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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    What happened to the offense in 2015? The club went from the top half in OBP, OPS, walks, runs in 2014 with a better second half to bottom or near bottom in most of those categories, except for runs scored.
  2. stringer bell
    I agree that the Twins need more OBP guys. In 2014, Dozier had a .345 OBP, so I think he can be a suitable OBP guy.
  3. stringer bell
    To me, this is pretty much cherry-picking at it's worst. Dozier has more than three full seasons in the majors and he had a bad stretch of 70 games. He was a near All-Star for 2014 and a deserving All-Star for the first 90 games of the just-completed season. Dozier has enough of a body of work to suggest that those 70 games are the outlier especially since his overall game had continually improved for over two years. I suspect some combination of fatigue, injury and pennant pressure came into play in producing a dismal second half.
  4. stringer bell
    Probably not the best idea, perhaps one of the two. Both players are coming off second half performances that were disappointing, particularly Dozier, so trading them now would be selling low in terms of on-field performance. Another factor would be the loss of power that their combined 50 homers last year would represent. The prospective replacement for Plouffe would figure to hit as many bombs as Trevor (I'm thinking Vargas/Arcia, Sano is in the lineup somewhere), but there would be a loss of power in replacing Dozier. Add in a projected outfield of Rosario, Buxton, Hicks and Mauer at first and the team will be challenging KC for the fewest HRs in the AL.
  5. stringer bell
    Buxton's time on the DL is major league service time. I believe he has somewhere around 92 days of service. The arbitration number is based on a certain percentage of players between two and three years of service and changes each year. The 2.130 is an estimate, I'm guessing the number will be closer to 2.140.
  6. stringer bell
    While I understand everyone's desire for the team to rid itself of Nolasco's contract, it just isn't going to happen. He will get a more than fair chance to make the rotation and won't be traded or released.
  7. stringer bell
    Sounds like Maloney is a bat-first guy with some positional flexibility. Pinch-hitter or maybe platoon duty with the ability to be an emergency catcher. If the Twins are trying to improve the catcher position, I think they should look at defense first. There aren't a bunch of good hitter that are passable receivers, but there are some that are good defensively and don't hit too much.
  8. stringer bell
    Doc profiled eight pitchers, seven of whom started games for the Twins while the departed Pelfrey started 30 games. I don't think eight is too many and further I don't think there is much depth past the eight listed candidates. If I'm Twins management, I keep all the starters, begin the season with Berrios in the minors and two of them in the bullpen (May and most likely Duffey). That is the blueprint, but if situations warrant, changes can be made.
  9. stringer bell
    With Santana being out of options, he becomes a favorite for utility duty. He played outfield a lot for the Twins in 2014 and played second base in the lower minors. I expect that he'll get some looks at third and the corner outfield spots in Spring Training.
  10. stringer bell
    Goodrum has the tools--speed, enough arm, power (especially for a middle infielder), but he hasn't demonstrated the ability to hit for average. It seems to me that both Michael and Goodrum have a good chance to make it to "the show", if not with the Twins, then with another team.
  11. stringer bell
    According to mlb.com, Santana's contract was selected in November, 2012 and he was optioned to New Britain in March of 2013. The way I read it, he has used three option seasons, so he wouldn't have any options remaining. Is it possible that he still would have one option remaining?
  12. stringer bell
    Thanks for providing the information.
  13. stringer bell
    Re: DSantana It doesn't matter when he debuted, does it? When was he added to the 40-man? An option was used in '14 and another in '15. Was he on the 40-man in 2013?
  14. stringer bell
    Hold the phone a minute (and that's all I have). Wasn't Mauer something like 16th in one rating and 22nd in the other? The second part of this is the spread in the ratings. If Mauer is 22nd in a rating, but only .0001 from being 14th, perhaps he is average, and allowing for innings played by non-qualifiers, he could actually be above average. I would expect that however they were rated, the differences would be small at first base, since much of being a first baseman is catching chest-high throws, which pretty much any professional athlete can do.
