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'm of the opinion that I'd like to see it settled where Royce Lewis is going to play for the next four years. It's not that uncommon for guys to play different spots before getting a permanent one. Chipper Jones was an outfielder for a while, Albert Pujols was a third baseman and left fielder before settling at first base as was Miggy Cabrera and they're all Hall-of-Famers. When Royce is settled, maybe the Twins can figure out what they will be doing with Lee. Honestly, I liked what I saw of Lee in the field at third base, but I'm pretty confident he would be fine at second. Also, if both Lee and Lewis have their feet under them this year, maybe they'll show a bit more in some of the measurements that Statcast provides. I hope so, since the trio of Lewis, Lee and Correa might be the slowest infield measured by Statcast last year.
  2. stringer bell
    There's been a lot of piling on about platooning in just about every thread. Does Baldelli prefer to platoon? I think he'd love to have six guys play every day plus a catcher rotation and only platoon at two spots. He and the field staff are convinced that lefties should be shielded from left handed pitchers. He hasn't gone out of the way with many right handed bats to protect them from right handers. Many have remembered the game where he got snookered by the Giants. They started an opener and then went to a left handed pitcher who Rocco didn't realize was available and RB pinch hit for all of his lefties (at least two before they got an at-bat). That isn't the norm even for Rocco. Getting to the above post, I think Rocco and the field staff would love to see Lewis, Correa and Lee line up in the three infield spots 140 or more times in 2025, maybe less for Lewis if he is used often at DH. Because of injuries and ineffectiveness, versatility is highly regarded and the Twins currently have one of the most versatile players in MLB in Willi Castro.
  3. stringer bell
    Rocco is far less rigid with right handed hitters. They get lots of at bats against right handed pitchers. Exhibit A, B and C are Kyle Farmer, Manny Margot and Donovan Solano, all brought in to be lefty killers who got many more at bats against right handers.
  4. stringer bell
    I don't know if I agree that Lewis has the stronger arm and I certainly don't think he has the "better" arm for third base. His throwing has been the main problem with his defense at third.
  5. stringer bell
    I haven't commented much about Rooker, but I will admit I was never a fan. He was and is a bat only player. Even more so than Jose Miranda, he needed to hit well above average to get a place in the major leagues and three teams didn't give him that chance--Minnesota, KC and SD. Oakland was willing to stick with him when he struggled, basically because they had no choice and he developed himself into an elite hitter, at least for now. IMHO, it shows the risk of taking on guys who are really one or two tool players. The bar is set high for hitting and since they can't help any other way, when they struggle the page gets turned. Sometimes it is too soon as with Rooker.
  6. stringer bell
    It is my understanding that a "4A player" is someone who dominates in the top minor leagues, but can't get it done in the majors well enough to hold a job. Of the players on the Twins who would fit this description, I would say Keirsey would fit, I don't think Camargo has nor has Martin, Lee or Helman.
  7. stringer bell
    Regarding the infield, IMHO the Twins need to: 1) Decide if Brooks Lee is ready to be a major league regular. 2) If Lee is ready, figure out whether they are better suited with Lee at second and Lewis at third or Lee at third and Lewis at second. 3) Decide Jose Miranda's role 4) Determine the backups--Castro, Martin, Helman, Julien, Gasper. Can't have them all.
  8. stringer bell
    A backup catcher plays more than "every fourth or fifth day". With few exceptions, the second catcher is closer to an alternate than a backup. That is the way of the world in 2020's baseball. I can see no scenario in which Jeffers (or Vázquez) catches more than 105-110 games (two-thirds). We fans aren't privy to how banged up Jeffers and Vázquez have been with their job-sharing arrangement the last two years. The way Rocco has stuck to it indicates to me that he's sure he's right about splitting time down the middle and that he believes it's the right thing to do to keep both on the active roster. I would hope that Baldelli could adjust slightly, letting the better player catch two consecutive games if there's an off-day in between and perhaps using the better player on consecutive days when it is a night game following a day game. That would get the better player (Jeffers) somewhere between 90 and 100 starts.
  9. stringer bell
    Stafford was on about the 20 yard line. No safety if ruled grounding.
  10. stringer bell
    If Wallner projects to be a much better player and the team has control over him for two additional years, wouldn't he be able to garner much more in a trade? If the Twins want legitimate talent with control for a player or players, they might have to part with more than Larnach. I agree with analysis that projects Wallner as the better overall player, but if they have to trade one and want to bring in enough talent for 2025 and the immediate future, it might make sense to trade the guy with the higher upside.
  11. stringer bell
    It wouldn’t have been a safety IIRC.
  12. stringer bell
    The Stafford play went against the Vikings and a split-the-baby decision of intentional grounding probably was warranted. It looked to me like he intentionally let the ball go forward. I don't know if he knew where Puka was, but he didn't fumble that ball.
  13. stringer bell
    I agree that WAR is problematic especially evaluating defense, especially for catchers. That is why CERA in a case when the players have been alternated provides some helpful information. It is an apples to apples comparison and the runs allowed is tangible proof that the difference between the two behind the plate is negligible.
  14. stringer bell
    Yeah, two years of pretty rigid alternating and if one is better than the other at preventing runs, it is Jeffers. I'm sure some stats really have variability, but two years with only two catchers mean a lot of information and none of it shows a huge benefit for Vázquez to be behind the plate. 1400 innings caught should limit a whole bunch of the variability. 1400 innings is 7-8 years of full-time work for a pitcher and that many innings would eliminate almost all of the variability.
