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LastOnePicked

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Everything posted by LastOnePicked

  1. LastOnePicked
    This is 2023 Buxton we're talking about here. That Buxton cannot sustain the impact of patrolling CF. If we want to maximize what Buck has to offer, this is the only way forward. We can hate it, but that's who he is now and it's where we are now. Chances are this isn't going to be a productive contract. Let's all hope we can get a little more magic at the plate from him - and for him - before the contention window closes.
  2. LastOnePicked
    Take this insanely optimistic vibe, distill it, and let me sip on it please. DFA Kepler, Pagan and Lopez, and maybe we got a chance.
  3. LastOnePicked
    Sadly, I think this is very likely. Falvey/Levine set aside the x-rays and picked up rose colored glasses instead. Boras was probably only too happy they came back around to help him and his client save face. I like Correa. I wish this wasn't happening. But he's no superstar at this point, and it's only year one.
  4. LastOnePicked
    Yes, it's almost as if this organization is either terrible at prospect development or staggeringly bad at talent evaluation, particularly when making trade or Rule 5 decisions. Looking forward to the Yennier Cano/Tyler Wells article next.
  5. LastOnePicked
    It's odd that folks keep assuming that the hitting will "naturally" improve, but the pitching somehow won't decline. It will. We see that already. They had a clear opportunity to be ten or more games up in the Central, with a large enough buffer to let the summer play out without too much stress on the recently-recovering players and prospects. Instead, they'll be lucky to not be surpassed by Detroit in a week. There is almost zero fight in this team. No, I can't share your optimism. They've been gifted a hefty payroll (by AL Central standards), "superstar" signings, enviable rotation depth, and yet they can't make anything happen. Most of the players and prospects they gave up are shining, and most of the ones they kept are sinking ... or already sunk. Fans are down because we can clearly see what's on the horizon - another winnable division and another lost season. This team will continue to reward skeptics and punish believers. Good for you for believing, though. Honestly. Personally, I can't.
  6. LastOnePicked
    What happened? He became a Minnesota Twin in the Falvey/Levine/Rocco era. It's where grit, hustle and fire go to die. I wonder how long it will take to deflate Lewis. Systems are more likely to change people than people are likely to change systems.
  7. LastOnePicked
    Exactly this. When this FO gets a little "too precious" or "too cute" with their decisions, they seem to go off the rails. They are perhaps not as smart as they think they are. The picks you mention were even predictably bad at the time, and that's exactly how they've turned out.
  8. LastOnePicked
    "I wanted to be up there in the 9th and I knew I was going to get the job done." What is this attitude? It's totally unfamiliar to me coming from someone in a modern Twins uniform.
  9. LastOnePicked
    What's additionally frustrating is that when they get 2-3 runs ahead in the late innings you can pretty much count them out as well. Let's hope that they figure it out now, or that another sunk season makes change inescapable.
  10. LastOnePicked
    Heartless, gutless baseball. Things won't change for this team until large-scale changes are made in the dugout and/or the Front Office. The longer we wait, the worse this will get.
  11. LastOnePicked
    It's not unreasonable. It's logical. It's preferable even. Why have them lose even more prospects, only to come up again short in September? But that will be a distant worry by July. Cleveland will rise. Twins will continue to s(t)ink.
  12. LastOnePicked
    Lewis seems to have an attitude that elevates the spirit. I feel bad putting that much pressure on him, but he could be the difference-maker. He could spark this team. But that's a lot to ask of any young player. It's insane to ask that of a guy who has barely played baseball for three years, and one who's coming back from two torn ACLs. So, I would fire Popkins immediately, and give Baldelli notice that the team has until the All-Star break to start turning things around. Otherwise, there's going to be a new voice in the dugout. This chronic underperforming is unacceptable.
  13. LastOnePicked
    Not sure I follow the logic here. True, they're not going to be retiring Hicks' number in New York. Not sure how that levels getting one of the worst catchers in organizational history in return. The Yankees got two very good years from Hicks - in the field and at the plate. The Twins got less than nothing. Yes, the trade was that bad. Hicks had some value. Murphy did not. We might be looking at a very similar situation with the Berrios trade. A nibbling team like the Twins have to find a way to increase value through trades.