  15. stringer bell
    While Hicks had one outstanding stretch of hitting, I would say that he looked the part of a major league hitter all year. It seemed that he should have been getting more hits early and late, but made up for it with that torrid midseason stretch. Considering the entire season, he was much improved, but not quite even an average hitter. No one talked much about his struggles in the second half of the season because first Hunter, and then Plouffe and Dozier had notable swoons. Hicks' problems seemed minor next to the slumps by those players.
  16. stringer bell
    My prediction on the first day of the off-season was that Arcia gets a last shot in right field, while Hicks starts the season in center, with Buxton and Kepler cooling their heels in Rochester. I just don't think the club wants to give up on Arcia (nor should they) and I do think that some AAA time will benefit Buxton.
  17. stringer bell
    Aaron Hicks looked and played like a major league player in 2015. That is a big step forward for him. I have said for a while now that I don't believe he can hit enough to be an everyday corner outfielder and I still am of that opinion. The best use for Hicks is to be traded for value.
  18. stringer bell
    First of all, what a great conversation about an important topic. Velocity is not a be-all and end-all or Jim Hoey would have been a good pitcher and Mike Pelfrey would have been the Twins' best starter this year. My opinion is that the Twins have overvalued walk suppression to the point that they've ruled out guys with strikeout potential. There has been an adjustment to that view, but the question is whether they've adjusted enough. Moving on with Rick Anderson is probably a key to adjusting their philosophy, but converting the guys in the starting rotation to strikeout machines is not happening. As transition occurs, it will be interesting to see how the strikeout totals evolve. There is no place to go but up.
  19. stringer bell
    I know Dioner Navarro isn't exactly a future All-Star, but he's not needed in Toronto and is a free agent. His defensive stats are no worse than average and he is a switch-hitter. 350 plate appearances for both Navarro and Zuke wouldn't be a world beater, but might be adequate for a playoff team and neither would be overworked.
  20. stringer bell
    This is exactly what I wrote in a blog the day after the season was over. I don't expect it to last very long like that, but I think more AAA time for Buxton is very likely and finding a place for Arcia, at least temporarily, is also something that will happen. I have always been of the opinion that Arcia should be able play well enough in the field if he mashes. I hope that happens. If he were to hit well and still be unacceptable in the field, then adjustments would have to be made.
  21. stringer bell
    Plouffe is a good player, but he is what the Twins are already too much of--slow, RH, with power but low OBP. It would hurt to lose his bat from the middle of the order, but a lot of somebodies could and should step up to replace that productivity. Adding a left handed hitter would be nice, while adding a left handed hitter with some wheels and a solid OBP would be better (sounds a lot for the profile of Max Kepler).
  22. stringer bell
    I really liked what May did in the bullpen. Given the issues the club had there, I would vote for him to be the eighth inning guy next year. IMHO, it is unwise to try to sign Torii Hunter for another year. I would rather give Oswaldo Arcia a last shot, with Buxton and Kepler waiting in the wings. I think the timing is right to trade Plouffe. In the rotation, my opening day projection is Hughes, Santana, Nolasco, Gibson, MIlone with Duffey waiting in the wings. Berrios starts in AAA. The Twins had a lousy year hitting last year. I expect improvement even if there isn't much fresh blood in the lineup.
  23. stringer bell
    At midseason, Dozier had been an extra-base machine for over two years. He fell off big-time after the break, but he deserved to be an All-Star this season FWIW.
  24. stringer bell
    I wrote quite a while ago that Trevor Plouffe was a nice player, but he wasn't the type that could or should block a talent like Sano. I still believe that. Plouffe has been a nice story--when he first came up he was a bad shortstop, then he developed some power after a trip to the minors. He settled in at third because the Twins had no one else and developed in to a more-than-competent defender. As a hitter, Plouffe grew out of the "one trick pony" mode of hitting homers, but doing little else productive. However, he's not an All-Star with the bat. If the Twins can get something good for Plouffe, they should go for it.
  25. stringer bell
    Offense wasn't good in '15. However the same batting coach was around in 2014, when the Twins were 5th in hits, runs, 7th in BA, 2nd in OBP, and 5th in OPS.
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