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jokin

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Everything posted by jokin

  1. jokin
    "Good Catching" and Chris Hermann are two things that don't go well together in the same sentence.
  2. jokin
    I don't know enough about Jorge's stuff. But the stat that stands out to me is the K/BB... 29/4. This stunning improvement over his career norms seems to be independent of the FSL rep as a "pitcher's league." This doesn't seem to be a mirage. Is he in the process of making the big move forward in his career that sets him on a fast track to the majors?
  3. jokin
    a. Martin Luther King b. Jackie Robinson c. Barack Obama d. Branch Rickey e. Calvin Griffith f. Ty Cobb
  4. jokin
    Nothing against him. I'm just saying he had every chance and then some to stick with the Twins. A change of scenery sometimes is the best solution. Unfortunately, by comparison and in the case of JR Murphy, so far it's been the worst possible solution. The good news is that, on paper, Murphy is 3.5 years younger, definitely the better catcher and at least as good, if not superior at the plate (OPS+ of 74 vs. Hermann's OPS+ of 49).
  5. jokin
    He actually hit 2 HRs today. Major Beast Mode. Still not a very good catcher or hitter.
  6. jokin

    My Twins

    jokin replied to Ncgo4's topic in Minnesota Twins Talk

    I admit that I don't know just where the leadership is going to come from, but the old adage is true- nature (and sports teams) abhor a vacuum. I assume that Molitor played long enough to know the personality make-up of his players, and from that, to know who to cajole or finagle into taking on larger leadership roles. Perhaps Dozier's struggles have temporarily muted his leadership cred- maybe he gets on a hot streak and then he and one or more other veterans step outside of their safety zone and start to speak out more forcefully.
  7. jokin
    Add possibly add Jorge to the list. And maybe Sam Clay.
  8. jokin

