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mac098

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Everything posted by mac098

  1. mac098
    Honestly, I am okay if our catcher isn't the best hitter in the world. As long as they can hit around .240-.250ish I will be okay with that. What a catcher needs is to be a ball player behind the plate. Smart game calling, being able to field the ball in the dirt, being able to throw that runner out stealing 2nd/3rd (especially now that bases are slightly larger), and the ability to frame a pitch or 2 per game so our pitchers have a change to get out of a jam if need be. As Twins fans we have been pretty spoiled for the better part of the last 20 years between Mauer, Suzuki, Castro, Garver, and Jeffers (when he's hot) at our catcher position compared to some teams. Right now, I am all for Bechtold and Banuelos earning a shot to be the split or back up option. Bechtold has the ability to play multiple positions so right now he is seen as more valuable comparatively than Banuelos, even with his defensive prowess. We will have to see what happens when the FA opens up after the WS with options being exercised, players being DFA'd, and contracts expiring.
  2. mac098
    At this point in his young career, he hasn't really shown the organization much that warrants us holding onto him. Yes, he has a high OBP and can steal bases. But his avg isn't great, his defense is avg-below avg, and he isn't developing at a rate that the Twins need him. Maybe he is going to be our next Nick Gordon. Won't have a permanent position on the team outside of Super-Utility. He'll be our player that gets into the games because others need rest days. Or better yet, maybe we trade him to some rebuilding team and see what happens (given we're not too far from being a rebuilding team). Right now is his window to EARN the starting SS spot at the MLB club if we are unable to resign Correa or be able to sign Bogaerts, Turner, or Swanson. Come ST he needs to show that he deserves the spot.
  3. mac098
    I mean c'mon. We all had to see this coming. Teams who don't care about the CBT will go over to win anything. They don't care how many draft picks they give up to win. They have shown time and time again that winning is the only thing matters (look at the Padres for example). AND they are willing to sign the BEST to win. The thing hurting the Twins is our market size, the owner's/FO unwillingness to go out and spend, and that their fan base is dying due to poor broadcast rights. MN sports teams are in a complicated place because of BNS. Also, with at least 5 states that could "potentially" get the game, whose fans are subject to blackouts, the Twins are constantly at a disadvantage compared to others. So if anything is rumored about Correa, you gotta take it with a grain of salt because its headlines and headlines sell media.
  4. mac098
    Seemed to be a pretty good week for ALL of the Twins' minor leaguers that were sent to the AFL. Yes, Martin has cooled off, but that is the nature of baseball. Julien is keeping it hot like he did all summer with the bat. His command of the strike zone has really helped him out. Only swinging at pitches he believes he has a high chance of putting in play. That is a great approach to the game (Now if only we could get some of that approach to leak onto other players in the majors). Isola seemed to finally be able to notice and hit the ball. He seems to have a good eye at the plate, as evidenced by his OBP. Now if he can show his bat to ball skills, I think we have a decent C/1B backup on our hands. The pitching has finally seemed to start working. Olsen is finding his stride and proving that he deserves the invite to the AFL and potentially a non-roster invite to ST. Shreve is looking like a guy that is solid in clutch situations or at the very least, can quell the bleeding as it's happening. Maybe he'll earn a non-roster invite this year. Now Bentley, has everyone head scratching. He is "wildly" effective. Clearly he on the game plan of "If I don't know where the ball is going, neither do the batters" philosophy. This can only work for so long. Maybe another winter with the mechanics coach and he can dial it in? Peguero seemed to have an off week compared to the previous 2. He needs to right the ship before anything else. Allowed too many hits, but he kept the walks down to a minimum.
  5. mac098
    Interesting numbers. But if you look at the 2 world series teams, we're just behind Houston who sits at 122 and only 8 behind the Phillies at 129. So, I don't know if these numbers have any direct correlation to being in the playoffs or not. It is an interesting detail to note about the SS though. Maybe our pitchers were more of a Flyball pitcher than they were Groundball pitcher. I mean the Twin's were 8th in the MLB for the most HR/9 with 1.2, whereas, the Phillies and Astros were towards the least amount of HR/9. So, its hard to judge these numbers off anything as there really is no correlation between playoff teams or not. It could show that our pitchers don't pitch to GB contact but instead let our outfielders take the outs more than the infielders.
