Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

stringer bell

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    21,409

  • 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 Pick Tracker

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    It is rare that a truly gifted defender starts as a first baseman. Guys with less gifts in the area of range, soft hands and footwork usually are assigned there. The demands of the position can be achieved by hard work as far as being a satisfactory defender IMHO. Miranda is not blessed with good foot speed or range and I would state that his hands are below average, but with work he's become borderline acceptable at third base and I would expect at least the same at first base with more reps and experience. He wouldn't be as good a defender as Santana has become, but he would certainly be good enough if he could hit like has for prolonged stretches, better than what can be expected for Santana. That said, Santana has demonstrated durability far beyond normal in his entire career and it seems his superpower is to get PAs even when he isn't productive (sorry, a little tongue in cheek there). The Twins shouldn't be the team to give him 600 PAs when he only gets 1 WAR. It's prudent that the Twins have a Plan B behind Miranda, but Santana has never been a part-time option and the platoon-loving Rocco isn't very likely to do that with a Gold Glove switch hitter,
  2. stringer bell
    Gleeman & the Geek were discussing Castellano on their free podcast, mentioning the difficulty in keeping him in the majors for the whole year as a low-leverage long man. What they didn't mention is using the IL (and rehab) to maintain his major league roster status. My mind's eye sees Eiberson going four plus innings and then having a sore ankle or left wrist injury, followed by 15 days on the IL and a twenty day rehab. Perhaps not blatant cheating using the IL, but using the list to the club's advantage. I also don't want to sound too curmudgeonly, but "getting by" with a seven-man bullpen for a few days shouldn't be impossible, especially if the starting pitchers are relatively effective. The Twins had long periods where the last man in their BP wasn't used in 2023 (Cole Sands)--I think they can do it for Castellano if he offers enough promise to be worth it.
  3. stringer bell
    I know you weren’t addressing me about wanting him gone, but I’ll answer anyway. Santana led the team in HRs and RBI because he is what he’s always been—amazingly durable—giving him a maximum number of opportunities. Can he do the same at age 39? Is it “good enough” to allot 600 plate appearances to a guy who was born in 1986? He’s the epitome of a high floor/low ceiling guy at this point in his career, with the rarity of being so durable at an age where so few have avoided significant injury. At this point I’d prefer the Twins aim high, as opposed to going back to Santana and trying to milk one more (successful) season out of him.
  4. stringer bell
    No. The risk of decline is too great at age 39. The risk of keeping him in the lineup with marginal or less that marginal results is also too great. At some point the sand in the hourglass runs out.
  5. stringer bell
    Beware the White Knight. I am old enough to remember how excited fans were that Carl Pohlad would take over for "cheapskate" Calvin Griffith. If the Pohlads are really serious about selling (I guess they are) the payroll reductions make sense. Selling a team with a "right sized" payroll would increase it's worth wouldn't it? Also, the new owner would be granted good will if he then increased payroll I would suppose. It does appear the brothers are sports enthusiasts rather than only cold-blooded investors. To me, it is a mixed blessing. They would probably be more hands on, but hands on doesn't mean effective. If we are looking only at payroll, the Ishbias seem likely to try to hold the line.
  6. stringer bell
    Glad to see those guys get a bump in salary. Sim gets some money, but Royce doesn't--a little surprised by that. Incidentally, I noticed that Woods Richardson is just short of one year of service time, so the Twins have six more full years of control of him. I hope that he will be a significant part of the team for all six of those years.
  7. stringer bell
    Yeah, Rule V guys present a problem since they can’t be optioned, but if he’s a solid arm, they’ll find a way to keep him , whether it is using other player’s options, the IL, or making a trade to keep him.
  8. stringer bell
    With three extra spots on the 40-man, I thought there was a good chance the Twins would make a selection. I think all teams, including the Twins, have it figured out who would be claim candidates and handle their major league roster accordingly. I am not sure of the rules about Injured List time for Rule V claims. I wouldn’t be surprised that Castellano will spend some time in the IL in 2025 if he shows promise.
  9. stringer bell
    Two former Twins signed contracts. Oliver Ortega (pitched in 10 games in '23) signed a minor league deal with the Mets and Gary Sanchez signed with the Orioles. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/12/mets-sign-oliver-ortega-to-minors-contract.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/12/orioles-to-sign-gary-sanchez.html
  10. stringer bell
    A comparatively weak-hitting catcher with a plus defensive profile might work, with Vázquez then being traded. I don't know if there are any unprotected catchers that meet the criteria.
  11. stringer bell
    In a little more depth, here’s my “analysis”: Castro was far more effective in 2023 and the first half of ‘24. I think he was overused and the reason for that was he was Option 1 as the backup for Correa and Option 1-A for Buxton. Castro played in 158 games and had 635 plate appearances. Ideally, his usage should be more in line with 2023–124 games and 409 PAs—and if he’s not at short and center field so much maybe he won’t be worn down. No one expects Buxton to be an iron man, so having a backup who isn’t Willi Castro would benefit Castro.
