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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Cuddy got recalled for the first time on or about 9/11. He had to wait for days to join the team because games were postponed and teams were stranded with no planes flying. His debut was September 23 in Cleveland. He started as the DH and was 1-2 (a double) with a walk.
  2. stringer bell
    Moderator Note: No bickering please. Treat each other with respect.
  3. stringer bell
    Beltran's been very good, but I don't think he is HOF worthy. His defense in center was very good, but he's now played about five years in right and hasn't been that good as a right fielder. Another question is that he isn't an all-timer for any franchise except maybe KC. He's played for something like six teams in his career.
  4. stringer bell
    First of all, Mauer has played about 7 more innings in the outfield than Sano, so basically they are both non-outfielders. Plouffe is an experienced third baseman and average to above average, Mauer has played more than two years at first and is somewhere between a bit above average to a bit below average and might figure to get a bit better (I thought he was pretty good last year, but he still seems to hesitate before making throws). Sano has played a few innings at first and Plouffe a dozen games or so. Seriously, in order to keep Sano in the infield, the Twins would sacrifice defense at one or both corners. If Sano is a disaster in the outfield, then consider alternatives. I don't think it is optimum to try the youngster at a totally new position, but Mauer is under contract for three more seasons. He's invested two years learning one position, why have him invest another position for another year or two? Miggy Cabrera played for over two years before moving to the infield. I think Sano can do the same. I'd still rather move Plouffe, but I understand the Twins logic.
  5. stringer bell
    Good discussion. Let me add that if Mauer somehow won another batting title, he would take another step towards the Hall. I know it's unlikely, but not more so than Cuddyer and Morneau winning batting titles.
  6. stringer bell
    While I am not highly critical of the loss of Jones, the true outcome of the moves going in to protecting players for the Rule V Draft is that the Twins lost Josmil Pinto, Achter, and picked up John Hicks. As a third catcher, Hicks fits the prototypical role of defense-first with limited offense.
  7. stringer bell
    I didn't want to bring it up, but I've been waiting to comment--yes! He was a good player during a good run (regular season) for the Twins. My favorite memory was the year when Morneau went down and Cuddyer provided the power as a fill-in first baseman.
  8. stringer bell
    The more good arms the better IMHO. You just don't know about relief pitchers. They are good to great and then suddenly fall off the table. My opinion is that the Twins need to add one capable bullpen arm plus keep May in the bullpen for 2016. Maybe at the end of the season, guys like Burdi, Reed and perhaps Melotakis can contribute and be counted on going forward.
  9. stringer bell
    Ryan--I'm sure the Twins expect him to take the reins as the starting catcher or at least share the position with the more well-rested Suzuki, but they aren't going to diss their starter already under contract and put pressure on the younger player. At the very least, Ryan is a good upgrade over last year's disaster of backup catchers. If the comparison is between Bethancourt and John Hicks, remember that Bethancourt is out of options. It is great to have a defense-first guy with options available if a catcher gets nicked and Hicks has a glimmer of upside to boot. I am of the opinion that Aaron Hicks will never hit enough to be a full-time regular at any position other than center field and that wasn't going to be the case in Minnesota, perhaps as soon as Opening Day. Maybe they could have gotten more for him, but in my opinion, they got fair value and at a position of need.
  10. stringer bell
    According to mlbtraderumors.com, the Rays are dangling Jake McGee for trade. He would cost prospects, but probably not as much as Will Smith of the Brewers. McGee had two injuries last year, but was effective when he was on the mound. Should the Twins be in line for him with a decent offer? How much would it take to acquire him? He doesn't have significant L/R splits and he has consistently struck out well over 10 per 9 IP. On a related note, if the Twins had an end of the bullpen which included McGee or another power lefty, Jepsen, May and Perkins, what kind of usage would each expect to get? I think overuse has hurt Perkins especially and I would think that each should be given a day off every third day or so, and perhaps Perkins wouldn't have to be the exclusive closer. Thinking outside the box? I think it would be prudent use of assets.
  11. stringer bell
    Cuddy's a class act.
  12. stringer bell
    Jones was my pick to make his debut with the Twins this year (ahead of Reed, Burdi, et al), but that didn't pan out. I suspect there was something physically wrong, so maybe he can bounce back and be a viable candidate to stick with the Brewers. I don't think he'll be missed by the Twins. I really doubt that Pat Dean will have much impact with the Twins, but somebody in the organization sees something they really like.
  13. stringer bell
    I didn't bother to check Cuddy's offensive numbers until after starting this thread. His lifetime OPS is .805 (113 OPS+). Pretty good numbers.
