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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    First of all, Lee's "hot streak" hasn't really been all that hot. Yes, he's hit in 15 straight games, but prior to Sunday, he was 18-56 with four extra base hits and a .345 OBP. Not exactly Player of the Week or Month production. That said, he's improved his numbers so that he is roughly an average hitter on the year (96 OPS+). I think he is improving at swinging at pitches he can handle and hitting the ball harder, which would naturally improve his BABiP. A guy who can handle three infield spots capably and is a league average hitter isn't bad. He just isn't a star. The tools he has seem to indicate that his ceiling isn't much higher than capable big league regular. He doesn't have good foot speed or a really strong arm. The lower than average swing speed suggests he won't hit for big power. He's getting his shot this year and is apparently healthy. He's a lot better player than last year and still improving. Not a front page success story, but not a disappointment either.
  2. stringer bell
    I think you just made the case for Gasper over Bride and that is the case I would make.
  3. stringer bell
    I agree that Keirsey makes sense as a 13th guy who pinch runs and plays defense and it is made possible by the versatility provided by Castro, Clemens, Gasper, Lee and Bader. The other 12 guys can get basically all the at-bats and use Keirsey 95-99% of the time as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. With the current roster, Gasper could get at-bats taking a game each from Vázquez, Lee (vs. LH pitching), France and Bader, and perhaps Clemens with possibilities of resting Buxton and Correa on one day in the course of two weeks. Bride just doesn't fit, with his reverse splits for a right handed bat and his hitting has been poor since a quick start with the team. I would think consistent at-bats could be had for Gasper that shouldn't be given to Bride.
  4. stringer bell
    In theory that makes sense. Holland has foot speed and would project to be a decent fielder, maybe better than that, but you gotta hit or you're Billy Hamilton without the game-changing speed. With offense down considerably, there's little room for a position player who hits like Keirsey (or Gasper in his < 100 PAs so far) and it would appear that Holland would be that type of hitter. Gasper has hit equally as well as McCusker (another guy too old to really be a prospect) at Triple A and did it last year as well. He doesn't have the red flags that McCusker has (strikeouts and chase rate). The next level may well be a bridge too far, but it is also possible that he could thrive given 100 at bats. Talent evaluation and projection aren't perfected and finding someone out of nowhere could be a big help to a club. That could be Gasper, it could be McCusker or it could be someone else they find.
  5. stringer bell
    Okay, probably a long post here, but here goes. Gasper's 39 plate appearances over about 40 games isn't really a fair shot. The same could be said for Keirsey and especially McCusker. Keirsey has the advantage of having two skills that play in the major leagues--speed and defense. It is understandable that he was recalled before Gasper. Giving the 29 year old one chance to play consistently makes sense given what he has done at the AAA level. He's hit well at every level below MLB and has raked every bit as much as anyone in the Twins organization, even McCusker. Mickey reminds me of a guy who played in the late 90s and early 00s for the Blue Jays and Rangers--Frank Catalanotto. He really didn't have a defensive position, could run a little bit, but he could hit. He maxed out well above .300 in a high-offense era. Gasper also might manage to do the same. Maybe he could be a .270-.290 hitter with a good OBP. That would make him valuable enough to have a spot on the major league roster. If he could add power as he has been producing at Triple A, he could be in the equation for plenty of at-bats. That is a couple of huge "ifs" but not totally beyond the realm of possibility. If he can't produce extra-base power, he would have to hit for an extremely high average. The last season plus Luis Arraez has hit well over .300 and has a WAR of less the 1.0 with similar defense and speed tools. The Twins need hitting without question and adding Gasper for Bride would give Gasper a shot. They have enough guys struggling that if he hit, the team could provide at least platoon PAs until Luke Keaschall or Lewis is ready. It's a long shot that he would make a substantial contribution, but he couldn't be much less useful than Jonah Bride has been for the Twins.
  6. stringer bell
    Gasper has absolutely nothing to prove at AAA. Two straight years of putting up OPS north of 1.000 is more than 99% of prospects achieve. Clemens can be the third third baseman (behind switch hitters Lee and Castro) so there's really no real reason to keep Bride around at the expense of Gasper. I also know that Gasper has caught a handful of games for the Saints and I've watched a couple of those games. Much like a good home plate ump, he didn't do much that was noticeable, which tells me he could be acceptable behind the dish if he hit in line with his Triple A stats (subtract 200 OPS points). People who know baseball and catching much better than I do might have seen red flags in his receiving, but they weren't evident to me. It's probably now or never for Mickey, at least in the Twins organization.