  12. stringer bell
    It’s a small sample size, but there is no indication that Keirsey’s defense is elite. More telling to me, his sprint speed is listed as 38th percentile. This is from Baseball Savant.
  13. stringer bell
    If the Twins don't acquire major league talent by trade or free agency, one of Helman, Martin or Keirsey will probably start the season in St. Paul and would be next man up. Rodriguez might also be in consideration for promotion pretty early in the season, but he's another left handed hitter.
  14. stringer bell
    So maybe Keirsey is ideal as Buxton's backup. We do know that Buxton won't play every day, even if healthy. Having a guy (Keirsey) who you don't worry about rusting on the bench to fill in for the 20% of games when Buck is rested is good. Plus Keirsey can pinch run and be used as a defensive replacement for one of the many slow guys who will be starting for the Twins.
  15. stringer bell
    Regrettably, the reverse is also true. Some guys are Triple A All-Stars and really can't cut it in the majors. Andrew Stevenson put up similar numbers to Keirsey in 2023 and got a few chances with the Twins late. He was a Triple A star but a no-power, weak bat center fielder. In 2022, former overall #1 pick Tim Beckham was great in St. Paul, but lousy with the Twins (SSS) and I think he's out of baseball. The Twins minor league staff has two major jobs--develop talent and identify players that can help the big club. If they're half-hearted about promoting someone like Keirsey or Helman, I think it indicates doubt that they believe their abilities will carry over on the highest level. The fact that both of these guys are "old prospects" makes me even more skeptical. I'm a Twins fan and want them to do well, so I'll be pulling for both of those guys, but I will be surprised if either is a major contributor to a good Twins team.
  16. stringer bell
    I'm a bit of a skeptic about Keirsey, but I think he'll get his chance this year. Unless the Twins add a center field capable big league outfielder, he is the obvious choice. If the Twins analyze last year, a key player (Willi Castro) wore down in large part because he spent too much time in the highest spectrum defensive positions (center field and shortstop), so in 2025, someone else should be the primary backup to the oft-injured Buxton. Austin Martin is another option, but his defense was poor and his offense was ordinary. Keirsey is clearly the best in-house option, at least for now.
  17. stringer bell
    Why would non-clutch stats be inflated? If a team has lousy defense shouldn't that show up equally during the high and low leverage stats? All the AL Central teams played the White Sox 13 times--perhaps that is how the top three pitchers in the AL were from the Central.
  18. stringer bell
    To tag on to Bean’s comment, I’m pretty sure the Twins’ ground ball percentage was extremely low. Add that to a low number of base runners on base, especially first base, the Twins had far fewer double play opportunities than most, if not all, other teams. That doesn’t mean they were good at turning two, but explains at least part of the disparity compared to other teams.
  19. stringer bell
    I'd put one finger on the inherited runners stat for sure. In that regard the Twins were awful. The defense got worse as the year went on in large part because of the extended absence of Kepler, Buxton and especially Correa. Two rookies (Martin and Lee) didn't show out as good gloves Castro was put in places where he was stretched. Some of this is the variation from year to year. Sometimes poorly hit balls fall in and rockets are caught. It seemed to me that was the case for the Twins in 2024. Another thought is that pitching out of the stretch might have diminished effectiveness for some, although many deliveries nowadays are almost the same whether runners are on base or not.
  20. stringer bell
    Getting a bit off the topic but I'm compelled to say that Arraez is an absolute unicorn, much rarer than Matty Alou. He makes contact and avoids strikeouts far and away better than any of his peers. Last year his value was limited because he clogged the bases, didn't hit for power and played DH (mostly) and significantly his walk rate plummeted to 3.6%, far below average and much lower than his previous seasons.
  21. stringer bell
    Hence the comparisons (in that specific area) to Julien.
  22. stringer bell
    Thanks for the awesome article. Royce has been figuratively knocked down, now he must dust himself off and adjust. I think he will, but this is another player who needs to prove something at this point in time.
  23. stringer bell
    Low bar.
  24. stringer bell
    The size and swing remind me of Kepler. I would hope that would be his floor. I, too, would not want him compared to Arraez. Starting a 20-year old in Wichita is aggressive enough for me. I hope he hits St. Paul in May and is in consideration for promotion to the majors by the end of the season.
  25. stringer bell
    The last two posts combined pretty much guarantee a productive healthy Rodriguez will debut next year. There is room on the present roster for a center field capable left handed hitter, actually I’d say there is need for such a player. Given his sparse resumé in the upper minors, there is also justification to start him in the minors, maybe even at Wichita. Given the Twins roster flexibility, an injury or ineffectiveness from any of a whole host of players should give the opportunity to promote the #2 prospect. If healthy, I expect Emmanuel Rodriguez to be very good very soon. I hope it is as soon as I’m playing golf in Minnesota.
×
×
  • Create New...