    My Twins

    jokin replied to Ncgo4's topic in Minnesota Twins Talk

    Posts like these and series like this one just completed against the White Sox suggests to me that it can't get much worse... and that this team will soon hit rock bottom and begin to start looking like a major league team once more. It probably starts when one or more of the players finally fills the current aching void in team leadership.
  9. jokin
    So you're saying he's using both the cream and the clear?
  10. jokin
    Hopefully, and I think likely, the Mastro move is very short-term, and the need for the move has just been exacerbated by Escobar's injury, as D Santana might have to fill in infrequently in the IF. Another good thing about the move is that unlike the other potential call-ups, Mastro doesn't have to play consistently, let alone start. The Twins current OF alignment is challenged defensively (to say the least). If they actually someday soon are leading late in a game, they can sub Mastro into the game in CF. If they're tied or down one, they can PR him. But the best good thing about the move is that when they need a roster space and as Kepler and Buxton become more ready for MLB, they won't have to think twice about DFA'ing him.
  11. jokin
    If he continues to bat .450/1.372 OPS with equal 13% K/BB rates over Five Weeks, I'd say he's flat out dominating and has successfully reinforced good habits into his approach at the plate. I do agree though, he needs to use his time in AAA to develop more of a situational attitude in his At Bats that can best utilize his speed and overall hit tool- -shortening his swing when appropriate to assure more contact- which leads to more leg hits, -more willingness to work the count for walks and better pitches to swing at in more favorable counts, -bunting, -hitting the outside pitch, especially with 2 strikes, to right.
  12. jokin
    He's the lowest-ranked in Twins' prospect terms among the "Big Five" Miracle SPs. Jay, Stewart and Gonsalves are the high ceiling guys who have- or will soon- dot various MLB Top 100 lists. But, Jorge currently does have the best ERA/FIP of the bunch, so far (1.38/2.30- good for 2nd best in the FSL to Top 100 Rays' prospect, Brent Honeywell) and is far superior to his peers in K/BB% ratio (20.5%- which is also 2nd best overall in the FSL- with Honeywell also rated #1). It really appears that the friendly SP competition in Ft Myers is constantly challenging these guys to aspiring to better and more better performances. A very bright spot in an organization that currently needs all the good news it can get.
  13. jokin
    Buxton continues his hot May, reaching 3 times in 6 PAs, HR/Single/BB, and best of all, no Ks. Hitting line in May over 5 games and 23 PAs: .450/.522/850/(1.372) 3 BB/3K 9/20 4 more weeks or so worth of something anywhereclose to this sort of production and K-rate and it would be just about automatic for a call-back.
  14. jokin
    Actually, Terry retiring, getting kicked upstairs, becoming special assistant to the President... is the first order of business. Jim Pohlad felt the heat a couple years ago, and publicly stated that money is not going to be an impediment to finally putting a winner on the field again. Money was spent foolishly in many instances, and foolishly not at all in many other instances. Better pitchers are sidelined in favor of lesser veterans. Key prospects are arriving at the major league completely lacking in the fundamentals of good team baseball. Making the mistake and blowing up your OF defensive depth once is a bad mistake, doing the same thing again is bordering on malfeasance. I think Pohlad is finally going to get the message that the organizational culture is completely stale and in a state of inertia, and that a dynamic change is needed, very, very soon. Glen Taylor finally figured this out after years of futility- and bit the bullet and blew things up- executives in different fields do talk amongst themselves.
  15. jokin
    Oh No.... what ever will DickNBert do for the daily Ray of Hope segment?
  16. jokin
    I'm past willing to wait. Too bad we've seen this all before- and sadly, it strongly resembles the Grand Rearrangement of the Deck Chairs on the Titanic- imperiously intended to "Send A Message", but, as in past seasons, it isn't going to do much to save the passengers, crew, or the boat itself.
  17. jokin
    Add-on snark concerning our soon-to-be future journeyman tryout pitchers. Hey, let's give Albers another shot, too. /sarc
  18. jokin
    Yeah. I kept a low TD profile in the offseason, hoping for the best, questioning the rest, fearing the worst... but biting my tongue and keeping my posting to a minimum. No longer. The results of the last two days are utterly embarrassing, like a fish flopping helplessly out of its element.. The results in the offseason from: -not trading Plouffe and installing Sano in RF, -failing to find an acceptable replacement catcher and simultaneously hollowing out the OF defense, -tendering questionably marginal vets and finally, -not bolstering the pen, has come back, in spades, to thoroughly demonstrate that Ryan does not have a handle on either this club's capabilities or how to go about remedying its needs.
  19. jokin
    It's really, really hard to find something even "vaguely positive." Talking about "stupid", shall we? Emilio Bonifacio was DFA'd by the Braves, and then re-signed to a minor league contract after he cleared waivers. Michael Bourn was also released by the Braves and signed with the Jays on a minor league deal. The Twins certainly would have been better off calling up Bonifacio or Bourn to breach the short-term gap in the OF.
  20. jokin
    Yipes! I believe that one is going to leave a mark- it is mind-boggling that anyone can hope to put a positive spin on this situation. Surely, there is a legit major league OFer, somehow, somewhere- on the waiver wire or waiting for a phone call- who offers more in the short-term OF breach, than recycling "tired" retreads.
  21. jokin
    This From the day he was called up- and not put into the game in an obvious long relief role for which he obviously had been called up to fill and that was tailor-made for him (recall that he performed well in exactly the same situation in his first pitching appearance in AAA)- it appears that he was being set up for failure by the Twins. This all culminated in his premature yanking in his first start- which had all the earmarks of a manager saying to the GM: "See, I told you so" Very disappointing.
  22. jokin
    How about pattern recognition? Buxton pattern has been initial struggles, both at each successive level, and in the spring as the season begins. Invariably after his first month, and especially into the summer, he demonstrates mastery of a level with a torrid streak of hitting. Hopefully, his current little run here is sustained, the drop in strikeouts the last 3 games is particularly encouraging. Speaking of patterns- People want to see more walks from Buck, and that's understandable, but right now the "book" on Buxton is evidently out- he appears to be attempting to very tenuously read the first pitch or two or three- he usually takes a strike, and swings feebly at a borderline pitch- soooo... the opposing pitching coaches have to be telling their guys to throw him early strikes in the AB and bury him right away, down 0-2 or 1--2. It's difficult for any hitter- short of Joe Mauer- to hit for both high average and high BB rate when you're usually so far behind on the count on practically every plate appearance.
  23. jokin
    Looking more like Buxton might have flipped the switch on May 1. In the 4 games in May thus far, Buxton has a hitting line of .467/.529/.800/(1.329) with only 3 strikeouts in 17 Plate Appearances. and 7/15.
  24. jokin
    Huh? He spent all of 2014 in AAA and dominated, have we completely forgotten that he was perhaps the top SP that year in the IL? Spent a retraining/refining year in AAA last year, probably in the wake of a late-season shoulder injury suffered in 2014. So now we're saying spending a 3rd year in AAA as a starter is the answer? It appears that he's healthy again, he just needs major league experience. WHY, OH WHY should he languish for a good part of a Third Year in AAA with his stuff? There is nothing left to learn at that level. Get him up here the way the Cards have brought up their best prospect arms- ie, in any capacity possible- the Cards understand the concept of a finite amount of bullets in the weapon.
  25. jokin
    Au contrere: From this chart below, I see one pitch at nearly 99, 4 nearly 98, 9 at or just under 97. For the game, he averaged about 96.38 MPH on his FB. And contrary to your observations, the chart suggests that his FB did have some run. http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/pfx.php?month=5&day=3&year=2016&game=gid_2016_05_03_minmlb_houmlb_1%2F&pitchSel=543542&prevGame=gid_2016_05_03_minmlb_houmlb_1%2F&prevDate=53&league=mlb
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