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TopGunn#22

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Everything posted by TopGunn#22

  1. TopGunn#22
    I would flip flop the Twins and Astros and that's nitpicking. I think you did a great job ranking. I think the Astros are going to be a little "off" this year, and they ARE relying heavily on two pitchers who will be 37 years old (no matter how GOOD they are). The Twins lineup is better, but not by much. The Twins bullpen is better. So I slide the Twins to #3 and Houston to #4. We play the Yankees in the ALCS and find out if we can break the curse to move on to a 1965 rematch. I nominate Tony Oliva and Sandy Koufax as the World Series Honorary Captains.
  2. TopGunn#22
    At this point, "strength of schedule" and such should be of no concern. I like the idea of a July 4th start and a minimum of 81 games. People are getting restless. As the President has said, "We can't let the cure be worse than the disease." It's time for people to get back to work. It's time to move forward. All the models predicting death on a massive scale have been waaaay off (kind of like climate change models). Life itself is a daily risk. Nobody is guaranteed anything. We need to be smart in how things get back to normal, but we don't need to be terrified. Plus, as Governor Cuomo recently said, 66% of the deaths in New York have been from people who "sheltered in place." We need to get people out and about so that our bodies can develop the ability to fight Covid-19. Let's Play Ball !!
  3. TopGunn#22
    Polanco will stick there for the next couple of years. His bat will play anywhere. Who moves him out of SS is one question. Lewis? Wander Javier ?? (if he can regain his former status) someone else drafted in the next year or so ? But it isn't as simple as just saying "move Polanco to 2B. Where does that put Arraez ? His bat will put him on the firld someplace as well, and 2B is the BEST place to have Arraez. Does Polanco move to 3B ? That works when Donaldson moves to DH (or 1B) but Donaldson has at least 3-years at 3B...probably more. Lewis will probably begin as some sort of super utility guy, like Caesar Tovar, playing all 3 OF spots and SS,3B & 2B with his bat in the game 5-6 out of 7 games. And I remember all the optimism concerning Wander Javier. Then 2+ seasons marred by injury issues. Will Javier ever get his mojo back ? And if he does...what a pile of riches the Twins can contemplate.
  4. TopGunn#22
    He gets on base. He scores runs. THAT's what leadoff hitters are supposed to do.
  5. TopGunn#22
    Yeah...Atlanta is a LITTLE farther EAST than Pittsburgh...
  6. TopGunn#22
    I'd put Perranoski at #5. Everyday Eddie #4. Reardon #2. Aggie #2 and Joe Nathan #1. Nathan was simply outstanding. He had some tough outcomes in a couple of playoff series, but to me, Nathan is the #1 reliever of all time for the Twins. Taylor Rogers, with 4-5 good seasons could crack the top 5.
  7. TopGunn#22
    I was reading thru the comments and I almost couldn't believe nobody was mentioning how close Minneapolis came to landing the Giants before Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley convinced Giants owner Horace Stoneman to move to San Francisco to keep the legendary Dodgers-Giants rivalry intact. Thank You Old Time and Sky Blue !!!
  8. TopGunn#22
    JLease. Good Points ! I will not change my mind, and would probably even place Pascual ahead of Radke, but I see the points your making and accept your argument to a certain degree.
  9. TopGunn#22
    I have a problem with Radke even being on the list. He's got longevity numbers but everything about Radke was "average." He was "solid" but he was never "great." For me, Jim Perry is #5 and move Kaat and Viola up. Perry won a Cy Young in 1970, and was our #1 or #2 for much of the 60's. Kaat should have wona Cy Young in 1966 (there was only one award for AL/NL then and who was going to beat Sandy Koufax) ?? And I agree with the idea that if you're talking "Franchise" Walter Johnson is #1. But I think this article was meant "TWINS only." #5 Jim Perry #4 Jim Kaat #3 Frank Viola That's what makes #1 so tough. Blyleven has the longevity numbers and a lot more. Santana wasn't just the twins Ace in his prime, he was one of baseball's top 2 or 3. I look at Santana as the Twins version of Sandy Koufax (without the World Series appearances) so I'll put Santana #1 and Bert #2.
  10. TopGunn#22
    I'll stick with Mauer #1. To do what he did as a catcher is remarkable. #2 on my list is Killebrew. He did all that while playing OUT OF POSITION so the team could get Rich Reese's bat (and glove) in the lineup 49 HR's in the decade of the pitcher along with 140 RBI's is pretty darn impressive. #3 Would be Carew. Tremendous season. #4 & #5 are also tough. Morneau beat out a fellow SS in Jeter, so I'm kind of inclined to give the nod to Morneau (and I'm a child of the 60's and 70's so I've got nothing against Zoilo).
  11. TopGunn#22
    Tony-O is my favorite Twins player, but Zoilo was the right choice. I do think that if Tony-O had won that MVP award he would probably already be in the HOF. MVP awards carry weight. There was an interesting article about the controversial MVP Mo Vaughn won over Albert Bell. Bell's stats were not just better, they were MUCH better. Bell had an epic season but the writers didn't like him and he'd been caught corking his bat the year before.
