won't break my heart to see Castro sent to the minors, but he could be a Triple A All-Star IMHO and someone that steps in somewhere as a truly valuable and versatile super-sub. About the only way that would be in Minnesota would be if Nick Gordon fails or gets injured. That is because Gordon is cheaper and can't be sent to the minors without being DFAed.
  3. stringer bell
    Compare Willi Castro today to Nick Gordon a year ago (same age). Castro is younger, faster, more versatile with a similar offensive profile. We all know Nick had a nice second half and looks like a much better hitter, but it wouldn’t totally surprise me if Willi Castro ends up being a better player than Nick Gordon.
  4. stringer bell
    I hate to like this, but I believe it is right on the mark. Watching just Twins games this year, speed and base stealing has had minimal impact, but I believe it will be a pretty big factor going forward.
  5. stringer bell
    I think it's way to early to draw firm conclusions. Last year, the Twins were in the middle of the pack in runs scored with 696. For every hot start, there is a cold start right now and the Twins have face #1 and #2 starters in four of their six games (granted KC's aren't top of the line). I'd withhold judgment on both the offense and pitching staff until the end of the month. My guess is that the team will be towards the top in run prevention and in the middle of run scoring.
  6. stringer bell
    I really want to believe this. In the two weeks since the Twins broke camp we’ve heard…………..very little about either player. Polanco is an established major leaguer who had a rather non-threatening diagnosis—tendinitis/bone bruise—and yet eight months after the original injury, isn’t ready to play. Kirilloff is a potential star hitter coming back from two surgeries. Will he ever be what some (myself included) thought he would be? I will believe it when I see it for both players and if they both get back and hit, the Twins lineup looks so much better.
  7. stringer bell
    Cleveland has already won a bunch of tight games. If their pitching holds up, I think (unfortunately) they are the real deal. More than any other team in the AL, they use good speed and make contact in key situations. For the Twins to be better than Cleveland (both in the standings and head-to-head), they need to have a deeper lineup and starting pitching. So far (I know its' really early), the Twins have demonstrated a really deep starting staff, but they haven't shown their lineup can be counted on 1-9.
  8. stringer bell
    There's not a lot of speed on the Twins' roster. I think their base running has been fine. Castro got thrown out on a steal attempt, that happens, but I can't recall anyone else failing to take an extra base or who was thrown out trying to make a risky advance.
  9. stringer bell
    With the exception of the Rays, everyone has lost a couple of games. Without checking all the scores, it is my guess that all offenses have been shut down by good pitching once or twice during this young season. Even Luis Arraez has o-fers, so it should be understood that occasionally a team will struggle to score runs. That said, good lineups don't get dominated that often and the Twins, so far, have scored four or less runs in four of their six starts. The lineup hasn't looked as solid or deep as one might hope. Proven veterans like Correa and Buxton will hit, but the Twins don't have that many proven veterans. They have Kepler and Gallo, trying to come back from seasons where they could have or should have been benched for lack of offensive productivity. It would help if another proven veteran offensive player, Jorge Polanco, were there to play second base. Polanco would provide a proven and consistent left handed bat solidify the top of the order. The next step is for young guys to step up. Trevor Larnach has done his part (and more) so far. He has carried a good spring training (where he secured a spot on the roster) into the regular season and looked the part of a middle-of-the order bat. Jose Miranda hasn't hit much, but I think the Twins are counting on him as well. Jose will need to hit because he appears to be a below average third baseman defensively. Catchers Vazquez and Jeffers have provided decent offense and seem to work well with the pitching staff. Michael A Taylor has performed about as expected, solid in the field but a net negative as a bottom-of-the-order hitter. It would be great for Taylor to be an occasional starter instead of an every day player. The remainder of the month provides the Twins with good competition. One would hope that they'll get several wins from top-notch pitching, but they'll need to score more than a run or two per game. I have seen no updates on either Polanco or Alex Kirilloff that would suggest they can help the Twins for the next three weeks, so it will most likely fall on the guys that are here to score runs.
  10. stringer bell
    I get Bally Sports North and understood that the bulk of Twins games would be on Bally Sports North this year. That was before the news that BSN didn't pay the Twins moneys owed them. What I'm reading is that MLB is saying they will take the broadcasts if Bally/Diamond doesn't pay up. I don't know how they will transmit the broadcasts so I'm kind of in the dark as to how (or if) I'll see Twins games.
  11. stringer bell
    Traditional bullpen roles would not have given the ball to JLopez in the 8th. If the Twins were ahead, sure. Tie game on the road in the bottom of the 8th and Rocco went with the guy who isn't the setup man or closer, just as most managers with traditional roles do it.