  14. LastOnePicked
    Probably best to let this play out. 2022 turned out pretty well for Cleveland, and an experienced manager can find ways to place players in optimal conditions for success. Even to steal wins from hapless foes from time to time. Cleveland was not a great team in 2022, yet they won the division, and then four playoffs games. Four more wins than Baldellli has in his entire managing career. There are intangibles to this game, but the work of great managers - over time - becomes apparent. It's almost like parenting or captaining a ship. Small moves, building relationships, setting a tone - these all matter. I'd take Francona over Baldelli any day of the week.
  15. LastOnePicked
    It's too bad we couldn't have submitted grades after the Yankees series. I would have been much more charitable.
  16. LastOnePicked
    The Get Rid of Emilio test? Yes it does. (Note: bless the man's heart. Sounds like a truly decent dude. But let's move on.)
  17. LastOnePicked
    I gave them a D, but I can see where this may be seen as harsh. From my perspective, they have the talent. Ownership has boosted payroll. They haven't been blasted apart by injuries. They're simply failing to seize the moment and capitalize on opportunities. In this dismal division, they should be coasting into June with a 10+ game lead. Instead, they're keeping even the hapless White Sox within striking distance. Cleveland and Chicago just aren't this bad, and come June or July, the Twins are likely going to regret not closing the door when they had the chance.
  18. LastOnePicked
    Few things in life are as clear-headed, concise, unfiltered and honest as results. Folks are free to defend the organization's process for as long as they want, but there's no argument as compelling as the one the outcome offers. With Pagan, the outcome is clear. So, too, is the work of the FO, from trades to bullpen stats to the shrinking lead in the standings.
  19. LastOnePicked
    I can't shake the feeling that this FO thinks they're smarter than their results would indicate. They gather a lot of data, but they don't seem to read it well. Or, they are just fundamentally, chronically unlucky. Either way, I'd prefer that they weren't calling the shots. But to answer your question, keeping Pagan is absolutely about justifying the Padres trade. It's hubris. It seemed ridiculous to keep him over the offseason, and it seems disastrous now. Baseball is very much about momentum - look what has happened to the team since his implosion in LA. The grim spectre of 2022 hangs heavy on the team now, and this was entirely predictable.
  20. LastOnePicked
    This. It's the yips. It continues to be the yips. This team expects to lose. You can see it in their body language. This is absolutely a coaching/training issue. Baldelli looks like a scolded dog. As a player, how can you rally behind leadership like that?
  21. LastOnePicked
    Positivity, eh? Okay. Maybe Las Vegas would be interested in having the Twins instead?
  22. LastOnePicked
    No, that's clearly above our pay grade. As a fan, my job is to voice displeasure when the play is uninspired and/or direction of a team is off course. That's it. But also, some of the best qualifications for management and leadership are about instinct - intangible qualities that might only reveal themselves in a closely-scrutinized body of work. Baseball is full of 55-45 decisions (where there are solid and reasonable arguments for either choice). You want a manager who can read these moments extremely well - to understand who's hot and who's not, whose nerves are steel and whose nerves are shot, who's ready to rise and who needs more coaching. These skills might show up in tight games, when the pressure is on, when the team is on a streak. They'd certainly show up in the postseason. What have we seen from Rocco? The worst playoff play imaginable, coupled with dismal seasons where the bullpen and sloppy play in the field has crashed the season either early or late. The Twins under Rocco have routinely taken division leads, only to watch those leads slip away. In any other division in baseball, we wouldn't even be having this conversation - Rocco's lack of managerial skill would have been much more apparent. But what do I want? It's more than Rocco. I want a total organizational rebuild. We're overdue, and we're only kicking the can down the road with recent signings of aging, injured "superstar" players. This FO doesn't have these instincts either, and we simply won't get to where we all want (or should want) to be: the World Series.
  23. LastOnePicked
    I see this argument a lot, but I just don't get it. Routinely under Baldelli, players underperform - particularly in tight contests and under pressure. We have had large roster turnover since 2019, and yet the results are very much the same, if not worse. How ISN'T this a managerial issue? Honestly, I like Rocco Baldelli as a human being. Everything about him seems decent, nice and kind-hearted. I don't wish him ill will, and I don't speak crudely about him. What I can't stand is watching the Twins continue to underwhelm and play completely uninspired baseball under his watch. His decisions are often baffling, and his results speak for themselves. This is very much like the Pagan situation. Does the FO really not think there are better candidates out there? What about Rocco's work is deserving of such patience and unconditional support?
  24. LastOnePicked
    Ugh. Gonna be some very rough years ahead for this team, led by a manager who just can't win and a FO that just can't learn.
  25. LastOnePicked
    Winnable division. Punchless Twins. 2022 lives on.
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