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Mark G

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Everything posted by Mark G

  1. Mark G
    The better question is: SHOULD Ober's innings matter? Or any other starter, for that matter. The game has turned starters into nothing more than long relievers. If they cannot handle the innings, or the number of pitches, then admit you have 13 relievers and plan your innings from there. But if you are unwilling to stretch out a starter, and let him pitch his game, then don't pretend he is a starter. I have been scolded for that old school opinion before, so feel free to let me have it again. 😉
  2. Mark G
    Absolutely! This regime has always believed we have 13 interchangeable parts, if you count catchers batting DH every now and then. That has never been true, is not true now, and will never be true. I have been saying for years: put your best players in the positions they play the best. The others are bench players/reserves. They are not all equal!
  3. Mark G
    Quick question: I follow pretty closely, and usually know what is going on, at least, but I am missing something here. What happened to Caleb T.? He faces 2 batters and we never see him again, and now he is on the IL. I really missed something here.
  4. Mark G
    Agreed for the most part. My only, and prime, concern is pitching for strike outs requires more pitches per out on average. And in an era where teams are married to pitch counts, that will limit the number of innings a starter can go and taxes the bullpen more than a lot of teams are able to handle. And pitches designed primarily for swing and miss are harder on the arm, which some will say is leading to the amount of pitcher injuries we see. Which may explain why teams are married to the pitch count. Makes me dizzy going in circles like that. 🥴 But, yes, a pitcher must have good control/location to succeed inducing contact.
  5. Mark G
    The song says "where have you gone Joe DiMaggio".......I am more inclined to say where have you gone Brad Radke? Not overpowering, but he pitched to contact and got the job done. Not a stud, but in 12 years he only once started less than 28 games. Durable, and a solid number 3 or so starter. And probably because he didn't try to strike everyone out; he pitched to spots and got them to hit his pitch. You're right, Matt. Velo is not everything.
  6. Mark G
    And stop using the term "slashing" when it comes to posting batting stats. 😉
  7. Mark G
    I hate to stray too far from the article, but speaking of catchers do you know who would be considered the emergency 3rd catcher if one was ever needed? I ask, because I have seen so many games this year where Rocco will pinch hit our back up catcher for someone else, leaving no catcher on the bench in case of an injury. Crap, one game he put Jeffers in as a pinch RUNNER. Do we have an option if the worst should happen and, let's say, Jeffers pinch hits and is now out of the game and Vazquez gets hurt? I don't remember even Rocco using both catchers in a game as often as he does, much less any other manager. If it hit the fan, do we have a plan C?
  8. Mark G
    Agreed. He does have power; last year and so far this year he has hit 38 home runs combined, but they have resulted in 74 RBI's combined. His low average and high strike out rate do not make up for the occasional solo home run. His golf swing (sorry, "launch angle") he is married to will bring home runs when he truly squares up, but it doesn't allow him to square up often enough to be an overall effective hitter. And someone should tell him that. Preferably a coach or two, as he has stopped taking my calls. 😏
  9. Mark G
    To me, it begs the question where is the depth in the organization? We seem to push out corner outfielders by the dozen, but if Celestino is in the equation as depth in center, we don't have much. Why so may corners guys, and no one coming up in center? Actually, same could be said for 1st base and catcher. How many of those has the organization produced recently? We seem to be very deep at certain positions, having to move guys around to get them all in sometimes, but have nothing at other positions. Lots of infielders (minus 1st base), and lots of corner outfielders. Is it a priority for this FO, or just a coincidence? I have wondered for awhile now. 🤔
  10. Mark G
    Thanks for the give and take. That is what makes this site what it is. 😉
  11. Mark G
    I guess the last stop on the debate is the definition of "stretched out". When you combine pitch count limits AND times through the line up, there is no chance to ever stretch out a starter. Meaning, the pen will pitch a third, or probably more, of the innings in a season. Better be a pretty darn good pen! 😏 Is ours? 🙄
  12. Mark G
    The purpose isn't the complete game per se, just to wrack up a stat, it is to stretch out your starters slowly as the season goes along. Otherwise, what happened last year (and who knows how often before that) continues; the pen is over used and fades as the season gets toward the end. When 100 pitches (or right around there) every 5 or 6 days (depending on days off) is more than a major league starting pitcher can handle, then they need to stop pitching the way pitchers pitch today. It doesn't win any more games than pitchers ever did, and clearly does blow out more arms than we would like. It is a debate that cannot be won, because we are both right in our own minds, and in our own ways of looking at the game. And when I say we, I mean all of us on each end of the debate. Having watched the game for 55 plus years, I feel comfortable in saying there simply are not 150 plus quality major league starting pitchers. There are too many AAAA pitchers pitching at the major league level that never did before, and it show. There are also not 240 plus major league relievers that should be on a major league roster. And behind them are AAA players that have to be used as injuries happen. Is it just possible that is why there were 10 man staffs for the better part of a century? 😏
