Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

stringer bell

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    21,549

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    95

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    I would say that the odds were never good that Canterino would be a healthy contributor for the Twins. That said, one has to feel bad for the still-young man who has obvious talent but simply can't stay healthy. Banking on more than a half season from either Stewart or Topa is a similar long shot IMHO. Being able to use both the IL and rehab will allow the Twins to hold on to their Rule V guy and get Varland some innings as a bullpen piece while not losing either Tonkin or Topa. By the time someone falters or is injured, they might be able to step in. What are the rules for DFAs of injured players? It could be they'll have to carry Canterino on the 60 man IL and he will accrue major league service time since he hadn't been optioned to the minors. I don't know if he can be DFA'd while injured or recovering from surgery.
  2. stringer bell
    I have Lee leading the way at second base right now. He's hitting over .300 in SSS spring PAs. I don't think he has clinched a spot on the plane to St. Louis yet, but he's played well and certainly better than Edouard Julien. To me, the battle for the last position player would be between Julien and Gasper. They don't need a CF (Keirsey) with Bader around and with Miranda, Larnach, and Julien/Gasper all in the mix, Mike Ford isn't a good fit either. Austin Martin would be the fifth or sixth OF depending on how Castro is categorized.
  3. stringer bell
    Terry Mulholland is an Immaculate Grid favorite of mine (I always try to populate all the entries with current or ex-Twins). Mulholland played for eleven teams in his long career, was an All-Star and threw a no-hitter. Butcher had a nice first year with the Twins after being acquired from the Rangers. Through his time with the Twins, he "owned" the Baltimore Orioles and was 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA against them in '84. My guess for the Trivia Question would be Paul Molitor, leading the AL in hits with the Brewers, Blue Jays and Twins on his way to well over 3000 knocks.
  4. stringer bell
    Sands is a lock after his good work last year. I had my misgivings about him, but his numbers were very good to outstanding in 2024.
  5. stringer bell
    I think you're reading waaaaay too much into a couple of spring outings for Matthews (and the injury is apparently his hip). I think he has a nice upside, but they aren't going to send Woods Richardson to St. Paul after a successful nearly complete season in the majors, while Zebby struggled. Also remember Sim is actually younger than Zebby. As far as Paddack goes, yeah he never seems to be rested, built up and healthy. This will be his last chance with the Twins. Is his upside gone after two TJ surgeries? I think the Twins will find out, which means he'll be given a longer leash than most of us want to see.
  6. stringer bell
    Two straight subpar outings for Festa. I know it's early, but he may drop back a spot or two in the pecking order. Matthews' injury on Thursday also might change who is in line to get starts and make it clearer that Woods Richardson and Paddack start the season as #4 and #5 in the Twins' rotation.
  7. stringer bell
    It would be complicated to keep a Rule V guy in the BP, but I think it is doable if Castellano is close to ready to be a major league pitcher. I seriously doubt that Michael Tonkin will spend all year on the Twins' roster. I understand that he is a guy that they can "abuse" without worrying that they've ruined his career, but he'll never be more than that IMHO. The last two spots on the position player side would include looks at Ford, Keirsey and Martin who would be out in the semifinal round, The three finalists for two positions look to be Lee, Julien and Gasper. It seems that Lee might have a leg up in claiming second base and could get a lot of starts since he is a switch hitter. That would leave the final position down to Gasper and Julien. Julien has produced at the major league level in 2023 and hits lefty--he's been used at both first and second base. Gasper is older, has no major league success, but is a switch hitter who can cover first, second and catch. I'd give the edge to Julien today, but Gasper has done what he can to give himself a chance to make the Opening Day roster.
  8. stringer bell
    My expectation for the Topa/Stewart duo is somewhere around 70 innings combined. It seems close to certain that one or both will spend significant time on the IL It's entirely possible they only pitch as many innings as last year. This is why it makes good sense to have at least 10 BP arms. There are more options like Blewitt, Bosiokovic and others who might contribute besides those on the 40-man.
  9. stringer bell
    I mostly agree with the idea that a reliever is very hard to hide in the bullpen in today's game. However, in 2023 Cole Sands was almost completely a low-leverage relief pitcher. In the entire season, he pitched in one high-leverage situation--faced three batters, struck out one, walked one and yielded a homer. He pitched one inning of medium leverage (scoreless inning) and the rest of his appearances were low leverage. Sands was optioned twice and went on the IL once, but spent a large majority of the season active on the major league team. It might take some roster manipulation and it would require a starting staff that is among the the league leaders in innings pitched (as in 2023), but it is possible to pretty much protect someone if they really want to keep Castellano. If they decide to keep the Rule V guy, I would hope that he is closer to a finished product than Johan was. Rule V is a unique situation for players. The teams are better at protecting prospects from being claimed and the game has changed so that it is harder to carry someone for an entire year if they aren't ready to help a club. Teams not trying to contend have a lot more latitude, of course.
