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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Can anyone supply some information about Contreras? It says in BBRef that he is a left handed hitting outfielder first baseman. How did the Twins acquire him? Is he a prospect at all or simply minor league filler?
  2. stringer bell
    I really think Taylor Rogers is close to a premier relief pitcher. Even with the three batter rule, he's very valuable and his ability to extend beyond one inning is also a huge asset. In my memory, Taylor has missed zero time due to arm injuries and that too is rare. Pay him what he's worth and get him some more help in the 'pen.
  3. stringer bell
    It would have been nice to watch a comeback win in person on a beautiful June afternoon, but it was not to be. Bad defense in the eighth was more responsible for the three runs than Columé IMHO. It seems that all year, the errors have come at crucial times.
  4. stringer bell
    Two corrections from posts above—Dobnak exceeded rookie limits in 2020 and there are 92 games remaining.
  5. stringer bell
    I think release of Shoemaker makes sense. Creating a 40-man roster spot would be helpful and he's not going to fetch anything in a trade. DFA for Dobnak wouldn't be a bad idea either, again opening a spot on the 40-man and I doubt he'd be claimed so he could be outrighted to perhaps get right in the minors. Or maybe he'll go on the IL with his fingernail issue. I'm guessing Pineda goes back on the IL with his forearm stiffness and Columé continues to work in low leverage situations hoping to rebuild value. If the Twins open 40-man spots they may be able to come up with someone serviceable who get DFAed or make space to promote someone not on the roster (or both). The pitching staff is a total mess right now and prospect for improvement aren't very good.
  6. stringer bell
    I did like what Gordon did on the base paths. He drew a lot of attention and still managed to steal two bases. Outside of Buxton, this team really lacks speed. It’s nice to see another threat and see a defense be distracted.
  7. stringer bell
    He’s got to have more complementary pitches. He doesn’t have command of his slider most of the time and he really needs a change up to be effective against left handed hitters
  8. stringer bell
    Yep, it’s about his ability to play shortstop or else pushing past not one but two players at second base. I like that Nick has some speed, which the team lacks, outside of Buxton.
  9. stringer bell
    Quoting myself. Who has an ego? Anyway, I was getting a little tired of hearing how Dobnak's numbers were skewed by his use as a relief pitcher. Except for ERA (both splits terrible BTW) every major stat has been worse with Dobnak as a starter this year. It reminds me of Bremer over and over saying that Mauer and Morneau were great hitters against left handed pitching. Morneau had a lifetime .710 OPS against lefties versus .886 against right handers. Mauer was .740 against southpaws and .868 against righties.
  10. stringer bell
    Overall, I'm a little disappointed with Simmons. He is a fine defensive player, but he has made miscues at the worst possible moment. On a pennant contender, he can be an asset and most likely a pennant contender will lose their shortstop so I would think he will be in demand by the trade deadline. It would be excellent if the Twins had a plus defender at shortstop who can contribute offensively. I doubt that is anybody we've seen with the major league club, including Polanco and Gordon. I haven't been much impressed with Arraez as a utility guy, but I feel like what he has to offer at the plate is exactly what the team needs. Perhaps Gordon could be a real utility guy and he might offer a bit of speed, which is something the team lacks. Getting back to Simmons, there's really no future for him, but showcasing him before trading him does make sense. He's very good in the field and a bottom of the order hitter. Someone will probably need a player like that .
  11. stringer bell
    As I mentioned earlier, I went on to other things after Stanton's first homer, so talk about a ripped fingernail is news to me. Looking at Dobnak's numbers, he is no better than Shoemaker or Happ and has never had the sustained success that those guys have had. I fear Randy is a one-pitch pitcher (moving sinker) and that doesn't cut it either in the rotation or the bullpen. I really want to know what happened to the slider that was one of the big topics in spring training.
  12. stringer bell
    I highlighted the sentence that I disagree with. I am not a huge fan of the Pohlad family, but I think the criticism is unwarranted. The Twins went from respected old-school baseball guy (Ryan) to forward-looking new generation guys (Falvey and Levine) and produced an improved product. Management and ownership spent money and in most people's estimation made an all-in gambit by signing Josh Donaldson and trading for Kenta Maeda. It certainly appears that all the Twins will have to show is a couple of division titles and a home run record that might stand for a while. However, it seems to be reaching to blame ownership. As mentioned, they spent the money and stayed out of the front office's way. Falvey and Levine might not be as brilliant as they were thought to be, but I would wager neither would be unemployed long if Twins ownership decided to try someone else. IMHO, the same is true for Baldelli. I couldn't watch any more after Stanton hit his first homer, but that doesn't mean I want to light a torch and demand that the Pohlads sell the Twins. This season has been brutal and it doesn't look like things will change quickly. It's hard to be patient during these times, but sometimes it is the right course to take.
  13. stringer bell
    Two things that impacted the bullpen were not getting solid options to replace the guys who left (looking for more Matt Wislers) and getting a failure for a late-inning high-leverage guy (Columé). There aren't many relievers who are anywhere near 100% consistent and Columé looked like he would at least be acceptable in the late innings, but he has failed so far. This changes the load and the expectations for almost everyone in the bullpen and no one has stepped forward (Rogers and Robles already were in place as late-inning guys). There's a lot of season left and I would expect the bullpen to improve, but in most respects the damage has been done.
  14. stringer bell
    It appears Big Mike might have an arm issue--the dreaded "forearm tightness". Before any extension is considered, it is paramount that the arm issue be cleared up.
  15. stringer bell
    It occurs to me that we could add an additional five disappointing players without much problem. Sanó, Happ, Shoemaker, Duffey, Stashak and Maeda could qualify. The Twins finished 13-16 for the month and the holes in the lineup and pitching staff are pretty deep. Barring the near-miracle of rising to contention, the club is in for at least a major retooling next year.
  16. stringer bell
    Not that I don't agree with most of your comment, but the Twins are right in the middle of MLB as far as strikeouts go and that includes Sanó, who, if he get 600 plate appearances, might break the all-time strikeout record by quite a bit. The same is true for run scoring. The Twins sit a 11th in MLB in scoring runs, not elite, but better than average. Strikeouts are up everywhere and run scoring is down everywhere. Baseball is trying to remedy these trends, but so far they are bailing out the boat with a teacup. I would guess just about every fan site in every big league city would have the same complaints.
  17. stringer bell
    The Orioles are a major league team. They have many players with major league talent. Obviously, they don't have enough major league talent. The pitchers the Twins faced had pretty good stuff, so I won't totally blame the Twins for their lack of offense. Berríos looked great against a questionable offense. The Twins won the type of game they've lost many times this year.
  18. stringer bell
    The game turned on the failed relay to get Hunter Dozier in the fifth inning. Refsnyder to Simmons to Garver got the ball to the plate in plenty of time to end the inning, but Garver couldn't hold the one-hop throw. Two more singles, including one where Kirilloff overthrew the cutoff man, yielded two more runs and that was that. Baldelli has always seemed to give Dobnak a short leash for going deep into games, but yesterday with a low pitch count, he let him start the seventh. The results seem to justify a short leash--three straight singles--and when the inning was over, so was much chance of coming back in the game. Dobnak's crazy-movement fastball was present during his good innings, but the improved slider was not. He's got to have a second reliable pitch to be effective, and having yet another pitch to mix in would be optimal. It's not there yet.
  19. stringer bell