  12. stringer bell
    Larnach is looking like the real deal in the middle of the order. Huge impact for the order, not only this year, but going forward after that.
  13. stringer bell
    Ian Hamilton selected by the Yankees.
  14. stringer bell
    I think Vázquez has as many hits as he had through ST. Just shows how much value those numbers have. On another catching note, the young speedy Royals stole 0 bases on Vázquez or Jeffers. Probably the two biggest deterrents to a running game are not getting on base and being behind on the scoreboard.
  15. stringer bell
    Maeda threw over 75 pitches both of his last two Spring Training outings. Rocco probably won’t extend him much beyond 80 pitches. He probably won’t go six because he won’t be that efficient, He is as stretched out as any starter on the staff.
  16. stringer bell
    More than three games. Less than all of April. Kepler didn’t look good, but he did swing pretty well previously. I like Gallo further down the order and probably the only other option (Gordon) was hitless too.
  17. stringer bell
    Harmon's homer just before the All-Star break was a real changing of the guard. Another regular season homer to consider was Thome's blast against a White Sox lefty during the first year at Target Field. Harrelson's wordless response is pure gold.
  18. stringer bell
    I agree. The last report on Winder seemed pretty optimistic. Last year, Winder seemed to be a starter in waiting with long relief duties. I think if he is promoted in place of Sands this year, his role would be long relief only. With Ober, SWR and Varland all clearly in front of him, perhaps it is time to consider converting to relief, if that will keep him from impinging his shoulder.
  19. stringer bell
    While there is no question that having more starting pitching is a good thing, I think the real question is where to draw the line and convert guys to bullpen roles. It appears that Sands is already on this track and I honestly think it may be the right role (health permitting) for Henriquez and Winder. If Baldelli is committed to having a guy capable of going over 50 pitches in a bullpen role, having the trio of (healthy) Sands, Winder and Henriquez would provide the necessary length and flexibility to help the team in 2023.
  20. stringer bell
    It worked out and the trend is for managers to pinch hit in the middle innings to break open a game. I don't like using up half of the bench with a small lead, especially when not improving the defense. It could be argued that Farmer/Solano is as good or better than Gordon/Gallo, but having Farmer and Solano face a tough righty in the 8th or 9th in a tie game is the scenario I fear. As far as Lopez' usage, it sure appears to be a midline for Opening Day starters. While Pablo may or may not be the best pitcher for the Twins, he currently doesn't rate among the elite of Opening Day starters, who might be allowed an extra inning or dozen pitches.
  21. stringer bell
    Well, they have a day off on Friday, so all of the guys in the bullpen will be rested and ready to go on Saturday. I don't know if that figured into the pitching decisions.
  22. stringer bell
    Right now, the three highest-level relievers are J. Lopez, Duran and Thielbar. Jax could be included, but hasn't really been used in many (if any) ninth inning save situations. I think the Twins might have six guys with highest leverage stuff--those already mentioned plus Moran and Alcala. Maybe it's PTSD from last year, but I can't fathom Pagan being near a close game in the ninth inning.
  23. stringer bell
    Let's not extrapolate today's game X 162. Somehow, they went 4-11 with runners in scoring position and only scored two runs. There weren't a whole bunch of bad at-bats, but some hard-hit balls went for outs and the hits didn't drive in runs. I'm not going to panic just yet. Pablo Lopez looked great, but had too many free passes. The Royals lineup isn't really scary, and it appeared he wasn't going to give in to the two guys (Perez and Witt) that were likely to beat him. I would like to see our starters average six innings per start and 5.1 is less, but Rocco didn't stretch his starters as far as other teams have done. I would expect the first trip through the rotation won't see anyone go much more than 80 pitches, maybe they'll be closer to 100 in the next turn. The defense turned every probable out into an out. The bases were run properly, Tommy Watkins took a chance sending Trevor Larnach in the sixth inning and an off-line throw made it certain he was safe. All in all, very encouraging. The Twins are better than the Royals, but the Royals will probably win at least three games against them this year. This is one they shouldn't have won and they didn't. I liked a 2:30 game and hope that continues.
  24. stringer bell
    Twins website updated both the active roster and injury lists, with updates of Polanco, Kirilloff and Winder. Reading between the lines a bit I think Winder is in line to swap with Sands sometime in April if Sands goes long in a game or is ineffective. Kirilloff will have to show that he can drive the ball before he's activated and I'll bet on a rehab assignment. Polanco apparently has pain from a bone bruise that is slowing him. https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/twins-injuries-and-roster-moves
  25. stringer bell
    Because I'm feeling witty this AM, I'll post this: Our favorite online employment service, (ex-Twin) Ehire Adrianza has made the Atlanta Braves Opening Day roster. Congrats to him! He's carved out quite a career.
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