Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

jokin

Old-Timey Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    11,852

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    8

 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

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by jokin

  1. jokin
    After reading this comment, I'm not sure which "side" in the current managerial-successor debate is the more cynical of the two at this key turning-point in Twins history. By contrast, I think there's a large contingent of Twins devotees who, like me, are pleased that our last-offseason prediction of Molitor as- the "inevitable-manager-in-waiting" and faithful-and-oh-so-safe-pick keeper of the "Twins Way" Flame- was not quickly whisked into fruition on the heels of Gardy's dismissal. While there's always going to be a fair share of grousing and second-guessing, I think I speak for many when I write that I appreciate Ryan's apparent recognition that a more public and thorough talent-hunt is exactly what this team needs- both as a palate-cleanser for the last 4 futile years, and for the apparent new-found self-awareness that some serious corporate soul-searching is in order. Even if the choice ends up being Molitor, the more candidates that are interviewed and more thought put into the process, the higher the yield on more fact-finding and self-due-diligence on making positive and necessary change from the current stale culture.
  2. jokin
    I'm not sure either, but time will tell in AZ. LaRussa has assured himself a future appointment in Cooperstown after serving with three financially-challenged clubs that all put together distinctly different, but yet, still solid and successful strategies, that enabled them to compete with clubs that had all of the financial advantages. (He's already nailed down one of the guys that the Twins coveted for the manager's role).
  3. jokin
    Yes, certainly those two.... are amongst a multitude of other "flails"... and gaping blind spots.... The right move two years ago would have been to put LaRussa in charge and let Ol' Scout focus solely on what he does best. The flailing also includes publicly gnashing his teeth about his own accountability and not bringing in better people at the middle management/executive level in various areas to shore up his own admitted shortcomings, demanding little from those at field level to shake up the 19th hole clubhouse atmosphere, and complaining repeatedly that he can't improve the team because no one wants to come to MN- hardly a very inspiring message and strategy for a snappy and succinct turnaround, as well as much hope for raised expectations for sustained success.
  4. jokin
    And especially given his anemic offense... his defense isn't good enough to be a regular in the majors, either.
  5. jokin
    Wait.... I thought with how respected Gardy was around the League, that he was going to be snapped up by another club the instant the Twins let him go?
  6. jokin
    For a second there, I was certain you were talking about the Twins...
  7. jokin
    That was then: http://aarongleeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/pohlad-ryan-st.peter_1.jpg This is now (or was this a photo of today's CDC hearing? Either way, the "fan reaction" behind the pictured trio is hilarious.... and is also about the same for both organizations): http://media.hotair.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/facepalm-triple.jpg
  8. jokin
    Only "sometimes"?
  9. jokin
    Technically, May only has 45 innings with the Twins so, there he is on the list. But I get your point- still May has a chance at becoming a mid-rotation starter, pretty valuable. By contrast, I am putting exactly zero stock in Rogers ever being a rotation mainstay.
  10. jokin
    Yeah, don't get me wrong, the Twins are wasting their time if they're not going for a Shields-type, and no lower than a Hughes-potential-bounceback-type at the minimum.
  11. jokin
    Yes.
  12. jokin
    AJ Achter...Stephen Pryor....Brandon Peterson...DJ Johnson....Adrian Salcedo...Matt Tomshaw...Tyler Jones
  13. jokin
    Walker dropped from 10 to 13, and his numbers in A+ still raise red flag doubts on whether he'll ever be a productive major leaguer, Harrison dropped from 12 to 18 and had similar struggles in Ft Myers to Walker leading to the same doubts long-term. Kepler fell from 8 to 16 and it becomes ever more doubtful if there will ever be a spot available for him on the Twins before they have to make a decision on cutting ties. Rosario was a well-documented mess in 2014, falling from 5 to 12. Bottom line, all four need to have big years at Chattanooga in 2015 to stay in the mix as future elite Twins prospects.
  14. jokin
    The vibe on this list largely is either "falling back"- 5 guys are ranked lower on Seth's Top 50 from a year ago- Thorpe, Rosario, Walker, Kepler and Harrison or "staying about the same"- Gonsalves, Minier and Jones. Only Duffey, who jumped from #45 to #15 and Hu at #17 look like "comers". By contrast, Seth's 11-20 last year graduated FOUR players to the Twins- Vargas, Santana, May, Pinto. This list of 11-20 has only lower-upside Duffey and more of a 2015 longshot in Rosario with any possible chance of helping the big club next year.