  15. stringer bell
    These stats on the run prevention side coupled with the offensive numbers put up by Jeffers as compared to Vázquez show Jeffers to be the superior player by a lot. Nothing indicates that Vázquez is among elite receivers or that he is some kind of a pitcher whisperer. If he is a good guy in the clubhouse, that's good, but it doesn't turn replacement player production into someone worthy of $10M per season. As for arguments presented in this (and other) threads: 1) Jeffers now has four plus years in the majors, does he need a mentor? I think not. 2) Jeffers best has been when he was alternated with his catching partner. Is there any reason why he can't assume a more regular role? Maybe Rocco and his staff see reasons in the clubhouse, but Jefers is 27, big and strong. Perhaps this will be the year when he catches closer to 100 games than 80.
  16. stringer bell
    I guess I fall in the Topa camp if he is healthy. If healthy, he should be the third or fourth-best option in the 'pen and that would be a good thing. Sands and Alcalá after that (if they are effective) would make the bullpen a real asset and really deep, as well. It's prudent to expect and allow for injuries, especially to guys with extensive injury histories. I sincerely have my doubts that Stewart will ever be able to log more than 30 or so innings and Topa has only had one injury-free season in his career. Alcalá missed the bulk of two years, although he was mostly healthy in 2024. My feeling is that at any one time the Twins have four of these six healthy and available, they'll be all right. Of course, the true late-inning guys (Durán and Jax) are more vital than the others.
  17. stringer bell
    Triple A catchers who a team is willing to unload are almost by definition no better than the better of Cartaya and Camargo. There will always be Sandy León and René Rivera types available, but those guys don't hold steady jobs because they aren't really major league hitters. The question to ask in almost every trade scenario is "is this player more valuable to another team?" I think there are teams where there is an affirmative answer in the case of Paddack or Willi Castro. I'm not so sure it is the case with Vázquez. The other question is whether the player has value equal to or greater than their contract. In Vázquez' case the answer is almost certainly "no". Then the question is how much of the salary the trading team is willing to swallow. Most estimates in Vázquez' case, that is about $5M. Is $5M in salary relief worth it?
  18. stringer bell
    Another Twins legend finds a home on a minor league contract. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/cubs-sign-trevor-richards.html
  19. stringer bell
    Yeah, I don't expect Stewart or Topa to be healthy throughout the season. That is too much to ask. It makes sense to have multiple options because there are fragile arms there, but if not overworked, they can thrive. I suspect that many of the head-shaking bullpen decisions all managers make have to do with the health of guys and that this is particularly true of Baldelli.
  20. stringer bell
    You've consistently been the least Jeffers-friendly poster on this site. That is fine, but I disagree. Jeffers has compiled 5.4 WAR (BBRef) over the last two seasons, which is among the top ten in catchers for that period in exactly 800 plate appearances, so less than full-time duty. He turns 28 this year, so it should be his peak year and yet you say that Vázquez is the one who should be extended (if any)? Jeffers isn't a superstar, but he's a good catcher on balance. He makes a lot less money than Vázquez and he's eight years younger. If you want a competitive team on the field, getting Jeffers in the lineup more should be a priority. As for the other catchers--progression isn't linear. Neither Cartaya (at age 22) or Camargo (at 24) was ready to help a big league club last year. That doesn't mean in 2025 they won't be good enough to be better than what the club has received from Vázquez in the last two years--minus .5 WAR. I've said I think spring training will be huge for those two. They have a chance to put themselves in line for a promotion to the big leagues and if there is an injury or trade, one of them could be a backup this year. No guarantees that either guy solves the catching depth problem, but both have enough tools and youth that they have a chance. Gasper is another matter altogether. I don't believe he'll be competing for the third spot in the pecking order, but he will be looking to make the club as a utility guy who can hit and play a couple of positions of need for the Twins (and those positions are ones that Castro doesn't play).
  21. stringer bell
    Cartaya is 23 and Camargo is 25. There's a reasonable chance that there is more upside in them than they demonstrated in Triple A last year. If, and I'm not saying this will happen, but if either of them moves forward offensively and is able to demonstrate they are a capable receiver, it makes sense to proceed with a guy playing for the minimum rather than having a guy making $10M and accumulating negative WAR. As I've said several times, it will be interesting to see if he reports with the pitchers and catchers and whether he's catching in Fort Myers and considered only as an infielder. Gasper is in another category. He's already 29 and isn't regarded seriously as a catcher. He's an infielder who can catch and if he hits sufficiently there might be a spot for him on the active roster.
  22. stringer bell
    If one of Vázquez or Jeffers is traded, then one of Camargo or Cartaya is the backup. If no catcher is traded, I'm quite sure neither Carmargo or Cartaya is a serious candidate to make the 26-man roster. Gasper is another case altogether IMHO. He's a candidate for a utility job and he can catch. I doubt he would be starting games, but if he makes the roster, he might catch a few innings in blowouts and maybe grab the gear if there was a situation where the Twins used a pinch runner or pinch hitter late in a game. Pretty much in line with what they did with Willians Astudio.
  23. stringer bell
    Super Bowl.
  24. stringer bell
    I think the three best teams going into the weekend were Buffalo, KC and Baltimore. Barring a big injury, the AFC team should be a big favorite. The better QBs are from the AFC, and I don’t think the Commanders or Eagles can win on a neutral field unless they get multiple turnovers (like the Bills did).
  25. stringer bell
    Niko Goodrum signed a minor league deal with the Padres. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/padres-sign-niko-goodrum-to-minor-league-deal.html
×
×
  • Create New...