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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Beautiful (if chilly) day for baseball! My vantage point.
  2. stringer bell
    2023 Willi Castro played three or four positions pretty well and was passable at a couple more. He hasn't been nearly as good defensively in '24 or '25 IMHO. I don't think SS is a position where Willi can thrive, but he does have the necessary arm for that spot. Despite not having a lot of experience at third, Lee looks pretty comfortable there, but with Willi's misadventures at short, I guess I'd rather see the more surehanded guy at shortstop. A little bit off-topic, but I wonder if the Twins will end up rescinding the option on Miranda and place him on the IL. He didn't get injured playing for the Saints and it would save the option.
  3. stringer bell
    It looks like Rocco prefers Castro at shortstop over Lee. After the ninth inning I think I’d give the job to Lee right now. Castro seems to be fighting it on both sides of the ball.
  4. stringer bell
    Provus said he was okay.
  5. stringer bell
    With more than 20 pitchers on the 40-man roster and four catchers, there isn’t much room for depth. Martin and Miranda are down with injuries at St. Paul. Add in Lewis and perhaps Correa and Wallner and they just about have to go off the 40-man to cover a position spot.
  6. stringer bell
    Bader has three infield hits. That doesn’t happen often.
  7. stringer bell
    And his batting helmet isn’t falling off.
  8. stringer bell
    I think there’s a 40-man spot open, so a player can be promoted without a DFA, since Blewett was DFA’d. I doubt Correa will be able to avoid the IL. Not sure about Wallner.
  9. stringer bell
    I get the doom and gloom and in most respects it is justified. Normally, patience should be exercised, but coming off the very similar play of late 2024, this club really couldn't afford a slow start. A healthy Buxton and Correa will be very good players, but their slow starts highlight how questionable the rest of the roster has proven to be. The second tier of relief pitchers have shown to be unreliable and the lack of speed and athleticism shows in the field and on the base paths. The Twins have far too many players in the category of "if you're not hitting, you're not helping". The team really needs a spark and I don't know if there is anyone ready to provide it. I'd hate to see good players traded, but I suspect that is in the offing if the club doesn't do a 180 and soon.
  10. stringer bell
    I fear that if López is back soon he’ll be a member of another team by the trade deadline.
  11. stringer bell
    Can’t bunt with Vázquez on deck.
  12. stringer bell
    Rocco's early pulls are more defensible than they might appear. López is the most trusted and he was taken out due to injury, Ryan is coming off a serious injury and didn't get a lot of work in Florida. He worked 7 innings his last start. Ober was set back by illness and then threw a short start in St. Louis to start the season. I believe he went four innings his next time and went six his third outing. The trust isn't there for Paddack, Festa or SWR, and much of that is justified, particularly Festa. If the score is tied or the Twins have a small lead, Baldelli is pretty quick with the hook for the #4, #5 and #6 guys. With a larger lead or a slight deficit, he lets them go longer and that makes sense to me. Example #1 is SWR going over 100 pitches in his second start.
  13. stringer bell
    At this point anyone trying to acquire Miranda would be calling him a reclamation project. I think he's get another shot with the Twins, but his struggles make me question what he will become as a player.
  14. stringer bell
    A nice win on Sunday can't cover up what has been a continuation of what happened late in the 2024 season. Buxton and Correa have been less than stellar and the third Twins' "star" (Lewis) hasn't played due to injury. Everyone else on the position player side seems to have struggled. It's early, but Miranda's struggles and France's success seem to justify the move to get France in the first place. Bader started hot, but hasn't hit much since the first week. His usage seems about right and he definitely looks like a better player than the 2024 version of Manny Margot. Despite the injury to López, Twins' pitching seems to be finding the range, with six straight acceptable to good starts and most recently a dominant bullpen effort in Sunday's game. One other note--it's really hard to trust Jorge Alcalá. Too many brutal blowouts where he can't get anybody out. The next time he looks dominating. It has to give a manager gray hair (unless they have no hair).
  15. stringer bell
    I don't think Headrick had any options remaining and he also was coming off a injury wrecked 2024 season. I am of the opinion that left handed pitchers should be hoarded a bit by the Twins since they have had so few on the major league roster the last few years, but I think it was a defensible judgment call to try to get Headrick through the DFA process instead of Funderburk.
  16. stringer bell
    Two things about Funderburk have stood out to me since he has played with the Twins. First, he really has struggled with the first guy he faces--really not a good thing especially for a relief pitcher. Secondly, his command seems to come and go. When Kody is around the plate, he's very effective, but far too often he is in hitters' counts and then his stuff doesn't play. Does that relate at all to relative ineffectiveness against left handed hitters? I don't know.
  17. stringer bell
    Things look a lot rosier after a solid win in a game started by the team's #5 starter. If the Twins are to avoid being buried, they need to win the Mets series. It looks like it will be cooler and windier tonight. Might keep the ball in the park.
  18. stringer bell
    Larnach is only striking out 11% of the time, but his exit velocity is down. He sustained success over basically all of the 2024 season, so I think giving him more rope is in order. As stated above for Julien and Miranda, his flaws would seem to limit his upside and make it hard for him to become a core player (or everyday regular).
  19. stringer bell
    Good article and good comparison. Unfortunately, both Julien and Miranda are guys that need to hit well above average to be assets on a major league team. Can or will either guy hit enough to be a DH or carry a glove that over the long run will hurt the team? These factors make their upside marginal and make it very hard to increase their role. It sticks in my mind that at the start of 2024, both José Miranda and Trevor Larnach had no chance of making the major league team ahead of Julien or Matt Wallner and a few months later their positions were reversed. Now things have shifted back, but there appears to be no push to demote Larnach at this point. It seems to me that the players' flaws will keep them on the edge of everyday status rather than being a trusted regular. In 2025, Julien has reduced his K rate to an acceptable 23.8%, while also reducing his walk rate. Miranda has increased his K rate to 36.1% and hasn't drawn a walk in the early season. I think those numbers tell the story for right now.
  20. stringer bell
    A lot of left fielders don’t catch that fly ball. Bader covered a lot of ground.
  21. stringer bell
    Looks like four relievers for four innings. My thought is that a couple of guys can be available both Sunday and Monday.
  22. stringer bell
    Sim has used most of his arsenal in five innings. I dunno if it's wise to send him out for another inning.
  23. stringer bell
    Danger time in the fifth.
  24. stringer bell
    Buck ties Baden for the HR lead. I see they are starting Castro at short for Correa's day off. I was kind of hoping that Lee would get the starts at short when CC isn't playing.
  25. stringer bell
    I meant the 26-man roster. The question wasn't about who would be added, but how the subtraction would occur. Going short on the bullpen doesn't seem to be an option. The team is at risk for losing Blewitt with his DFA and he certainly could declare free agency. The same would be true for others recalled in the final bullpen slot.
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