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jokin

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Everything posted by jokin

  1. jokin
    Funny, for many of us, that very mantra this offseason, and the possibilities that the Twins actually might finally be addressing their stale and invidious philosophical problems squarely in the face, is the least tiresome, most refreshing development since TR sacked the entire coaching staff. At this point, I'd happily settle for the remaining hires be outsiders with a Minnesota connection that Terry is fond of, like Henry Blanco, for example.
  2. jokin
    So Tanner English is 5'10" and 160? Based on his similar style of play, if he also has diabetes, I believe we might have to announce a Sam Fuld II Alert.
  3. jokin
    Is it possible the Mets might go for Danny Santana for Rafael Montero? Probably not. Escobar won't bring you too much of what the Twins need all by himself in trade. Jon Niese was on the block last year and passed through waivers in August. He has a very favorable contract, including 2 team option years in 2017 and 2018- the year that Niese turns 31. I'm sure there must have been inquiries last August, and the Mets were probably asking too much, but they really appear to be highly motivated to want to move Niese or Dillon Gee (I'm not a fan in his case) to clear the way for their SP prospects and raise some more cash for more FA signings. I'm not sure what it would take, but time is no longer on the Mets side to make this move.
  4. jokin
    Another question should have been- "Why hadn't the Brewers, Blue Jays and Twins offered you the manager's job 10-15 years ago?
  5. jokin
    You could very well be right, but Santana is still a big question mark at SS, and Escobar is already the epitome of the "very valuable utility player," with not much upside remaining at the specific position. Plus Santana has a high hurdle to overcome to convince that his 2014 plate production wasn't a fluke. I think we have to face the fact that each has specific areas of weakness or question marks... the jury is likely to remain out on any of the 4 as the odds-on favorite. As of right now, it's Santana's to lose. If he seizes his opportunity, then great. If Santana stumbles at the position, or fails to hit, or both, it opens up the opportunity for Polanco. IMO, Polanco is so extremely talented, particularly at the plate, that it makes it way too soon for the Twins to already be thinking of this 21-year old as merely a utility player. Plus his largest trade value comes about with the perception that he has the chops to play at SS, even if he isn't among the defensive elite. By comparison, guys who should be looked at to fill potential future utility roles are Michael, Beresford and Goodrum.
  6. jokin
    If a good number of reputable prospect analysts are in your mix of "people" who really believe what they're telling you about ending up in the pen, then Meyer is a wildly overrated mainstay on every single Top 100 list, as well as his lofty ranking at #3 or #4 on the Twins Top 20 list.
  7. jokin
    Do either of you guys have any info on what Jorge Polanco is doing this winter? I couldn't find him on any winter league roster.
  8. jokin
    I don't know about walls, but he certainly ran into his RF teammate, Mike Kvasnicka, with reckless abandon.
  9. jokin
    Has anyone mentioned Henry Blanco as another option? He's currently managing a team in winter ball in Venezuela, not sure if LaRussa has invited him back to the D-Backs for 2015.
  10. jokin
    I saw Polanco in CR and he definitely demonstrated to me more than adequate range and at least an average arm for SS, granted, a subjective difference of opinion, and I doubt he would ever be considered among the top half of defensive SS once he plays full-time in the majors. And of course, admittedly, my eyeball opinion could have been skewed considering that he was the man amongst mostly mere mortals at the time for the Kernels. But I think it is significant that the Twins made the commitment to play him full-time at SS in 2014, as well as the confidence they demonstrated in him, which he confirmed, with a successful SSS major league debut. On Polanco being a year away, for a starting position, sure that's a strong possibility. But consider, if he gets a hot start in AA or AAA, he's going to be pushing first-year arb guys, first Nunez and then Escobar hard, and perhaps making them expendable sooner than you might project. It looks like there was a conscious effort on the part of the Twins to improve and increase the production of Polanco's baserunning tool in 2014, another thing to watch for going into 2015.
  11. jokin
    In May's case, his potential average will be good. I don't mind a bit having a big K, innings-eating battler in the #4 or #5 spot in the rotation.
  12. jokin
    Careful, comp Meyer with Randy Johnson and someone's liable to jump all over you for unilaterally declaring that you think both are HoFers. (I speak from experience.) I expect a similar matriculation experience for Meyer, lots of 2 steps forward, one step back type of process. I'll go along with you on his stuff being nasty, what he was doing to the Louisville batters the day I saw him throw simply wasn't fair. And I am more than willing to see him continue his apprenticeship with the Twins early on next season, rather than repeat AAA. And I don't care if he doesn't make the 5-man opening cut, he can be a spot starter/middle relief guy in the pen starting out, some SP is going to break down or somehow find a way to become unviable inevitably. And to keep Meyer's innings up and stretched out, they can shuttle him back and forth to Rochester if that becomes necessary.
  13. jokin
    I don't quibble with the rankings, can't speak for Thry, it's not a big deal who is #3 or # 4, but what is interesting is the heightened doubt injected on Meyer ever reaching his ceiling, even though he continues to project him as a knocking-on-the-door to the majors, potential #2 SP, and who he also admits has nothing left to prove in AAA. Lot of fence-sitting. Between the two, the chances for sustained Ace-ness seems to favor Meyer based solely on physical make-up. . So it is more than a bit foreboding that a respected national analyst still sees the #4 ranked guy possibly ending up as a mere RP. For this team to get back to annual post-season consideration, it needs an Ace or Aces to assert himself/themselves from the prospect sweepstakes, along with a floor-establishing #3 who very well might over-achieve to a #2 level.