  14. stringer bell
    In a surprise, Michael Cuddyer has retired from baseball according ton NBC sports. It is a surprise to me because he has been able to perform when healthy in the National League. Cuddyer won a batting championship when playing for the Rockies and signed a two-year deal with the Mets prior to the 2015 season. He has suffered numerous injuries, both with the Twins and also in his years in the NL. Cuddyer playing in 49 games for the Rockies in 2014 and got 408 plate appearances this year. However, he lost his regular spot with the Mets following yet another injury. Cuddy was my favorite player. When I was young, When I was young, I admired players who were great role models (Harmon), as I aged I like players who would make good neighbors and finally as a "mature fan" it was guys who I would approve of dating my daughters. Cuddyer would be someone for a youngster to emulate, someone who would be a good neighbor, and yes, someone who would have my permission to date one of my daughters. On the field, Cuddyer demonstrated a decent hit tool and the willingness to play anywhere on the field. He won't need my well wishes, but best wishes to him and congratulations on a fine career.
  15. stringer bell
    I'm no expert with defensive numbers, but it looks to me that BBRef has Santana's defense in center field as comparable to Hicks (SSS). My recollection of the 2014 season was that Santana was raw and uncomfortable out there the first half of his season, but was more than adequate later in the year. If he can hit closer to his 2014 numbers (yes, that's a big if), I don't think Danny Santana's defense in the outfield will hurt the Twins much. He has accumulated basically a full season of plate appearances in two years and he has an OPS of .710. I would accept that for a fourth outfielder, sometimes infielder or stopgap center fielder for less than half a season.
  16. stringer bell
    Just finished watching the episode. Not my favorite. I had become sympathetic to Hanzee and was disappointed to see him killing indiscriminately (or maybe not so much!). The UFO stuff was a bit offputting as well. I'll enjoy the final episode, I'm sure, and certainly some of the loose ends will be tied up.
  17. stringer bell
    They left the light on for ya'.
  18. stringer bell
    After shooting the "yahoos" from the bar, Hanzee is liberated. He is certainly going to jail for life if not dying, so he can kill or not kill whoever he wants. As for his parentage, Dodd called him a "half-breed" more than once, is it possible that Old Man Gerhardt took advantage of an Native American maiden?
  19. stringer bell
    Could the wife have been a "plant"? We know she was originally from Pakistan and living in Saudi Arabia and that she was a pharmacist, but that's about it. Is it possible that she was the member of an extremist Muslim organization and assigned to "turn" this guy? The other factor that just doesn't fit is that they had an infant child. IMHO, no mother in her right mind would bring a child into the world and less than a year later commit these types of acts knowing full well she would be dead in a few days.
  20. stringer bell
    Pepé was a fine player and very versatile. He didn't play much shortstop as a major leaguer. I'm not much for stunts like a player manning all nine positions (and position players pitching), but Tovar had a fine career with the Twins.
  21. stringer bell
    I think it is pretty close to 50-50 that Buck starts the season in center field with the Twins. Far less than 50-50 that he is the leadoff hitter in Baltimore to start 2016. I wouldn't be totally surprised if Santana starts the season in center flanked by Rosario and Arcia (or Sano if Plouffe isn't traded).
  22. stringer bell
    A fourth OF and what type of player he is depends on Byron Buxton. If he's going to be ready at the start of the season or by Memorial Day, the key thing is to get someone to serve as a defensive replacement for the starting RF (most likely either Sano or Arcia) and sub occasionally for Buck. I like David Lough for that role. If the Twins want a RH corner OF because their two major offensive departures--Hunter and Hicks--hit lefties well, that is another story. For the season last year, the Twins handled lefties much better than righties. Mauer had modest reverse splits, and almost all of the HR power came from right handed hitters, which should still be the case in 2016, unless Arcia finds and spot and recovers his stroke.
  23. stringer bell
    The reason for the disparity is that so many players fall between "established" and "unproven, but with good or better upside". There is resistance to bringing in a deAza or Lough to start in excess of 100 games while someone else (Kepler, Buxton, Walker, Arcia) might do much better and perhaps blossom to stardom. On paper, right now, there are logjams at the grouping of 1st, 3rd, DH and RF and in the starting rotation. I don't want to sound like Pollyanna, but most times these things work themselves out. Depth is a good thing and someone that we fans want to discard may well end up a key cog. Mediocre pitching is worth big money, ask JA Happ or Mike Pelfrey. The Twins have a bunch of those guys.
  24. stringer bell
    I put "other". My off-the wall prediction is that three teams from the Central will make the playoffs with the Twins squeezing in as the second wildcard. They advance, but lose out to someone in the ALCS.
  25. stringer bell
    Good for Pelfrey. I pegged him as a nice guy at ST last year and it seems to be the case. As for ability, if he can both command and have confidence in that split-finger, he can be pretty effective. He seemed to lose both (confidence and command) last year late in the season.
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