    Can the Twins build a winning streak? The schedule is favorable, but they need to be better on the field. 

    1. Brock Beauchamp

      Brock Beauchamp

      It's really hard to envision this team going on a prolonged winning streak given their weaknesses. Even the games where the Twins look good for seven innings, the bullpen gives back some runs and the game ends up closer than it should be.

  20. stringer bell
    The Twins started the season 5-2 and are 5-2 in their last seven games. In between, they were 9-25. Ouch. They say you can't win a pennant in April, but you can lose one.... With the exception of Jake Cave, none of the Twins' injuries would seem to be long term. Buxton is said to be ready to go on a rehab assignment, Pineda will be activated today, and Maeda shouldn't be on the shelf more than two weeks. One of Kepler, Arraez or Garlick might need enough time to go on the Injured List, but the current spate of injuries seems to be closer to the end than the beginning (I'll probably regret this remark in about three days). Kirilloff is here to stay. I'm hoping for winning baseball for a month and then see if there is a chance to make the playoffs. I'm not optimistic, but not quite ready to write off the season just yet.
  21. stringer bell
    Yes, he'll always be streaky. What will make him a better offensive player is the ability to reach base when he's struggling. Sano needs to go no further for an example than Nelson Cruz. When Nelson is not going great (like now), he's able to sneak a few through the right side and hit a few mistakes. Sano, OTOH, misses those opportunities. Miggy has drawn his share of walks, which is commendable, but he hasn't really become a more complete hitter. Until he does, there is too little boom and too much bust.
  22. stringer bell
    I suspect that someone with a lingering injury would go on the Injured List. Kepler and Arraez are candidates, along with Garlick. If that is not the course the Twins take, I guess Larnach would be a candidate to go back to St. Paul. He seems very vulnerable to pitches away. Currently, because there are only four starting pitchers on the active roster, the Twins have an extra position player. When Pineda is activated (tomorrow). they'll have to subtract a player and that could be Gordon depending on the health of Arraez and Polanco.
  23. stringer bell
    The 3-G (Garlick-Gordon-Garver) was well done for sure.
  24. stringer bell
    Pitching has continued to evolve in the last decade. Velocity is up everywhere. Once upon a time, a team might have one guy who threw fastballs at over 95 mph and now most teams have three or more such guys. It has become understood and expected that being assigned to the bullpen will add significantly to the fastball. On the downside, injuries seem to be increasing, most likely because of the maximum effort required to throw so hard. In addition to figuring out which pitchers have the stuff to thrive in the majors, the front office also has to figure which pitchers are most likely destined for the bullpen, whether that is because their stuff will then "play up" or because their chances of staying healthy will increase. I would like to see what the "arm farm" has to offer. The long-term success of the Twins' franchise depends on homegrown talent and right now most of their pitching staff is either major league or minor league free-agent signings.
  25. stringer bell
    Good article Seth. I think the key here is patience and many in the TD community are fresh out of that commodity. The homegrown guys should make an impact soon and hopefully some of them are high ceiling types.
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