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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    There shouldn’t be scholarships for anyone that hasn’t played a full year IMHO and I think Julien needs to earn his way back to the majors as well.
  2. stringer bell
    I’d say it was way to small a sample to say whether Castillo “filled in adequately” last year.
  3. stringer bell
    I’m not ready to write off Martin as a lost cause and I really hope he can stick around and use his good speed, since the Twins have so few fast runners.
  4. stringer bell
    I expect the Twins will probably sign someone like Connor Joe for small dollars (<$2.5M), He can play both first and outfield and hits right handed. Dunno if he would be a better player than Margot and would hope that he doesn't stand in the way of prospects. Joe is a lower priced and younger Mark Canha.
  5. stringer bell
    I am not opposed to Lewis ending up at second base or first base. However, it doesn't make much sense to move a guy with just over 800 innings of experience (and little time in the minors) to another position only to move him again before the season is over. This is especially true of a guy that for a year and a half looked like he could be a perennial All-Star and face of the franchise. As I said before, I do expect Lewis and Lee to flank Correa for most of 2025 (knock on wood for good health) although I don't know which will be on his left and which will be on his right. If Keaschall forces his way into the lineup, then first base has to be a landing spot for someone.
  6. stringer bell
    I don't think Manny Margot fits the typical aging scenario. Margot lost a whole bunch of speed due to knee injuries and is no longer a premium defender. It is not typical for a guy to fall so far so fast and Margot's decline almost certainly is related to his loss of speed. In fact, I suspect some of his bad routes to balls in the gap were the fact that he hadn't quite fully adjusted to having only average speed after having elite sprint speed before his injuries. I also suspect Latin players who age out early might have lied about their age. That said, I certainly agree that the skill set for Gasper is marginal. I do believe that, unless the Twins make some position player additions, it will come down to keeping either Julien or Gasper and Gasper will have the advantage of being a switch hitter and someone who could conceivably play a few innings behind the plate. One of the things I will be curious about when pitchers and catchers report is if Gasper will don the catcher's gear or if he will be considered only an infielder.
  7. stringer bell
    I’d add third base as another position where Castro is at least decent. Looping back to the post by @DJL44 I think it’s quite possible that Castro may be the best option at second to start the season, but someone (perhaps Lee, maybe Keaschall) could step in fairly early in the season. If Lee looks great in Spring Training, Castro could be the primary left fielder.
  8. stringer bell
    Ian Gibault stays with the Reds on a minor league deal. He pitched in three games for the Twins in 2021. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/reds-re-sign-ian-gibaut-to-minor-league-deal.html
  9. stringer bell
    IIRC, the Polanco trade netted enough money so that the Twins could sign Santana. One way of looking at the deal is that the Twins got DeSclafani, Topa and Santana for Polanco. Even though they got nothing from Topa and DeSclafani, Santana's production was greater than Polanco's. I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, but the two salaries were significantly less than what Polanco was owed. Margot was a different transaction altogether (and it really didn't work out).
  10. stringer bell
    Martin had an arm injury two or three years ago and missed a lot of time, but didn't have surgery IIRC. His arm has been rated as below average since. Perhaps another year of recovery will help the arm strength, but I doubt he will ever be considered as more than a "break glass in case of emergency" shortstop mostly because of his arm. I can't find it, but Reusse wrote a column about Martin suggesting he would be a good CF last year during spring training, but the results last year were subpar to be sure. Instincts really can't be installed and if his instincts are lousy, I doubt his good speed makes up for that. Whether it is from hitting or taking free bases (walks and HBP), Martin needs to get on base a lot to make up for less than average power. I thought has base running was okay last year and I think he was only one of two or three that were viewed as plus base runners. Again, I think he needs to be better than slightly above average to be a real asset. With the dearth of speed that the Twins have, I think it would be good for a faster runner like Martin to play a greater role, but he's got to perform. I think 2025 will be his last chance to establish himself.
  11. stringer bell
    The Twins were among the better teams at putting the ball in play last year, one year after setting an all-time strikeout record. Did their offense improve?
  12. stringer bell
    I come down firmly on blaming the front office for lack of speed and athleticism. If Baldelli had more guys who could successfully steal 85% of the time, he’d use him as Castro was used on the bases in ‘23. They have guys whose best skill is their “hit tool” and somehow they have a premier shortstop (acquired in free agency) and two high first round and all of them are slow runners. Who are the best situational hitters in baseball? How do you develop that skill? I suspect the best situational hitters are the best hitters.