  6. mac098
    Honestly, wouldn't surprise me to see Maeda start the season in the bullpen. Especially with coming of TJ surgery, I could see him getting that to help stretch out. But I could be wrong and that they do that during ST for sure. But of all these pitchers, I think Varland definitely gets the most starts during the season. I think Winder will end up as a bullpen arm similar to Jax who was also similar to May when he was with the organization. I think this will more suit his style as he did show that he had some dominant stuff but IDK if it was the Twins' philosophy or injuries, but he seemed to peeter out after 4 innings of work, sometimes 5 innings.
  7. mac098
    Hopefully this Trainer is better at diagnosing injuries or creating a plan to get them back to speed in a timely fashion. Not saying Salazar wasn't good at it, but it seemed as if his training staff was just throwing darts at a board and hoping something stuck that was remotely close to what was injured. Then when it wasn't that, they went back to throwing darts. Also, this guy may have a better insight as to how they help Buck stay on the field and not just the batters box.
  8. mac098
    The supposed pipeline has been...okay. Balazovic needs to perform this upcoming season, or he might have his seat on the 40 man taken. SWR, IMO, should be under this groups pipeline because he came over in a trade and has only been part of the organization for just over a year. He is a product of Toronto's/Met's upbringing. I understand that Enlow has upside to go with his injury, but he really needs to start showing he deserves the roster spot. It wouldn't at all surprise me if he were to end up on the 60 day for TJ surgery, he would end up getting outrighted off the 40 man. 2 year lost at crucial time for development is tough on players. We will have to see how he does in the spring and early parts of the season.
  9. mac098
    There is only about 3 I would take a flyer on here. Syndergaard, Walker, and Eflin. Of those on this list, these are the 3 that seem like they have the most upside to be a top of the rotation player. With 2 of them, we might be able to squeeze a 2 year deal with an option for a 3rd year. I think Walker will command a minimum of 4 year deal. Especially if it gets him out of the Big Apple.
  10. mac098
    Julien is starting to look like he never stopped from the regular season. This man looks like he is on a mission to earn that starting spot on the MLB team. If he can continue this hitting in combination with his plate discipline, there is not doubt in my mind that he will be on the Big League roster at one point or another next season. Whether it requires an injury or 2, I almost think the Twins are going to find an excuse to get him up, similarly like they did with Miranda. Martin had a good week. I wonder if he didn't play because he was feeling some soreness or something and the training staff didn't want to get into trouble if they put a player out there that wasn't 100%. He is also looking like he wants a shot at getting one of the 26 man roster spots next season. I mean, if Buck is going to be on the shelf yet again next season, Martin is looking like a pretty good replacement at this point. As for the others, they have been playing mid to low level baseball. Its tough to judge the pitching because these are players I've never heard of. They might be long shots to make the roster, but I think this is their time to prove that they deserve a shot come ST.
  11. mac098
    What is with everyone wanting Duran to go back to the Rotation. He is fine as a set-up guy and I think will be an awesome closer. Because if he goes back to the rotation, he will have to take some velo off the pitches and make sure he can pitch for 5 innings. It is okay to have a great pitcher in a relief role. Look a Mariano Rivera. He started as a Starter, then filled in as a Reliever and the rest is history. Duran doesn't fit the bill for a Twins' starter as a flamethrower.
  12. mac098
    And that is the reason I was actually okay with Andrelton Simmons there. Yes, his defense was a little worse than in the past but he is also older and has never really been much of a weapon with stick. But I know the game is in a state of you only need offense. Then we start seeing the teams that have focused on getting players that can field and do some damage with the bat in the post-season consistently.
  13. mac098
    I'm curious as to how many of these teams run extreme metrics based play and use inning limiters during the season. I look at last night's Phils/Padres game and it was an awesome event to watch. 4 hits between the 2 teams. Impressive pitching, defense, and managing won that game. Yes the game was won on 2 HR's, but both starters pitched very effectively.
  14. mac098
    Oh I'm not saying Lewis will stick there as he won't have the same movement laterally that he had previously. But we really haven't been able to draft/sign quality SS for a long time. Personally, I would rather we have awesome defensive ability at SS over a big time bat. In todays game, I think the metrics tend to overlook the help that defense gives, especially in post-season games or later in the season. I'm also not saying Kiriloff is bad or won't come back, because I really want him to. I want him and Larnach to succeed but they are just showing that they have not been able to stay healthy, just like Lewis. I just have to look through my non-hometown eyes and start looking from an outside perspective. The Twins' prospects have been repeatedly plagued by major injuries that will and have hampered their development. A huge turnaround or feel good story for us fans would be the Nick Gordon story. Finally having the ability to stay off the IL after suffering through repeated injuries/illnesses for years.
