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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Will it take electing a Trump and the resultant turmoil for smart people to realize that the parties have to work together and work for the common good? The USA is as polarized as it has been in my lifetime, IMHO, and it might take extremes to make people realize that the jokers with the power aren't doing them any good.
  2. stringer bell
    The thing that is fascinating about this team is that there are so few certainties. Sano may or may not be ready to step in at third base, Rosario may or may not sustain his performance on an outfield corner, Arcia may or may not come back from the brink of irrelavance, Park may or may not be able to hit big league pitching. Plouffe is one of the surer things on the team. He has supplied better than league average defense and something near league average offense at a top-heavy position--there are a few good third basemen, but quite a drop after the elite ones. Usually, I wouldn't dwell on RBI, but his approach has changed to where he's more dangerous in RBI situations and his RBI numbers have gone up. To the question of Plouffe's value, he'd be a step up and pretty much of a safe bet for a couple contending clubs, particularly the Angels. IMHO, if the Twins can get fair value where they have an excess (I do believe they have an excess at the corners and DH), they should make the move. It is a bit of a gamble because so little is predictable on the Twins, but I think you roll the dice with a proven player when there is quite a number of guys who can step in to make up for his absence.
  3. stringer bell
    Missed it by that much. Couldn't resist when I read "sorry about that Chief".
  4. stringer bell
    Gilmartin had a good year in a new role and the Twins could have used his production in 2015, but I doubt he'll be a significant performer going forward. I don't think the Twins would trade either Graham or Pressly for Gilmartin today.
  5. stringer bell
    Trying to post from my iPhone, it figures that he wasn't protected because of his age and past.
  6. stringer bell
    I'd like to see Wimmers make it after the hardships he had to endure. Just glancing at boxscores, he seemed very inconsistent--sometimes dominating, sometimes batting practice.
  7. stringer bell
    If the Twins sign Park and add a major league free agent plus make a pick in the Rule V, they have to designate someone other than the seven guys they just promoted, is that right? Who would then be designated? Darnell? O'Rourke?
  8. stringer bell
    Of the current options, I like May in the bullpen and Milone in the rotation. Milone was quite effective and also is the only left handed candidate for the rotation. We all know that Milone doesn't throw hard and I would like to see velocity in the Twins' relievers. As a starter, Milone struggled often for the first inning or two before settling down, not optimum for a reliever. May has good stuff as a starter, but devastating stuff as a reliever. He would figure as a late-inning, high leverage guy, exactly what the Twins need. Some guys stuff really "play up" in the bullpen, and that is what I see in Trevor May. I'd like to see the Twins add one good arm through free agency or a trade and go with Perkins, Jepsen, May for the late innings, plus Pressly and Tonkin and a starter refugee to fill out the bullpen.
  9. stringer bell
    So to summarize, the Twins added a power bat and power arms and........Pat Dean(?). Curious, but maybe they think he's found something. Not convinced. Regarding Gilmartin, he was older for a Rule V guy, left-handed, and doesn't have the big fastball, so there was some resemblance to Pat Dean. It's real easy to second-guess, but I don't feel real bad that Gilmartin didn't stay with the Twins.
  10. stringer bell
    Dozier was elite at the break despite a BA in the .250s, but by season's end his OPS+ was 101, barely above average, with the OBP falling from .345 to .307, less than his OBP in either '13 or '14. He had an overall better year in 2014, so to me that is less than satisfactory.
  11. stringer bell
    They won't lose that many. Once one of their players is selected they can pull back a number of players IIRC. They could lose one or perhaps two at the worst.
  12. stringer bell
    I would combine both All-Stars second half decline. Dozier and Perkins were great 'til the All-Star Game, but bad enough in the last 70 games to make their overall seasons less than satisfactory.
  13. stringer bell
    If the main point of being added to the 40-man roster is avoiding Rule V losses, I think the Twins should protect Melotakis and Niko Goodrum. I think Melotakis is going to be a fine pitcher for someone, but next year his innings and effectiveness will be limited. Goodrum is versatile, fast, and athletic. Hitting has been his big problem, but I can see a team claiming him and using him as a 25th man.
  14. stringer bell
    Remember that Arcia had a similar situation in 2014--injury rehab followed by an option--and perhaps the Twins were looking for some specific improvement that didn't show even during his two-week hot streak. I think Arcia will at least be a LH platoon partner in right field to start the season--a fair last chance--and I think there's a good chance that he will do well. There is no doubt that Arcia is an emotional player and maybe emotion is working against him. Something went dreadfully wrong with Arcia last season but he has a chance to wipe the slate clean. Vargas has long odds against him. First base is blocked by Mauer and if Joe were to be injured, Vargas is behind probably one of Plouffe or Sano and Max Kepler. His only way out of the box is to hit like an All-Star.