  12. TopGunn#22
    Spot on Doc. Depending on who they are looking to acquire as a stud SP (and I have to admit, I've been pushing for Chris Sale and Syndergaard DOH !!) the Twins are better off keeping both Larnach and Kiriloff. I could see a scenario for 2021 where Cruz has retired or moved on, Sano becomes a DH who occasionally plays 1B, Rosario is traded and there's Larnach in LF and Kiriloff at 1B. Both these kids will HIT. Of that I have little doubt.
  13. TopGunn#22
    And I TOTALLY agree with Stringer Bell. Tony-O was and is my favorite all time Twin. You hear the guys that had to play against him, especially the pitchers (Jim Palmer, Denny McClain, Catfish Hunter) they all think he should be in there.
  14. TopGunn#22
    I would put Puckett ahead of Hrbek on the all time list. I think overall it's a good list. But for a guy to be considered, he needs more than just a couple seasons like Hisle or Bostock. First some corrections: Oliva didn't win the batting title in the Twins inaugural season. That was 1961. Tony-O won the batting title and Rookie of the Year in 1964 and then finished 2nd to Zoilo for the American League MVP in 1965 in helping lead the Twins to the American League pennant. I think the point that Killebrew hit homers (LOTS of them) in an era where HR's were generally hard to come by is excellent. (I think Indiana made that point). I would go with Killebrew #1 and Carew #2 and be thrilled I got to watch both of them play.
  15. TopGunn#22
    I asked my wife. She's FAR more qualified to comment than me. Kepler---Runaway Winner. The line about him being ABC's next Bachelor hits the nail on the head. Otherwise, she says Eddie Rosario and Taylor Rogers should be higher. She also noted that Alex Kiriloff is a fine looking young man so Eddie has ANOTHER reason to be worried.
  16. TopGunn#22
    I think Larnach and Kiriloff should BOTH start seeing more games in LF. I'm not sure if they will be on the same team/level to begin this minor league season, but if they are, they should alternate starting in LF & RF. In a very limited look, I saw Kiriloff play some 1B in a spring training game and he looked decent (which means he didn't make any bone-headed plays). Kiriloff and Larnach are READY to hit at the big league level.
  17. TopGunn#22
    GREAT article !! It's easy to get lost in all the prospects not named Kiriloff, Lewis or Larnach. I think BOTH Kiriloff and Larnach are going to be very good major league hitters. It's why Eddie Rosario's days are probably numbered even if his defense rebounds somewhat and he has a good year hitting this year. When extensions for Berrios, Buxton, Sano, Arraez etc...start to come an affordable LF'er will be necessary. Question about Jeffers...is he a left handed hitter ? I seem to remember him being a right handed hitter but if he's a lefty it would make for an awesome platoon with Garver.
  18. TopGunn#22
    I agree, I wouldn't have included Thorpe. I would have mulled the following players for that #3 spot: Mitch Garver. He was SO GOOD last year. Can he even come close to what he did ? Jorge Polanco. He started at SS in the All Star Game. Have you seen how many really GOOD SS's there are in the American league ?? Max Kepler. Last year he put everything together and bashed 36 HR's. Can he do it again ? Tyler Duffy/Trevor May. The guys were light out over the 2nd half of the season. Can they be even better ?? When a team wins 101 games and sets a record for HR's in a season it's hard to come up with "conventional" X-Factors. Garver, Kepler, Polanco and many others had the BEST seasons of their careers. How do they follw that up in 2020 ?? It's going to be so much fun to see.
  19. TopGunn#22
    Oh, I think the Dodgers and Yankees both win about 108 games.
  20. TopGunn#22
    This looks pretty good. I'm actually surprised at how high the Astros win total is. I could see the Twins winning more (98-100 games) and the Astros winning less (94-95). Interesting that this is the year the Reds finally break through and win the division. I still like the Braves in the N.L. East. Braves 92-70 Mets 90-72 Nats 86-76
  21. TopGunn#22
    Totally agree Richard. Not only do we have Larnach, but Kiriloff as well. I don't dislike Rosario, but with talent like that coming up behind him Eddie is eminently replaceable.
  22. TopGunn#22
    mikelink !! That's a GREAT comparison. I've been thinking about Buxton's similarity to Pete Reiser for a long time. Reiser was a .300+ hitter, very fast and a super aggressive outfielder. He played CF for Brooklyn in the 40's. I agree that PECOTA is a little harsh toward Buxton but remember, Buxton's sample size is pretty small and I can see how PECOTA could project him this way. However, Twins fans who watched a lot of games last year saw a completely different approach at the plate from Buxton (and Sano for that matter as well). Maybe it was the influence of Nelson Cruz (I don't think it was a coincidence). It seemed that Buxton and Sano each had a definite "plan" in mind while at the plate last year. This is where PECOTA comes up short...the eye test. As with Pete Reiser, so with Buxton. If he can stop crashing into outfield walls and play 140-150 games we will really enjoy seeing Buxton's "baseball gifts" for the better part of an entire season.
  23. TopGunn#22
    This is a much better deal if Balazovic is not included. he will be a very good front line starter for the Twins.
  24. TopGunn#22
    Deeper starting staff. Solid bullpen that will be one of the A.L.'s best. A lineup that will score, score and SCORE.
  25. TopGunn#22
    5 for $60 would be acceptable. For the foreseeable future he is the Ace of the staff. If the Twins ever figure out how to pair him with a true #1 he would be a good #2. Get it done.
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