  15. mac098
    I would be okay with IKF coming back for a short term reunion. He played good defense, hits better than a lot of our SS over the past years (doesn't take much), and getting out of NY might be good for him. Look at what happened Urshela when he left NY. He seemed more relaxed and less likely to press on himself to perform at such a high expectation. He seemed as if he was able to free things up a bit knowing that if he made a mistake it wasn't going to be viewed by some of the most hostile fans in the game today. I would skip over the other 2. Ahmed is gonna be another comeback case that won't work out because his shoulder won't hold up over the year. And Crawford is old and won't be able to maintain his range that he had in SF. Especially with our MN cold in the spring and fall.
  16. mac098
    At this point we can't really call Wander Javier a prospect. I know he was young when we signed him, but he has been with the organization for almost 10 years now, and hasn't surpassed High-A. Yes, he did play some AAA ball, but it was because there was a need for his positioning there. But that could have also been the kick in the keister he needed to get going on development. Lewis, Lee, and Martin are definitely looking to be SS of the future or at the very least, a rotating door there. Yes, Martin might find himself in the OF eventually, as well as Lewis if Buck cannot stay healthy. But, in a few years we might actually benefit from a Miranda, Martin, Lewis, and Lee infield group (there is no guarantee Kiriloff will come back stronger and better after this highly invasive surgery). Young core of players to have, which will then help the development of our supposed pitching "pipeline".
  17. mac098
    Yes, we aren't in the same category as the NY teams or LA teams, but we should be able to compete with the Phil's, Braves, and Guardians, all 3 of which made the playoffs. The Pohlad's are cheap and we know it. They want to be able to win a WS with a minimum payroll roster. What defines mega Contract? Is it years, salary, or a combination? Because the Twins went pretty expensive with Joe Mauer's contract many years ago. So, ultimately it falls on the Twins to sign their players to friendly contracts as soon as they can. They need to stop beating around the bush and start insuring their future. But as far as missing the point of this point. I did not. Every team has every capability of signing all players. Its just a matter of opening the checkbook and going from there. If it means a few years of success with increased prices at the stadium, I would be okay with that. Because players would actually want to come here at that point. Success breeds Success.
  18. mac098
    So the Mets giving Lindor that large contract is worthless? Or the Braves locking Acuna up for a team friendly contract hasn't paid off? What about Ozzie Albies? His team friendly contract hasn't paid off? The Braves took home the only hardware that matters last season. There are a lot of players who have signed mega-contracts that are now showing the fruits of their labor. Harper? The Phils took down the defending WS champs and are onto the NLCS. Kershaw back in the day. Machado. Yes, we have seen it backfire on teams like the Angels who have Trout and Rendon. But there is more to it than that. But what it ultimately comes down is this: If an organization is willing to spend the money on a play to sign the mega-contract, it show that they want to win. NOT that they just want to fill the seats in the stadium. It tells the fans, "Hey, we hear you. We want you to be proud to call yourself a fan of our team. So we decided to open the checkbook and sign (Insert superstar's name) because we want to bring some post-season hardware to our proud city." Honestly, it does come down how the fans support the team and how the owners/FO are willing to spend to be successful. Now we don't have be the Padres and gut our entire pipeline of young talent to make trades for superstars, but we can trade off some talent that may be held back because we already have a superstar in that position.
  19. mac098
    I think the rookies did a great job, (Not Contreras) with the amount of injuries that the big league team sustained throughout the season. It hurts when you get a player of Lewis' ability that continues to get hurt via freak things (slipping outside of his home tearing his ACL and then leaping and landing wrong in the OF to make a catch). But I think if he comes back he is gonna just as advertised as we need him. He showed he was big league ready in his small sample size. If we really do lose Correa, and Lewis has some rehab games, the defense and offense will struggle, but when he comes back, he will be out for some blood to prove himself. Also, if its true that Correa wants to help out Miranda and Lewis this offseason with some hitting, I am all for it. I mean the guy knows his stuff. So I think he is a great addition whether or not we retain him.
