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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Was it really Lewis Thorpe that put up that two-inning line?
  2. stringer bell
    Gamecast had Jeffers’ fly ball over the fence. Was it close?
  3. stringer bell
    I’m not sure the Twins think that Gordon can “fill in adequately at shortstop” and I don’t know if he can either. They are giving him some reps, but I haven’t seen anything either way that says “major league shortstop”. Rocco preferred to move Polanco over to short rather than using Gordon there and I wonder if he’d prefer Urshela to Gordon. We shall see. If that is the case, Gordon’s value is limited to base running speed and the new-found ability to cover in the outfield. Regarding fielding metrics, I only have ready access to BBRef and they say that Larnach and Kirilloff are subpar in left, but Rooker is borderline awful. Kirilloff is good at first (far superior to Sanó) and that is why I’d like to see Miguel as the primary DH.
  4. stringer bell
    Regarding the infield, I think the unknown is Miranda. If he forces his way on the roster, he will get playing time, not just be a backup and then there are too many players for the three positions. If the Twins are content to send him back to St. Paul, then having Arraez, Urshela, Correa and Polanco to cover the three infield positions is enough and adding Gordon as a utility guy who can sub in center field and pinch run makes sense. With Miranda on 26 (27-28?) man roster, it makes Arraez expendable. As far as a fourth outfielder, well what about a third outfielder? Right now, Kepler and Buxton are locks and we don't know who will man left field. It could be Kirilloff, but I would really like to see him get the majority of innings at first base. Larnach would be my preference to play left, particularly since he hits left handed. The Twins have acquired three right handed bats making them lean more to the right than they have in some time, particularly if Arraez is traded.
  5. stringer bell
    From the time they made the Garver trade, it seems that the Twins were convinced that Jeffers is a starting catcher. Despite the low BA, his OPS+ was 83, okay for a catcher and he's 24 years old, the same age as Ben Rortvedt. I don't think Jeffers' defense is outstanding, but he's not bad. The team has lost their depth pieces at catcher and it is crucial that the catchers they have stay healthy.
  6. stringer bell
    I don't care if Rooker's speed is average, by every metric I seen he's a lousy outfielder and he doesn't hit enough to overcome that or to be a DH. I agree on Sano. He should be the primary DH. The way that Rocco handles catchers, both will get a lot of starts. I would expect the breakdown is somewhere betweeen 50-50 and 65-35. Depending on how much of that time, Sanchez is behind the plate, he should get some at bats as a DH. I do think the pairing of Jeffers and Sanchez is unfortunate--their strengths and weaknesses as hitters are similar and neither is much of a limitation of limiting base stealing.
  7. stringer bell
    What I like about this contract is that Correa should be expected to perform at the highest level for the whole thing, no declining years figured into a long-term contract. What I don't like is that he can walk after a single season, but walk years are often the most productive in a player's career.
  8. stringer bell
    Okay, players who are below average defenders: 1) Sanó 2) Sanchez and 3) Kirilloff (LF). Arraez is okay (neutral) at both second and third. Sanó has been the superior hitter to Sanchez and if he’s the primary DH, Kirilloff can play first where he’s above average. Baldelli had a silver slugger catcher in 2019 and played him about 60% of the time (when healthy)), so if Sanchez is the second catcher, he gets 30-40% of games behind the plate. Arraez should platoon at third with Urshela and get some starts at second when Polanco gets a day off or is the DH. A left fielder is needed in this scenario (with Kirilloff also serving there on occasion and also to give Kepler a day off). Hopefully Larnach or someone else steps up.
  9. stringer bell
    He looks like he’s got big league stuff. What is best for him and the team?
  10. stringer bell
    Sanó at DH for 100 games. Arraez at third, Kirilloff at first. Left field? Sometimes Kirilloff, but Larnach and maybe someone like Garlick against lefties.
  11. stringer bell
    I listened to Probus. It's spring training for announcers too.
  12. stringer bell
    The Twins appear to have four major leaguers to man the three infield positions and some flexibility. Polanco will be the second baseman, but he has logged 495 games as a shortstop. Correa figures to be the fixture at shortstop. Urshela is a third baseman with experience at short and Arraez is experienced at second and third. Barring injuries, I don't see many at-bats for a fifth infielder. If the Twins do choose to keep another infielder, they could go in several directions. As I indicated in the first paragraph, they don't really need a guy that plays shortstop. Top prospect Miranda could back up at third, second and first, but he hasn't even played his first major league game. Gordon got time in the outfield with the Twins last year and he's played shortstop in both of the spring training games. Two other guys--Robertson and Beckham--have major league experience as shortstops and as utility players, but they are non-roster invitees. Gordon is out of options, and it is entirely possible that he would be lost to the club if he doesn't make the club. Do the Twins need to keep an additional infielder? If so, which guy should make the trip north next month?
