stringer bell
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Everything posted by stringer bell
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David Festa and Zebby Matthews both made their major league debuts in 2024 and were counted on as starting pitching depth for the Twins this year. Both guys have assumed slots in the starting rotation this year and both have had mixed results. Currently Festa is on the IL and has a 3-4 record with a 5.40 ERA. He has walked 19 and fanned 53 in 53+ innings. Matthews spent almost a month on the IL and has a 2-2 log with a 4.97 ERA with 9 walks and 37 Ks in 29 innings. Festa is two months older and has advanced through the system ahead of Zebby. Both hurlers have upped their velocity substantially since signing on with the Twins. The discussion questions for the TD faithful are in the thread title. Which guy has the best and most upside and which do you see as the first to emerge as a quality starting pitcher? My preference is Zebby Matthews in a close call. I see Zebby getting more swing and miss with his upper 90s fastball and slightly better command although his low walk totals in the minors would seem to be a bit of a mirage. Festa’s slider and change look pretty effective, but his FIP is quite a bit higher than Matthews. It would appear that the Twins will be counting on both 25-year-olds for the rest of the year (assuming the Slim Reaper returns next month) and in the future. Matthews has a 2.75 FIP while Festa’s stands at 4.83 for what it’s worth.
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Twins 1, Nationals 0: The Zebulon Show
stringer bell replied to Peter Labuza's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
Correa is at the 26th percentile in sprint speed according to statcast. Not glacial, but slow. Lewis doubled to the corner. I believe there was one out and I would think it was 50-50 to send an average runner. Since C-4 is considerably slower than average, it was low percentage to send him. He had the play in front of him and made the call easy because he wasn’t going 100% to third.- 41 replies
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- zebby matthews
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Camargo released.
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Cory recites a stat that might explain all the right handed hitters. Hitters have reverse splits against Yamamoto.
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Gee, a month ago Brooks was a key part of the future on a long hitting streak. Some people were ready to install him at third base full-time especially since Lewis was around the Mendoza Line. Lee's numbers are bad this month, but I expect he'll come out of it and be a good player in the future. All of that said, I'm not enamored with his skill set. I'd like to see a middle infielder with speed and range who isn't stretched at shortstop, especially with the apparent decline of Carlos Correa. It would appear that that Lee's role in 2026 would be to back up all three of the projected starters on the dirt (except first base) and while he is still pretty young, it seems his projected ceiling is being lowered every year.
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- brooks lee
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Interesting lineup. Seven RH batters vs. a RH starter. Larnach, Lee and Clemens all sitting.
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Is Sim the second-best starter right now? Rocco has protected him, but the scores of the games he has pitched have dictated early hooks. His stuff seems pretty average across the board, but if he hits his spots, it plays in MLB.
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The Twins DFA'd Jair Camargo and claimed 29-year-old catcher Jhonny Pereda from the Athletics. It would appear to me that this is an admission that Camargo is not even viable as an alternative to be a backup catcher in the event of an injury or other absence. I've suspected that for some time now. Short-term, it has been revealed that Jeffers will soon be leaving the team for paternity leave and it now appears that Pereda could step in (Mickey Gasper is also a possibility). Longer term, with Vázquez a free agent at season's end and possible trade chip at the deadline, another catcher will be needed next year or in August and it would seem that this guy will be that guy. Pereda's minor league hitting has been satisfactory and according to BBRef, he seems okay as a defender. It's doubtful that he would be more than a backup, but it would seem the Twins see his acquisition as an upgrade from Camargo and Cartaya.
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Bumping this topic. Has Royce "found it"? I don't think his end-of-the-year numbers will end up being impressive, but it seems he is healthy and he's hitting.
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More information. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/twins-claim-jhonny-pereda-designate-jair-camargo-for-assignment.html
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Former Twins. Where are They Now? 2025 Edition
stringer bell replied to stringer bell's topic in Minnesota Twins Talk
The ageless Dick Mountain aka Rich Hill will join his 14th major league team--the Royals. He will probably be the oldest player to suit up for a major league team this year (45 years old). Hill worked 38.2 innings for the 2020 Twins. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/07/royals-to-select-rich-hill.html- 339 replies
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Due to Keaschall's TJ surgery and the fact that he couldn't continue strengthening after he broke his arm, I think he will stick to DH with an occasional day at 2B. I really doubt Keaschall plays any outfield this year.
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- joe ryan
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I mostly agree. He goes through periods of time where he's a strikeout machine. Bader has done a fine job in the field and hit enough to be an asset, but he should be the last starter or the fourth outfielder because of his offense.
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The Twins are 12th in AL attendance, leading two teams in minor league stadiums and ........the Chicago White Sox.
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BTW, Zebby is going to have to find another pitch other than his fastball or he'll get hit as hard as Paddack did.
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But he gets the job done this time.
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Not the best guy to get the run home with less than two outs.
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A little bit of offense in the second inning.
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No you're not.
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Whose place does Zebby take? I presume it is Adams, but haven’t seen anything official.
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Twins (TBD) vs Rockies (Freeland): 7/18/25, 7:40pm
stringer bell replied to Brock Beauchamp's topic in Archived Game Threads
If he's on the roster, he should be starting tonight. Whether he should be on the roster is another question. France's numbers are very similar to what he put up for the Mariners last year, with both fewer walks and strikeouts. He's played well defensively by all measures and the Twins have no one on their active roster that should be playing in front of him versus a lefty. That's really not a compliment to anybody, but it is reality right now. An active roster spot is too valuable to average less than one start a week, and if France isn't starting against a left hander when would he start. -
Agreed. Slow guys making weak contact aren't going to get a lot of hits unless the hitter is named Arráez.
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This club has Pablo, Ryan, Ober starting, three horses in the bullpen and Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton playing two of the three most critical defensive positions, all at least through 2026. It's hard for me to say "tear it down" especially with Buxton saying he is a "Twin for life". That said, the position players for the fourth consecutive year, haven't put up or prevented enough runs to support the pitching staff. The position player group is slow with moderate power and not especially gifted on defense. I think some changes need to be made with who lines up behind the pitcher.
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Lewis has 22 Ks in 153 plate appearances, well below league average.
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While I agree that Wallner has been lousy this year, he had stretches like this last year as well and came out of it to post really good offensive numbers. He hits the ball very hard and when he squares the ball up, it goes a long way. Going back as far back as Harmon Killebrew, there's room for elite power in any lineup. The eye test has told me that Wallner has struggled in the outfield this year, but the numbers in BBRef say that he's about average, just a bit below and he undeniably has a strong arm. Wallner's straight-ahead speed is average to a bit above, so it is about routes and jumps for him as an outfielder. Both Larnach and Wallner need to hit to be assets and an OPS+ less than 100 tells me they are hurting the team. Wallner put up two partial season with 138 or better OPS+ numbers. IMHO that justifies having patience with him. Larnach has been more consistent the last two years, but his numbers haven't exceeded average-ish in any single season including 2025. I don't think there is room for two such players on the Twins roster, but we've been there for most of this season (except for when Wallner was on the IL).