  10. stringer bell
    While it’s optimum to keep the very best arms on the active staff, reality is that somewhere north of 20 guys will throw innings on this (and every) big league team. Allowing the 14-17 pitchers to be DFA’d is worse than starting one or two guys who look better to be optioned. Last year’s numbers aren’t as telling as the stuff the pitcher currently has.
  11. stringer bell
    Yes, I’ve only seen two-plus games, so I probably overemphasize things I’ve actually seen. Gasper had a very good game against the Yankees and looked pretty good at first base to boot. I don’t think he is a true candidate for more than a bench role, but his versatility and the fact that he switch hits and could be a third catcher might give him an opportunity to get to and stay on the roster. Lee also had a nice game including a homer against Cole. He’s a switch hitter too. If he can seize second, less platooning is needed and the Twins will have their backup SS on the roster. OTOH, Julien was 0-4 today and looked bad on an error he made. I guess I see Lee as the narrow front runner at second, with a tightening race between Julien and Gasper for the DH/1B/2B/PH—the last spot on the roster. Willi is gonna play a lot regardless and right now it looks like second is a prime spot for him, but an injury or ineffective play could put him in one of many positions.
  12. stringer bell
    In 2023 Willi Castro was a really good player, playing mostly third, left and center. Not great in center field, but pretty good in left and third. I think he's decent at second, third and left--less so in other positions he played last year. He showed he could move around from day to day, even inning to inning. Not everyone can do that. Castro could be the ultimate tenth regular in that his versatility combined with others ability to move around could keep him in the lineup virtually every day. If someone were to go down for an extended period, Castro could be much more settled at one position. It's probably best if Willi moves around and isn't planted at one position, particularly if that position is center field or shortstop. Getting him back to being a dynamic threat on the bases and plus fielder would be terrific.
  13. stringer bell
    Gasper has three knocks including a HR. Also looked pretty good at first base.
  14. stringer bell
    Yet another ex-Twins reliever finds a home. Jackson was mostly unimpressive last year and now takes his game to Mexico. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/mexican-leagues-bravos-de-leon-sign-jay-jackson.html
  15. stringer bell
    Zebby might have tweaked something. Doesn’t look too serious. BTW, the screen is saying the feed is from the YES network. I assumed this was Yankee broadcasters since I started watching.
  16. stringer bell
    Lee homered and Julien kicked a ground ball and then hesitated before throwing to first base—advantage Lee.
  17. stringer bell
    Brooks Lee!!
  18. stringer bell
    Red “M” hats, better than I would have thought. Ryan has a red glove too.
  19. stringer bell
    Good to hear that Martin made some plays in the outfield. The metrics didn't validate the scouting report last year (not even close), but it would be good for him to be an asset in the field. I'm not convinced, but maybe there is hope.
  20. stringer bell
    That is the way arbitration works. Service time is part of the equation and Topa added a full year of service time.
  21. stringer bell
    In parts of three seasons, Royce has played 100 games at third base, a little less than 2/3 of one season. He didn't play a lot of third in the minors, so I think there is room to grow as a third baseman. If the defensive problems continue or get worse, I think that a move across the diamond makes the most sense and the Twins could have multiple years of Lewis as a first baseman. I would hope that being more healthy would help Lewis to restore quickness, mobility and even arm strength. He was regarded as a premium athlete when he was taken first overall and seeing low sprint speed and below-average arm strength at age 25 doesn't make sense to me, unless impacted by injuries.
  22. stringer bell
    José De León signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox. He pitched 17+ innings with the Twins in 2023 and his season ended with TJ surgery. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/red-sox-jose-de-leon-agree-to-minor-league-deal.html
  23. stringer bell
    Also to fill the grid entry for Tampa and St. Louis, I used Twins immortal Taylor Motter (1-19 in nine games with the 2018 Twins). I checked BBRef afterwards and from what I can tell Motter is the only player in MLB who has played for the Twins, Rays and Cardinals.
  24. stringer bell
    I used Leon on today's Immaculate Grid, always trying to get ex-Twins in every space. He played for both Cleveland and Texas, as well as the Twins, of course
  25. stringer bell
    Cuddyer is probably my all-time favorite Twins player. He was always team-first and always played hard. There are no black marks on his record and he went on to have success with the Rockies and Mets. IMHO, he is the kind of guy to be emulated.
×
×
  • Create New...