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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    I think Johan's time will come eventually, He is certainly as deserving than some who have made the Hall in past years. He was the best pitcher in the AL for a period of 5-6 years. Times have changed and putting up huge counting numbers in wins and strikeouts just won't happen in the modern game and Johan was around when the changes were happening.
  2. stringer bell
    Raya has shown pretty good stuff in his two outings this spring, including one outing against the Gophers. Yeah, Abel has really good stuff. If there is one guy on the roster that could be better than Ryan/Pablo, I think it is him. It's a good start for both of them and both have to be better than their competition to get an Opening Day roster spot. There are now seven main contenders for five rotation spots. Given how baseball goes in the 2020s, they will all get their chances this year and most likely a few more guys will get starts, as well.
  3. stringer bell
    Prielipp left in the middle of an inning. Pitch count or physical problem?
  4. stringer bell
    Martin 2-2 plus a stolen base.
  5. stringer bell
    Rather impressive two innings for Abel. The battle for rotation spots is on!
  6. stringer bell
    Who's trying to punch a ticket to St. Paul? Abel or Wallner? It looks like Abel gave a pretty good account of himself against Detroit regulars.
  7. stringer bell
    Don't have TV, but I see that the Tiger leadoff guy hit a triple and Wallner is playing right field .........sounds like maybe a misplay.
  8. stringer bell
    It's the second game of the Grapefruit League season, so impressions are not written in stone. It was nice to see the Twins play well and a lot of guys look good. Here is my take: Most of the pitchers looked good, including Bradley, who looks like he's a frontrunner for a rotation spot. Rojas looked very good and Orze looked to be unhittable. Kreidler looked like the real deal at shortstop. If he can hit at all, I'm guessing he is on the Opening Day roster. Roden smashed a cookie and had another hit. I thought he made a less than good effort on a double by Olson immediately after Baldwin's homer. Rodriguez with a homer and a nice catch in the outfield. The homer was late in the game off a minor leaguer, but still he is looking good so far.
  9. stringer bell
    Gonzalez with a ringing double right behind him.
  10. stringer bell
    He’s supposed to have a really good glove. If I’m putting together a Twins roster, I want somebody that can “pick it” backing up at short.
  11. stringer bell
    Paul Molitor is in the Hall of Fame in part because of his stolen bases and base running. In the last half of his career for sure he didn't have blazing speed, but he was one of the best ever base runners. Some of that is instincts you can't really teach or coach, but a lot is just being smart and looking for the right opportunities.
  12. stringer bell
    Brunansky had decent speed and reached double figures three times in SB. Hrbek never topped 5 in a season. A guy with average speed can steal bags if they choose the right situations. Slow guys probably get any they add by being on the back end of double steals and taking second when no one is paying attention.
  13. stringer bell
    OP included Lewis, and possibly Culpepper, Rodriguez and Jenkins. On a pure speed basis, Roden, Outman, and Kreidler would appear to have the legs to steal bases, but I doubt any of them will get that many opportunities.
  14. stringer bell
    Mr. Rojas has a pretty impressive arm.
  15. stringer bell
    I was going to comment on Bradley and he did just give up a gopher to Baldwin. It looks like his pitches flattened out at the end of his outing, but overall he looked pretty good.
  16. stringer bell
    Martin's glovework last August and September looked very good in left field. It's a small sample size, but was part of a general uptick in his performance late last year. I'm not 100% confident he'll continue his good play, but he does provide skills that would make the team much more watchable in 2026.
  17. stringer bell
    The OP names just about every player with a chance to have double digit stolen bases. If all of them have a lot of time on the field, the Twins stolen base numbers will rise, without question. As a fan, I like seeing the stolen base as an offensive weapon. The bigger question and problem is improving base running as a team. Other than the guys listed above, the rest of the position player should limit making outs on the bases and maximize taking the extra base. The team has a host of slow guys--Bell, Caratini, Jeffers, Larnach, Lee--who probably should be conservative in running and who will at times clog the bases.
  18. stringer bell
    Here's a link from MLBTradeRumors.com: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/02/mri-reveals-lower-back-inflammation-for-joe-ryan.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
  19. stringer bell
    I think Martin should have an opportunity to play every day in left field. I really don't think he's that versatile as far as the positions he can play. I think he has a chance to be an above average defensive left fielder and he's passable at second base and maybe center field.
  20. stringer bell
    Yeah, it looked like the first baseman (Wagaman) should have at least blocked the throw. I would think that Martin should be looked at as more than a short side platoon bat. If he is able to get on base at a decent clip and be a factor on the bases, he would bring skills that are lacking in most of the lineup, especially if his improved defense later in the season is not a mirage.
  21. stringer bell
    Jenkins made a really bad play on a sinking line drive. Don't want to be a negative Nancy, but if someone else would have done that, they'd be labeled a bad defender for life on TD.
  22. stringer bell
    It is not common to comment on videos like this, but John hit the nail on the head about players who have teased with their ability but so far haven't established themselves after more than a year in the big leagues. If a majority of the players he mentioned perform closer to their ceiling than their floor, the Twins will be surprisingly good. Recent history says that won't happen, but on occasion it does.
  23. stringer bell
    Matt Wallner had a bad year last year and a satisfactory OPS number can't hide that. The cause of his bad year might be an early injury or it might be something else, but producing 40 RBI is historic and not in a good sense. Can he come back this year and be a force in the lineup? I think so, mostly because of how hard he hits the ball and that he isn't prone to hitting a lot of ground balls. Much has been written here and in other threads about his defense. I just checked BBRef again and in '23 and '24 he was essentially neutral as a defender, actually slightly above. I don't know what happened in 2025, but the numbers were much worse. I also know that his sprint speed went from slightly above average to bottom third in MLB. Wallner turned 28 in the off-season so he's not slowing because of age. Could it be injury? If so, maybe he comes back this year and is a far better defender. TBH, I thought Wallner looked indecisive and slow in the outfield last year. There's a lot to improve on and I think he has the tools to be far better in the field. Michael Taylor Jr. would earn his pay if he helped The Moose to be an above average defender. It goes without saying that Wallner is more valuable if he is a competent outfielder to go with his hitting profile. This is a crucial year for Wallner. Rodriguez and Jenkins (and Gonzalez) aren't far away and there's not room for all those guys on the outfield corners. I'm not sure what will happen, but it should be interesting.
  24. stringer bell
    Cool story about the belts. I remember sitting in Busch Stadium #3 and seeing the Twins' belts gleam on an overcast day. I was wondering what the deal was and almost a year later, I know. Matthews story last year illustrated the difference between throwing strikes and having command. Too many pitches over the heart of the plate equals too many hard hit balls.
  25. stringer bell
    The Pablo injury will open up one spot on the 40-man. It is a near certainty that the Twins will bring someone on a minor league deal north. I believe Hendriks and Chafin have automatic opt-outs since they have over six years of service time and were on a major league roster when the season ended.
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