  20. mac098
    The positive: Luis Arraez has won a batting title for MN. This was something we needed extremely badly given how poor the team performed down the stretch with some weaker competition. I think if he had not been injured or more specifically, playing through injury in the latter half of the season, he could have really helped more. Also, it was nice not to see a Yankee win the Triple Crown. Negatives: Doesn't mean much when the team isn't in the post-season playing for more hardware. It also doesn't help that his stock is probably as high as it going to be from here on out. The only way it could go higher is if he were to win multiple batting titles before free agency. So this might be the off-season we attempt to flip for some prospective pitching and/or some middle of the rotation starters who need a team.
  21. mac098
    Sometimes the FO and Pitching coach notice something that makes it so you cannot be a starter anymore. Maybe, you're a little too erratic. Maybe you're velocity isn't where its supposed to be as a starter. Maybe they notice your stamina isn't what is used to be when you were a younger player. I mean, not everyone is gonna be Scherzer or Verlander and stay in the Rotation their entire career.
  22. mac098
    How can you say that? He was an 18 yr old untested player. For all we know the kid could have 2 TJ surgery before he's 21 with how hard he throws. The kid may not even make the majors. He could have a career derailed by injuries. There are so many scenarios that could happen with a 18-19 yr old flamethrower. So you can't say that the pipeline sprung a leak when Petty was traded. Especially because he was traded for a very solid Starter that would have been flipped at the deadline from Cincinnati. Now if you had stated that the pipeline got a kink in it, I wouldn't have disagreed. With Balazovic and Enlow not living up to expectations, I think it is fair to say that there have been a hick-ups with our top prospects.
  23. mac098
    Contrary to popular belief, but I think the pipeline is starting to show. Whether those pitchers were received in trades or not, I think we are getting what we wanted. SWR making the club was big. He showed he was ready and took aim. He pitched very strong considering his start was so late in the year, but a little more time with some mechanics work and I think he'll be a starter for years to come. Duran was phenomenal this season. I think he is for sure moved to the bullpen as a pitcher. He was great for set up this season and I think next year he and Lopez are going to split as Closers until one of them decides they want it more. Yes, Duran did have some control issues throughout the season, but a lot of pitchers who touch 100 tend to have control issues. But a 104 MPH FB mixed with a 100 MPH Splinker, is something that ML hitters are going to try to adjust to but be unsuccessful. Sands pitched about where everyone expected him to. He was overpowering, but he also wasn't underwhelming either. Reminds me of Kyle Gibson. Good enough to be a solid 4-5 pitcher with maybe being our inning eater out of the bullpen. Varland is a strong pitcher that reminds me of Ryan. Has a low release point that creates a good amount of deception to the opposing batters. If he can find a good 3rd pitch I think he is looking at a pretty good career. Because next year, I bet you that there is gonna be more than enough footage out there for hitting coaches to use and help their teams. Winder was avg. Not much else to say. Maybe the shoulder injury is still lingering this late in the season but unlikely. Maybe he had the advantage early because not much was known, but then when footage and statistics came out, hitters started mashing.
  24. mac098
    You can thank Bally Sports for the low TV eyeballs. I haven't been able to watch a single game in almost 2 years (outside of Apple+ or the occasional one on Fox) but the lack of providers that are part of the Bally Sports Network severely hurts people. I can listen to all the games, but I cannot watch them. I've watched more Saints games this year than Twin's games. So at least I could watch prospects and some players going back and forth form the Majors. MLB is literally killing off any and all young people that are on the fence about baseball. Between MLB.com having blackouts and Bally Sports not partnered with most of the TV providers, casual fans have no way of watching their favorite team. They're stuck watching highlights on their phones or on ESPN (maybe if the Twins are shown).
  25. mac098
    Honestly, I believe that we should keep him. He is exactly what a manager could have asked for. He has been durable as shown by him playing in 137 games, can play the hot corner at a very serviceable level, and he puts the ball in play. Honestly, you cannot ask for much more from a player of his caliber. Not that this is something, but that trade to MN might have taken less pressure off his shoulders to perform. We all know that as a NYY if you're on the starting roster, you're expected to perform at a superstar level all the time. Plus he was coming after of a very good 3B (A-Rod) the NY had for years. But now that he is in a smaller market team, he doesn't have that same expectations to live up to.
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