  7. stringer bell
    Defensively and on the bases, 2023 was Willi’s best year. I hope his hitting continues, but I miss the guy who stole 33 bases and played above average defense.
  8. stringer bell
    On the Durán question, I forgot the Twins had a day off today which makes the pulling of SWR and use of Varland and Stewart more of a good call IMHO and no one including Durán would be unavailable in Cincy. I’m much more inclined to agree that pulling starters after 5 innings and using four relievers is a gamble because a clunker from any can lose the game. Altuve is probably going to the Hall of Fame. He looked bad on earlier at bats, but made contact in the ninth inning that sparked a win. Good on him. I actually was hoping he’d walk to set up the DP with less than great hitters behind him. Maybe the Twins were trying to make Altuve hit their pitch. If it was the plan it didn’t work out.
  9. stringer bell
    At one point this season (probably during or just after the big winning streak) the Twins ranked above average in base running (runs above average) and defense (defensive runs saved). I’d venture a guess that isn’t true now, but it is an illustration that the Twins “don’t care” about defense or base running. In these two categories running speed is a key component and the Twins managed to be above the mean with a major lack of team spee I imagine 20-25 major league fan bases are convinced their team plays horrible defense and is full of bad base runners. We Twins fans see the flaws in the players we follow and not the opponents. I’ll say it over and over, the lack of foot speed and range is real and makes it very hard to be good at defense and base running. Having good running speed is no guarantee (Austin Martin last year) but not having average speed lowers the ceiling dramatically. It’s about margin of error and slow runnners with usually with limited range have a smaller margin of error on defense and on the bases. Some are better at reaching that ceiling (Carlos Santana last year, Ty France this year) but their best isn’t the what someone with better athletic gifts can attain. Since Nelson Cruz the Twins haven’t had a basher who took away team deficiencies by slugging and with a comparative popgun attack, the margins are smaller and the flaws look worse. I’d love to see 2-4 additional players who can consistently win games with their legs, gloves and bats added to Buxton snd Correa and that Emma isn’t here and Jenkins has wasted a third of his season and Keaschall broke his arm makes me feel like the organization is snakebit. Every time somebody rises above they seem to get knocked down (Royce Lewis).
  10. stringer bell
    When you’re going good, you get hits like Altuve’s in crucial situations. Provus has been banging the BA w/ RISP drum for a month, but during this tough stretch, they’re awful. That’s baseball and Rocco isn’t any smarter or stupider than when they won 13 in a row. It may seem like it, but things even out. I fear a continuation of this brutal and luckless baseball will cause a selloff at the trade deadline. I don’t really like accumulating lottery tickets, but that’s the likely scenario.
  11. stringer bell
    Even with the spate of strikeouts in the last week, the Twins are right in the middle of K rate and total strikeouts. They aren’t the same team as 2019 or 2023. In 2019 they were the most prodigious home run hitting club in their history and in 2023 they set the all-time K record, but still managed to be above average in run production.
  12. stringer bell
    Hindsight says that his call to take SWR out couldn’t have worked out much better. The setup guys got the game to Durán with a lead and only three hitters above the minimum. Maybe it effects Woods Richardson’s psyche (I doubt it) and maybe it leaves the BP shorter for the next game (it does), but for winning the game on Sunday it was the right call and could not have worked out better.
  13. stringer bell
    The Twins don’t have the personnel to go hyper-aggressive on the base paths. They need to be selectively aggressive and take advantage of other team’s shortcomings. Buxton is the only player whose success percentage is high enough to steal in a close-and-late situation. Anyone else that would attempt would have to choose the right pitch and situation. Most of the Twins’ relievers don’t hold runners that well (Jax might be an exception) and running on Durán and Stewart is pretty easy. I’ve been calling for more team speed for a long time. It seems they have it in the lower minors, but not where they can get help now.
  14. stringer bell
    You can certainly question the manager for pulling SWR, but the closer was going to pitch the ninth whether Woods Richardson went six, seven or eight innings. The closer failed and Stewart and Varland got the ball to him with a lead.