  13. stringer bell
    Well, Gordon is still in the game. It could be Robertson is at third or they moved Gordon to third.
  14. stringer bell
    G Gordon started at short, since replaced by Robertson.
  15. stringer bell
    Polanco and Sano with back-to-back strikeouts followed by a liner to center, no runs with runners on second and third and none out. Oh well, get innings like that out of the way in Fort Myers.
  16. stringer bell
    Buxton and Arraez with back-to-back singles. Buxton advanced to third and Arraez to second on the single to left by Arraez. We just haven't seen base running like that much since Baldelli became manager.
  17. stringer bell
    Well, the game's on TV. 0-0 in the bottom of the third. Twins worked around an errant throw by Polanco to keep the game 0-0.
  18. stringer bell
    The thought that enters my mind is the belief by the FO that the pitching prospects in the farm system will begin to produce this year. They must have felt they didn't have salary room for the premium guys that signed prior to the lockout and that their internal options were ultimately better than paying for the Michael Pinedas of the free agent world.
  19. stringer bell
    Welcome to Twins Daily!
  20. stringer bell
    Two other ex-Twins signed elsewhere as minor league free agents. Tzu-Wei Lin to the Mets and Ian Gibaut to the Guardians.
  21. stringer bell
    2022 has gotten off to an interesting start with the lockout and then for the Twins a frenzy of trades. The roster has a whole new look and just three weeks from Opening Day, it is a pretty good bet that the current 40-man roster doesn't contain all 26 players who will line up for the opener at Target Field. We plan to do a game thread every day that a game is played (only one thread for a doubleheader) and as before plan to utilize volunteers to introduce each game thread. We have several regulars on Twins Daily that have done introductions before and plan to do them again, but there is space for new talent to volunteer to do introductions. New voices and different perspectives are encouraged. It is an opportunity to show off your writing ability, your wit and baseball insight. There aren't many rules about the introductions. They should be submitted at least an hour before first pitch, they should include the lineups for the game and there is a format for the title. I will post a simple Google Doc with the schedule about two weeks from Opening Day, covering the month of April. I will repeat the process for each month, If anyone would like to volunteer to do an introduction, please message me. Also contact me with any questions you might have. I will respond within 24 hours. Thanks in advance for helping out.
  22. stringer bell
    I just don't know what to think with the acquisition of Sanchez. Will he be satisfied with starting 30-40% of games? DH seems to be the logical destination for Sano, and if Sanchez is DHing frequently, it will require adding a third catcher. I think Jeffers will be a good overall catcher, but it remains a risk to bet so much on him.
  23. stringer bell
    Do we have any reports on Godoy's defense? I think the most important thing a third catcher needs to provide is major league defense. I like Rortvedt for that reason, and was disappointed that he was included in the Donaldson trade. This season Godoy might be as good or better than Rortvedt, but it is doubtful that Godoy will ever advance beyond the role he has with the Twins. There is certainly more hope for Rortvedt to advance beyond that limited role.
  24. stringer bell
    While I don't disagree with anything (facts or opinion) that you wrote, Arraez has been a good player and offers skills most of the rest of the position players lack. He makes contact, works the count and will take a walk. No one else on the major league roster has his level of table setter skills. He also is young. He won't turn 25 until after Opening Day. That said, he also has shown vulnerability to left handed pitching. He gets on a fair amount, but produces almost no extra base hits. A good team would limit his at bats against southpaws. I think there should be real concerns about his durability in the long term. If I'm running the Twins, I see to it that Arraez is in the lineup, batting first, against almost all right handed pitching. Further, since there isn't anyone who has staked a claim on left field, I guess I wouldn't rule out using him in left field, but of course, that's not my call.
  25. stringer bell
    Going into 2021, I was of the opinion that Polanco should move around and Arraez be a fixture at second base. The Twins staff thought otherwise and Polanco thrived as a second baseman. I still think Arraez' best position is second base, but apparently the same is true for the unblinking Polanco. According to the fielding metrics, Arraez is fine at third and Polanco is fine at second. It really makes no sense to switch those two. What will it take for Miranda to get a shot? Would it require an injury to either Polanco or Arraez? I do see Miranda as the future at third base, especially with Donaldson wearing pinstripes.
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