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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    What are the reports on Dozier? Is he improving or did he have a (dreaded) setback? He is, no doubt, the team's best player and they could use him real soon (like today).
  2. stringer bell
    I think it is here that Jack G can or should be heard--the relievers are getting by with smoke and mirrors and an upgrade would help before rather than after the 'pen melts down. Frankly, I can't figure out how Fien has been so effective. Perkins has Grade A stuff and an attitude that maximizes what he has. I still think there is something left with Duensing, but he has to be used properly. Help is pretty close, so I would like to see at least one veteran cashiered in some fashion.
  3. stringer bell
    Exactly, Jim. Both for now and the near future, I think shortstop is not a problem to give up key prospects or big free agent money to fix. Neither player's offense profiles anywhere near what they are producing, but I have to say that I think Escobar has raised his floor to "satisfactory" if not higher. Santana has shown the tools of a talented regular, but from what I saw in ST, I wouldn't trust him at all defensively and, of course, he won't hit .350.
  4. stringer bell
    Couldn't agree with you more diehard. From spring training, I was right about Hicks, belatedly right about Colabello, right about Bartlett and Kubel, wrong about Pelfrey and Florimon.
  5. stringer bell
    1) Wow, the AL Central is tight. Cleveland is 3.5 back, in last place, and they are closer to the division lead than the second place team in the other divisions. 2) Oswaldo Arcia is looking much better in the field. He made a catch in the gap tonight that wasn't a web gem, but he took the proper route and closed on the ball and caught the ball without any trouble. Wednesday he made a really nice play on a pop foul. He's got a good arm and seems pretty well suited to right field. 3) Give me Escobar at short. He's probably not going to hit .300, but he makes all the plays, has a really good and accurate arm and the clubhouse loves him. Today, he hit a homer and took a bases-loaded walk. 4) Detroit has great starting pitching. They have Miggy and V-Mart. The rest of the team, I'm not a fan. Everyone in the central has to think "why not us?". 5) Someone made a comment that the Twins lack a reliable 7th inning guy. I agree. While Duensing would be fine facing a couple lefties, I would want to see him facing Jackson, Miggy and V-Mart or something like that. No to Burton, no to Swarzak and probably no to Thielbar. There are candidates at Rochester and a guy in New Britain.
  6. stringer bell
    Nice try on the English Esco. We might need Colabello back to translate. Can't trust management (Cuellar) to accurately translate.
  7. stringer bell
    Winnah!
  8. stringer bell
    Close pitch for strike three.
  9. stringer bell
    Ex-Twins aren't killing us tonight. Hunter with a key groundout and Nathan unable to pitch a clean ninth.
  10. stringer bell
    This is the only way Coke comes in to a round of applause.
  11. stringer bell
    I think Tweak said a naughty word.
  12. stringer bell
    Is that Nathan grunting after every pitch?
  13. stringer bell
    I am not sure how he does it, but Casey Fien is a very effective reliever.
  14. stringer bell
    Great job by Gibson. In another week or so, I think Santana pulls in that long drive.
  15. stringer bell
    He's 63 and already in the Hall of Fame.
  16. stringer bell
    Hicks R vs R has to be less than 50 plate appearances. 3-20 sounds right and he batted RH vs Dickey the first time the Twins faced him (I think he got a hit then, too). The DL move is expected and a maximum rehab for the injury is also expected. The rehab angle will save an option if another injury occurs and Hicks is again needed on the big club. I am firmly in the camp with Golfboy, Kab and RB that Hicks has hit very few balls hard. The large number of walks is great, but it doesn't make him an on-base machine because he just doesn't get enough hits. Maybe, he will be able to develop his hitting (esp vs. RH) to a decent level. For the Twins sake, I hope so. But sincerely, right now I would rather have Danny Santana playing center field and leading off for the Twins rather than Aaron Hicks starting and hitting at the bottom of the order.
  17. stringer bell
    The rumbling about Hicks character is interesting. We see the team between the lines and in the dugout. We don't see the clubhouse. I suspect the rumbling has a lot to go with Aaron Hicks fitting in. I'm speculating here, I understand that. Players tend to befriend and associate with those that share the same language. It is obvious and apparent that the Hispanic players associate with each other and I presume that is the case with the clubhouse. Aaron Hicks is a young African American, he would naturally associate with......? The non-Hispanic position player closest in age to Hicks is Parmelee, I suppose. I would not be surprised if Hicks is somewhat off by himself and the manager and coaches consider him aloof. He's thrown them a couple curves (dropping switch hitting and reporting injuries perhaps after not seeking treatment). All of this gets swept under the rug if Hicks is hitting .270 with a .750 OPS, not so much when he's been over the Mendoza line for one day after the first week of the season. Two other young players with far fewer ABs have more extra base hits--Espinosa with 20 doubles and Danny Santana with seven XBHs in less than 100 plate appearances. So, to summarize, I think the Twins see a guy who hasn't bought in to the Twins Way, whose best friends aren't his teammates and who seems to go his own way. Some of this is undoubtedly the team's fault. Some of that is on Hicks IMHO.
  18. stringer bell
    Great conversation on Hicks, who has been a lightning rod for at least this season. Of all the comments in this thread, I probably agree with RB the most. Hicks hasn't hit the ball hard and hasn't demonstrated his supposedly ample toolkit. I disagree about the arm. Hicks has a fine arm, but showing it off by making unnecessary throws is ridiculous. On another point, Hicks has above average speed, but it isn't game-changing speed. Hicks hasn't hit well above AA, he has a .600 OPS in about 450 plate appearances, not sufficient for a major league regular and he is not a great fielder although he has enough speed and a fine arm, so that he could be very good. I have said that Hicks has about a year to establish himself. Nothing in his history tells me he can move to a corner and hit well enough to keep a job.
  19. stringer bell
    Besides what I listed--MIggy & V-Mart hitting, great starting pitching--there isn't much to like about Detroit. Their bullpen is a mess and the rest of the regular lineup is so-so, with a huge hole/question mark at short.
  20. stringer bell
    Pinto was sent down and it looks like Hicks is either going on the DL or being optioned. Who's left and who are the replacements? 1) As much sound and fury as was created around Pinto, the acquisition of Morales stakes Parm to the bench. Parmelee might pinch hit in Colorado in a month, but it's hard to see him getting many starts going forward. Except for the inter-league series, I will actually say I'd rather see a relief pitcher (can't believe I actually wrote that). I guess Parm has to adapt and become a bench player a la Randy Bush or he's done as a Twin. 2) Jared Burton--40% of the season is in the books and Burton still has an ERA over 6. He could be used the same all year, not allow a run and still have an ERA far above his 2011 number. I think he's done. 3) Matt Guerrier--Keep him around until he gets knocked around (it will happen) because he has both no future and no value. There are a lot of candidates to replace the relief pitchers--it would be a good story to give Pino a chance and he could serve as a long man. The other thought is to exile one of the starters to the 'pen and call up May, Johnson or Darnell. If I'm betting, I put my money on Johnson.
  21. stringer bell
    Second demotion? I remember him being optioned and not being recalled. I would love to hear the whole story on Hicks.
  22. stringer bell
    I don't think his background says a lot about who he is. He is a changed player in the last year.
  23. stringer bell
    Fuld played the full game tonight and had three hits, including a homer. He got charged with an error, too. I wonder if he plays tomorrow, as well, to show he can play full games back to back. I think he will be in Detroit on Friday night.
  24. stringer bell
    I think this shows that the Twins weren't overly impressed with his "improvement" since the he was publicly criticized.
  25. stringer bell
    Sorry, misinterpreted your comment.
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