  15. stringer bell
    C’mon. Every club has the silly HR celebration and in the years since setting the strikeout record, they’ve acquired more contact oriented players and let the most strikeout prone (examples—Gallo, Taylor) go, at the expense of home runs. Repeat the generalizations and blame the manager, but base it on facts. The Twins don’t have the club to outhomer most teams, look at the numbers. They’re trying to do a dance where they score runs with average at best power and one of the slowest teams in MLB.
  16. stringer bell
    Okay, I am the Terry Felton of going to Twins games in opponent’s parks—now 0-7. I couldn’t get wi-fi at Daikin so didn’t post during the game. Plenty of blame to go around. Hitting was poor, defensive execution lacking. Castro certainly could have made the catch on the final play, but that’s not easy with the odd wall. I was more upset at his throw in the ninth inning, allowing Altuve to advance. Lee and Castro did the lion’s share of hitting, but Willi negated his hitting by being caught off second base on a comebacker and then his misadventures in the ninth and tenth. Walking the lead off guy in a tie or one-run game is the recipe for disaster and it happened in both close games. I had a pretty good view of pitches and it didn’t appear like Laz was the problem. I thought Rocco would allow Sim the sixth since his pitch count was so low, but he had the horses to hold the lead and win the game. Didn’t work out. As for bunting in extra innings, I don’t think road teams do it much because the road team really needs multiple runs to be in good shape in extras. Hard to execute with a power pitcher on the mound. IMHO get ‘em over, get ‘em in is really much harder to do than every team’s fan base believes, especially when you have slow base runners. Jonah Bride is a waste of a roster spot. I’d give McCusker or Gasper another chance in Lewis’ absence. Maybe he can’t handle increased workload, but Coulombe should be used more in high leverage spots like yesterday and Saturday. Jeffers has been disappointing lately and Vázquez is back below the Mendoza line. Team is struggling right now, the veterans need to step up. Correa is solid in the field, but a couple of key hits would fit the leader profile and paycheck. Both Cleveland and KC have hit the skids at the same time as the Twins, but wild card chances have dropped. Lee has looked solid or more than that. I guess right now he should be hitting in the top/middle of the order.
  17. stringer bell
    Dan Ford and Willie Norwood.
  18. stringer bell
    Sim needs a decent/good outing or he might be finding himself on the east side of the metro. I think it is in him, but he has to get ahead and have improved command.
  19. stringer bell
    I guess if I were him, I’d just say as little as possible, much as Buxton has about his frequent injuries. Lewis has rightfully been classed as injury prone, and I doubt he has any answers left. I think he’s a good kid who wants to be a great baseball player and his body continues to betray him.
  20. stringer bell
    I was going to say the same thing, but not so cynical to suggest he’ll be scratched.
  21. stringer bell
    Unknown to the fan base, Michael Tonkin has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to the St. Paul Saints. Now, he isn’t subject to being replaced on the 40-man roster and he is available to be recalled if the Twins need him on the major league pitching staff. I’m not the biggest Tonkin fan (surprised he was offered a contract), but he’s had some success the last couple years and the last couple guys in the BP haven’t been very good. There is a spot available on the 40-man and at least one player can pretty easily be taken off.
  22. stringer bell
    I wish Lee was a little better against left handed pitching, but I think the lineup is about good as they can do. Castro has been good hitting right handed and everyone else should be in against a lefty.
  23. stringer bell
    I would say the slump has moved Clemens from automatic starts vs. right handed pitching. Lee, Castro and Bader probably rate equal to or ahead of Clemens in the pecking order so there now isn’t guaranteed playing time for Kody, but he is an alternate and will get plate appearances. My best guess is that his hot spell has played out and he’ll get less reps and be replaced when Keaschall is ready. Maybe Clemens will surprise, but the odds are against him.
  24. stringer bell
    TK always talked about putting players in a position to succeed. Unfortunately for Bride, the best way for him to (possibly) succeed is to play &nbspevery day for a period of time like he did late last year for the Fish. That won’t and probably shouldn’t happen in June or July on a team with a winning record. A better alternative for 13th man would be Keirsey Jr. as a defensive and pinch-running specialist. Another possibility would be a heathy Austin Martin, especially if a mentioned defensive improvement is real. Who knows when he’ll be available though. Martin could start against lefties, pinch run and even be available in the infield and he’s a far better hitter than Keirsey has been.
  25. stringer bell
    Should he? Neither Larnach nor Wallner have great numbers against LH pitchers. Replacement options aren’t great, but ……
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