  13. stringer bell
    I have really mixed feelings about most of this. Hitting the ball hard gets the best results and all approaches seem to work great if you’re talented in the first place. The team is not blessed with great speed or athleticism. They’re not going to steal hundreds of bases and if they’re recklessly aggressive on the bases there will be a lot of guys thrown out. With the average for a major league fastball accelerating every year, situational hitting gets harder and harder. Seeing runners in scoring position with none out get stranded isn’t just a Twins phenomenon, it’s league wide. Maybe more focus will help, it did for reducing strikeouts. Or maybe different personnel—so far very little change there.
  14. stringer bell
    I agree with almost all you posted with the exception of Miranda. I don't think he'll ever be ML average at third base. Wherever he plays, he needs to be far above average as a hitter to hold an everyday position. It isn't from lack of hard work, it is his skill set.
  15. stringer bell
    They’ll need ‘em all and more.
  16. stringer bell
    It now appears that the plan is for Lewis to be the Twins primary third baseman to start the season. If there is a scenario where he moves to second, he probably should continue to get work there, as well. The only way I see Lewis moving to second is if there is a first baseman added moving Miranda off to third and then also moving Lewis to second. It would seem that would require a trade or free agent signing.
  17. stringer bell
    IMHO Eeles did what he could in 2024 to earn a shot this year in major league baseball. That doesn't mean he should be penciled in for a role, even less for a starting role. I think minor league production, especially at Triple A, is less of a predictor of major league success than it used to be. Does Eeles have the skills and abilities that translate to MLB? He'll probably get a good look in Spring Training, whether it is on the back fields or in exhibition games. Some of the other guys on the periphery like Helman, Keirsey, Gasper and Cartaya will also be watched to see what they have (and don't have). A couple of those guys will be playing for the Twins, perhaps on the Opening Day roster, and that is what makes Spring Training fun. Back to the OP, without additions to the roster, my starting second baseman is Brooks Lee, with Willi Castro in the outfield and Trevor Larnach the DH. If Lee is unimpressive this spring, the next shot goes to Julien and Castro is there too.
  18. stringer bell
    There are a lot of pitchers like Stewart. They're fully healthy only every once in a while, but when they are, they are very good. He just can't be counted on to provide many innings. That said, if he is healthy, he can really help a bullpen.
  19. stringer bell
    His OPS+ with the Padres was 108, less than José Miranda. His WAR was .9. Last season's Arraez wasn't worth his salary. That may be due to his thumb injury, but it also might be due to having less selectivity. His BB rate has gone from 8.3% in '22 to 5.7% in '23 to 3.6% last year.
  20. stringer bell
    From the title of the thread, I don’t think would be investing if they used potential rotation pieces for one year (and a big salary) of a starting pitcher. In general the price for starting pitching is steep although the Twins were able to land Sonny Gray and López for a reasonable price.
  21. stringer bell
    How clear is your crystal ball? If Keaschall is a lock to be the Twins' second baseman into the 2030s, yeah I wouldn't mess with moving Lewis. However, I thought this would be the third year of Alex Kirilloff's ten-year stretch of being the Twins' middle of the order first baseman. Going into 2024, the story on Brooks Lee was that he was sure to be an MLB regular and perhaps a frequent All-Star, now we're wondering if he might be a utility infielder. Keaschall has passed Lee by in most estimations at TD. I guess I'll wait until he's dominant at Wichita/St. Paul and demonstrates he can handle second base. This off-season we're projecting on a lot of guys--Lewis, Lee, Keaschall, and to some degree Miranda. I think the surest bet is that Royce Lewis will be in the Twins' lineup every day as long as he's healthy. I'm not sure what the second surest thing is. I know that I like Lee better at third than Lewis, but I might like the combo of Lewis/Lee better with Royce at third. I think that there's a much better than zero chance that Lewis ends up at first base for a majority of his career, but not yet.
  22. stringer bell
    I think you are right (and I happen to agree), but they probably want to find a permanent position for Lewis. I don’t see any third basemen in the system, so maybe they would leave him at third. If Lee has a good season, maybe both he and Lewis might be established and the moving parts would be elsewhere.
  23. stringer bell
    I’m in for the streaming! Very reasonable price, I think.
  24. stringer bell
    Julien did look totally lost at the plate in 2024 and hitting is his calling card. He's smart enough and young enough to come out of it and be a good hitter again. That said, with lots of other options at second base, Julien might be moved elsewhere (DH or 1B) where the bar is higher for his offense, so he is really up against it.
  25. stringer bell
    Josh Winder signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/diamondbacks-sign-josh-winder-to-minor-league-contract.html
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