  15. stringer bell
    Agree, this is both an excellent article and quite depressing. It summarizes what is wrong with the Twins going forward. There is a huge amout of money invested in Hughes, Santana and Nolasco with no real prospect of ridding themselves of those contracts. Except for the truly elite arms, it is a losing bet to invest in 30 (year-old)+ starters and the Twins have three on their hands. IMHO, this is the big challenge for Terry Ryan the rest of this offseason--somehow make the rotation competitive with top teams and improve the bullpen. I have advocated May to the bullpen because he could break out to be a real force in the bully, where there is a real need for a power arm.
  16. stringer bell
    It's not as important as defense in center. Arcia isn't good, but the others could be more than OK.
  17. stringer bell
    Reading this thread is very interesting. We can find stats that project major improvement, but the numbers overall are underwhelming. I know he looked like a far better hitter in 2015 than he did in the two previous years.
  18. stringer bell
    You're right to a degree, but what changes if Hicks is considered a corner OF is that there will be different people who are capable of playing the outfield corners competing for playing time there. On the Twins, it would be Arcia, AB Walker and probably Kepler. None of those guys are projected as center fielders, but all could man left or right (maybe not Arcia). If Hicks were moved to a corner, he would have to better than those guys and I don't think he would be.
  19. stringer bell
    Agee that the sample size is too small to make conclusions about Murphy. Hicks isn't a starting center fielder for the Twins by midseason at the latest.
  20. stringer bell
    That was the most disconcerting thing about trading Hicks, whose on-base skills are pretty advanced.
  21. stringer bell
    From the OP, I don't agree with Logan Darnell being on the Opening Day roster, many better options including Rogers. I think Plouffe will be traded, otherwise pretty much what was laid out there.
  22. stringer bell
    There's really no need or purpose for Vargas in your scenario and with Sano being unproven at third, I think the Twins keep Eduardo Nuñez. I think Buxton becomes the biggest question mark in Spring Training. It seems very apparent to me that the Twins believe he's on the cusp of really breaking through. It's a gamble, but I think they're right. I think Plouffe is gone too, but they aren't going to give him away.
  23. stringer bell
    Plouffe is slow, really slow, and when he played in the outfield, he was unsure of himself and hesitant. At this point Sano has a chance of being the better outfielder, but I don't think he should be there. If Opening Day were tomorrow, I'd have Rosario, Buxton, Arcia left to right. Arcia is out of options. It is his last chance. He showed enough in the previous two years to merit another chance despite last season's failure. Danny Santana can be a fourth OF. By the end of 2014, I thought his defense was adequate. With more experience, he could be decent or even better. Kepler, barring injuries, starts 2016 in Rochester, but either he or Walker could be a call-up if someone is injured or struggles. I don't see any point in signing a veteran outfielder. I'm pretty sure Buxton will be up fairly early. Kepler or Walker need someone to falter or to dominate AAA.
  24. stringer bell
    OK, I've probably been as harsh a critic of Aaron Hicks as anyone, but all season he looked better up there than he did in his first two seasons. He had a hot month, but even when he wasn't hot, he took better at-bats as a whole. I think he can at least repeat his success of 2015. A couple of posters have noted he should do better in Yankee Stadium, which is a good hitter's park. Target Field is a good hitter's park, too.
  25. stringer bell
    Here's my take: Aaron Hicks was a different player last year. He hit and fielded like a major league center fielder, but his overall numbers were not quite league average. As noted by many, his LH numbers were below average and every year hitter will face between 2/3 and 3/4 right handed pitchers. If one thinks Aaron Hicks is a top 15 center fielder (offense and defense) the Twins got fleeced. I think Hicks is a marginal starter and would have been replaced by Byron Buxton early in the 2016 season. If Hicks isn't a regular in center, he just doesn't hit enough (especially left handed) to be a regular on an outfield corner. Hicks had more value than a year ago, so Ryan didn't sell low. I'd much rather see Buxton, Rosario, Kepler in the future. For now, the window is open for Arcia to get another shot as a corner outfielder and when his trial is done, perhaps Kepler or maybe even ABW will get a shot. I think that is better than going with Hicks in right or left field. John Ryan Murphy: He's young, he's cheap, and he's a catcher. Probably the most disturbing thing about Murphy is that he doesn't have All-Star upside. There are no 80 tools, but he profiles to at least get more plate appearances than Herrmann/Fryer and perhaps will be sharing the job or more by midseason. It won't be fair to look at Murphy's numbers compared to Hicks. Look at Murphy's numbers compared to Herrmann/Fryer and Buxton's compared to Hicks.
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