  14. jokin
    I look forward to it, Thry. And I concur... I wrote back in August, Meyer was a men amongst boys in the game I witnessed. Do you think Sickels has bought too much into the hype on Gordon, and is he a little high on guys like Kepler and Harrison?
  15. jokin
    I was going to include that oddity in my cover, but too much material to write about. Based on that, is Sickels ranking guys strictly on potential upside, how close to contributing at the major league level or some other criteria, as in the case of Berrios? He did close with a little harshness about Meyer and his lack of "consistency"- I wish he wasn't so on the fence and took a stand one way or the other on where he sees Meyer ending up (I saw Meyer pitch in AAA when he was "on", and there was no doubt in that game that he has Ace-level potential when he eventually gets that third pitch down):
  16. jokin
    http://www.minorleagueball.com/2014/11/8/7157261/minnesota-twins-top-20-prospects-for-2015-sickels A few names from last year have graduated, a few have moved up, a few have stayed the same and quite a few have been displaced by recent draftees and talented comers. We all knew who #1 was going to be, but there is quite the tone of concern in Sickels' capsule for Buxton: http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/43429130/457603224.0.0_standard_783.0.jpg Here's the zoomer on this list, this capsule is mouth-watering. Can Berrios force the issue in 2015 through injuries or lack of effectiveness to seize a spot with the Twins at the tender age of 20 or 21 (his birthday is in late May)? http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/faiAn4BHtoGqNm5A1TPUW4U2WcU=/1100x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2427652/454499772.0.jpg So... 14 players ranked B- or better, very strong grading marks from usually tough, John Sickels. Likes May a lot better than some would suspect ("Darkhorse ROY Candidate?"), and he really likes guys like Polanco, Thorpe, Gonsalves, Kepler, Harrison, who all have tended to draw rather mixed opinions in Twins Territory... he expects any or all of them could break out at any moment. And there are plenty below the top 14, even below the top 20 that he finds very intriguing or could blow up, as well.
  17. jokin
    I know you're being tongue in cheek here, but there is lots of evidence that the "vision" for 2015 has been pretty cloudy and hard to rally around since August... when Ryan first endorsed, and then unendorsed Gardy, followed by DSP trying to put a positive spin on a Twins projected 2015 payroll being close to the 2014 payroll, and then the five-week manager odyssey that avoided interviewing the best available talent and inevitably led right back to the same clubhouse.... not much meat there so far to drum up those season ticket sales. Better late than never to refocus on presenting the "vision" for 2015 through the reliably standard-issue boilerplate Sid screed, I guess, but despite the potential payroll room to comfortably absorb a net $30-$35M increase in payroll over their current firm 2015 commitments, I'm not holding my breath that we're going to see any big push for the likes of a Tomas, Kemp or one of the top three FA pitchers.
  18. jokin
    I thought this one was interesting: Huascar Ynoa RHP C HIGH CEILING ALERT while these were pleasant surprises: Jason Adam RHP C Tyler Duffey RHP C+ SLEEPER ALERT Mitch Garver C C SLEEPER ALERT Chih-Wei Hu RHP C+ SLEEPER ALERT but these were somewhat disappointing: Kohl Stewart RHP B Lewis Thorpe LHP B- Stephen Gonsalves LHP B- I was expecting a #4 pick still deserves a B+ for Stewart, and his "high ceiling alert" rating wasn't tarnished all that much from being coached to throw pitch-to-contact in A ball, was it? I don't have a problem with the B- grades for Gonsalves and Thorpe, but I think they both are the definition of "high ceiling alert".
  19. jokin
    Well said. And with Molitor at the helm, I believe he will be a stickler for the defensive fundamentals that Gardy always claimed he was a stickler for, but repeatedly failed at in the execution. Add in Molitor's belief in strategic shifting and I have a strong suspicion that the defense will improve markedly. And then it's up to Molly to identify and insist on the right set of coaches for the pitchers and catchers to together as a group, establish strict training and in-game goals and accountability, similar to the measures taken in KC that led to the Royals success.
  20. jokin
    Taken from the thread http://twinsdaily.com/topic/15828-whats-paul-molitor-like-as-a-coach/ these are some pretty dramatic improvements, with and without Molitor, and that seem to be statistically significant:
  21. jokin
    But last year, Pohlad started "this talk" in September, at this point in November, 2014, they're playing catch-up.
  22. jokin
    Mayo had Santana at #12
  23. jokin
    At this point, I'm not taking any chances....
  24. jokin
    Probably a good thing, Dozier playing in Japan has the chance to only encourage his home run fetishes. I'd like to see him shoot next year for 6 months worth of the numbers he put up in August: Only 1 HR, but with a slash line of .280/.414/.421 with a .375 wOBA....
  25. jokin
    All strange and true facts. But I'm wondering what the motivation to play is for guys like Cano, Morneau and Longoria?
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