  13. Mark G
    I agree an out is an out, but I would submit it does matter how it happens. Putting the ball in play makes the defense make a play, runners on or bases empty. Simply making the catcher hold onto strike 3 is not putting any pressure on the defense. Errors are made often enough that I would prefer they make the defense work just as hard as the pitcher. I do hate double plays, though. 😉
  14. Mark G
    The answers would be: No one wants to push a pitcher to their absolute limit; but 86 pitches should never be a starters limit. And the theory is that the frequent injuries are as much from not being stretched out as it is from over taxing them. And in a game like this, it is a perfect opportunity to stretch out a young starter a little further, and at the same time see what his stuff is like during a possible 4th time through a lineup. It wasn't THAT long ago that there were 10 man pitching staffs and 4 man rotations. When 5 man rotations and 13 man staffs can't hold up because the starters aren't stretched out, and the bullpens are overused as a result, allowing young, healthy starters to carry their own load shouldn't be such a controversial thought. But, then, what fun would it be to talk about such things if we all agreed with me? 😉
  15. Mark G
    It was nice to see Sands save the pen tonight. Get yourself a steak out of petty cash, Cole. 😋
  16. Mark G
    You may very well be right; and when Joey exceeds 96 RBI's 10 out of 13 years in his career I will attend his HOF induction. Ratios don't mean anything until the numbers are large enough to actually compare. And I compared their numbers, and........well, you know. I am honestly curious, though; how do you subtract 573 home runs? Not to mention a lifetime BA of .256 to .200, an OBP of .376 to .326........and on and on and on and on. Are we really comparing the 2?
  17. Mark G
    Okay, he has 11 home runs and 23 RBI's. Assuming all six of his home runs with runners on base are only one runner (is that the case), that leaves him with 6 RBI's the entire 1/3 of the season if he doesn't hit a home run. Hmmmmm......how can I put this........Not good enough!! And Joey is not the only Twin that takes that approach, either. Enough of the golf swings......make contact!! Please.....PLEASE......tell, me, where has the MLB lead in strike outs gotten us? Sorry, I am tired today. 😒
  18. Mark G
    No, no, no, no, no, no......when he makes contact, he hits a HR. And if he started hitting home runs with men on base......do you realize what that could lead to??
  19. Mark G
    The ball would have been pulled out of SOMEONE'S cold dead hand. 🤭
  20. Mark G
    With his injury history and knowledge of rehab, I am not sure he would be any worse. 😉
  21. Mark G
    Did anyone else notice his reaction when the hook came? He held it in really well, but the body language suggested (to me at least) he wasn't happy to see Rocco. And his reaction to the grand slam said it all. He has been very diplomatic, but he has also been up front about wanting to pitch his game. He has proven (to me at least) he is good enough to do it. Unless there is some kind of underlying numbers I don't know about that says from the 25th plate appearance on he gets lit up, he has earned the chance to pitch his game.
  22. Mark G
    Exactly. And, as it is with all of their moves, it all depends on who has options left; not who is playing or producing the best at the time.
  23. Mark G
    Rocco did his best impersonation of Jekyll/Hyde in this one, pulling his best starter for no real reason and watching the lead vanish, then keeping his best reliever in, for a very real reason, and got the win in spite of himself. I guess you never know with him. 🫣 Tuesday's game will be interesting on both sides. They put a lot of pitches on their two guns out of the bullpen and we put a crap load on our #1. Who will be sent out today on both sides? Stay tuned, I guess.
  24. Mark G
    Unfortunately, as we are all to familiar with, it is only who has options left; not who is playing/pitching the best at the time. 😒
  25. Mark G
    You may be right, but at the end of the day it all goes back to the article about this front office being willing to admit their mistakes. For them to become sellers to the degree you are talking about, they would have to admit they did not succeed these last few years and are willing to start over. Isn't that what they did in '17 and '18? Sell to rebuild? They would have to admit their whole last 5 years has been wrong; what are the odds of that? I think we are going to win the division, just because of the competition, so they will play out the string, even adding at the trade deadline. But if it fails again, another FO should be allowed to start over, and we do have the pieces to start over with. And unreasonable is in the eye of the beholder, as we have seen here for years. 😉
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