  15. jokin
    Yeah, but it seems the Twins often find reasons to do so. It seems if the kid can improve on his contact issues between now and next spring he has a chance to really flourish in a full-year setting, a better facility than E-Town, and with higher level teammates and competition.
  16. jokin
    Minier is actually 3 months younger than Nick Gordon. Did Minier show enough in GCL to get a chance to (presumably) join Gordon starting out in Cedar Rapids? Just with these 2 names plus the other possible position players and arms ranked between #20-50, plus the 2014 E-Town guys, seems to portend well for another really good Class A team with at least a half-dozen high-end/major league starter-level prospects.
  17. jokin
    I would counter by saying that the Twins have been in an unspoken, and hence clumsy and dishonest, rebuild since August of 2011. Regarding the Astros, add "much-maligned in these parts" to the front of "Houston Astros" and add "Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs" to to the back, and you now see 3 teams, not just one, that are "in a better place as a result." And with respect to the new stadium, the Twins could have chosen to stay in "all-in" mode after 2011, the decision to crawl into the fetal position is on ownership. What they have demonstrably proven in the meantime is that "half-in/half-out" almost never works as a strategy for on-field success.
  18. jokin
    Which brings up a cogent point, based on today's moves, Joe Vavra's kids have to be thinking about the somewhat apocryphal quote, attributed to an IBM executive, as Microsoft and Apple began eclipsing the business model of the once-vernable comapny:
  19. jokin
    I advocated for Searage in the recent past, but based on this......: I don't think Ryan would see him as a good fit, more like daily salt poured into old wounds.
  20. jokin
    This is demonstrably not true. The rebuild tacitly began after the 2011 All Star Game. The Twins announced that payroll was going to be drastically cut for 2012, in August of 2011. They then quickly moved Young and Thome out of town, followed by Cuddyer, Kubel and Nathan opting for free agency in October after the Twins low-balled them. Bill Smith was fired a week later, as Pohlad finally convinced Ryan that, as a rebuild specialist, was the right man for the job.
  21. jokin
    I hope Joe Schmit is closer to the truth than "Meathead".
  22. jokin
    KSTP's Joe Schmit brought up an interesting point on his sportscast tonight, saying something about time to end the "handoff" system, particularly when the system isn't working, even though he acknowledged this corner-turning you speak of. His comments essentially went, "It's time for a sweeping change, and the best way to do that is to install a much different, much younger point of view. The Twins have a wealth of young talent almost ready to contribute, the last time the Twins had an opportunity just like this one was 1986, the Twins in that era were unafraid to install a 32-year old GM in Andy MacPhail, and a 36-year old manager in Tom Kelly. And recognizing the team's growing diversity, and more impact Latin players on the way, it's incumbent on the Twins to hire a Latin coach."
  23. jokin
    Jimmy P finally shows up back in town, to provide some push-back to the TR push-back. Dave St Pete piles on, apparently with something plumbing-related.
  24. jokin
    Yeah. The personnel moves made this year, both short- and intermediate-term, plus, as La Bombo pointed out in the previous post, TR's mea culpa on his "Gardy vote of confidence" on August 21, indicate that Ryan had his hand forced to make these necessary changes by ownership- he seems to have had a bit of a tin ear at the level of the looming crisis in revenue-stream collapse- a 30% drop in ticket sales and collapsing media ratings means business as usual was not an option. I mean... why the insistence on bringing back Florimon to start at SS no matter how obvious it was that he wasn't up to the job with not one, but two younger, better alternatives at the ready?; placement on the roster of Bartlett, Guerrier and Kubel; Suzuki v Pinto for PT; the manager and his coaches all-but-in-revolt over their demands, insisting that Ryan up his 11th hour offer to extening Suzuki; and why wasn't the whole month of September better orchestrated as a month long tryout for 2015 roster spots?
  25. jokin
    Great post, and a turnover of the coaching staff can make some of this more possible. It's inexplicable that a team in its 4th year of the rebuild would still have the 4th oldest pitching staff. People forget that Gardy and the acting GM purposefully decided not to bring up Santana out of spring training after his tremendous showing in March, and given a trial run at SS while Florimon made it clearer in Rochester if he was up to the task, and also that Santana only got a starting gig, as literally, The Last Man Standing, after the Twins bumbled in losing multipleactual CFs off of waivers, and then, consecutive concussions from Hicks and Fuld.
×
×
  • Create New...