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Mark G

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Everything posted by Mark G

  1. Mark G
    I noticed you didn't address Louis. Heck, you didn't even mention my man Ref. You just seem to not like Gio. Well, that is fine, some don't I guess, but his replacement is in St. Paul and that makes us put Farmer there. And as much as I like the Farm man, and I really do, he is no better than Gio, and could be used better than having to play 3rd full time. Would we have more wins? Can't prove a negative. But I would wager we wouldn't have any fewer either (which I also can't prove). But we would have another better average hitter and give us flexibility with Farmer. How that is bad is beyond me, but I will leave it to others to decide. And I grew up watching the Killer. In an era where home runs mattered because you were one of the few swinging for them and guys were more likely to be on base when you did. And he had between 80 and 140 RBI's for 11 out of 13 years in his prime. And while his career 162 game average in SO's was 113, his career 162 game average in walks was 104; not a bad ratio, if you ask me (although no one ever does). 😉 Name a Twin.......never mind, we can't. Even Morneau in his heyday only topped 80 five times in his career, with a 60 walk career average vs. 104 SO career average. I will take the Brew man, of course, but you have to have the average hitters to make his swings mean much (ask Buck and Joey). And we just don't have enough. Nice of you to read this, if you did, seeing it was a day late. 😏
  2. Mark G
    I am. Crap, right now I would settle for Refsynder (..286 with a .409 OBP). 😏 Somewhat tongue in cheek; but seriously, enough of the OPS being the gold standard. Our two power hitters are slashing (and I use that term loosely) .211 and .231. Gallo has 24 hits and 17 are for extra bases. The other almost 4 out of 5 times? Buck has just over half his hits for extra bases. Between the 2? Just over 35% strike out rate. As h2oface points out walks just load the bases, so walking them doesn't necessarily hurt a pitcher, and if any of the 21 home runs between them had come with the bases loaded..........I can't let myself think about it. Enough of the all or nothing golf swings. Just hit the ball. Then we will talk about average with balls put in play. To some of us that beats the solo home run every 3 or 4 (or 5.......) games. Between Louis, Gio, and Ref, I would take their numbers right now over virtually anyone on this roster. For all our slugging percentage, we have scored TWO runs or less in exactly 1/3 of our games as of now, and 3 or less not counting extra innings (where you get a ghost runner) over half, so what has it done for us? Give me the hitters; you can keep the sluggers.
  3. Mark G
    Yes!
  4. Mark G
    Everyone here knows my thoughts on Rocco as an in game manager (😠), but I am going to take a moment to give a little credit where credit is due. I have noticed an uptick in calls such as stolen bases, an extra base now and then, and willingness to use the safety squeeze when it is available; things I haven't seen in 4 years. Who would have guessed a double steal with home being the second? I assumed I had no influence over him anymore, since he stopped taking my calls, but maybe he is listening to someone else because, though we need much more of this, he is starting to use something other than the HR every now and then. I have no idea how long it will continue, or how frequent, but just the thought it is possible keeps the defense honest. Now, Rocco, don't make me regret this. And I do have some tips for the bullpen if you are interested. 😏
  5. Mark G
    Agreed.
  6. Mark G
    No, I would not have fired him after the '21 season. After the 22 season? I would have to do a little thinking, and not just because of the won/loss record, but because of why the won/loss record was what it was. This year? Hmmmmm......seems to be a pattern. You can only live on 307 home runs for so many years. Molitor was the Manager of the Year in '18, and when he finished 78-84 the following year he was gone; no 2nd chance, he lost and he was gone. Somehow that same standard hasn't been applied. And, for the record, it shouldn't be. It just never should have been applied to begin with. I respect your opinion as much, or more, than anyone on TD. And I agree with much more than I disagree with. But this FO has shown us that they believe in their stats much more than they believe in anyone else's knowledge, no matter where the knowledge comes from. And they believe they are correct in the overall direction they are taking the franchise in. I, along with a lot of others (at least I think so), don't believe that direction is the one that will lead us to a competitive and winning organization year in and year out, because they are wrong just as often as they are right. And I just wish they would admit it. No offense.
  7. Mark G
    To answer the question in the top headline: for this FO to "admit" anything, they would have to believe they actually owed anyone anything. Like, oh, I don't know........the fans, maybe? Seriously, does that sound like this FO? 🤭
  8. Mark G
    Does a manager have options? Can we send him to St. Paul, bring up Toby, and go back and forth based on who we are playing at the time? 😉
  9. Mark G
    Agreed. All of the above. When you know you only have 3 bench players/moves, and you use 2 of them in the first 3 innings, and the 3rd one is your backup catcher, what if someone gets hurt? With this team it happens all the time. Who replaces them? Put Buck in and rotate everyone else? Lose your DH? Or do you put Jeffers in the field? Or does Larnach come in, sick or not? It could have happened. And I will go one further: why do you pull your starter after 76 pitches, when he has mowed down 15 of the last, what, 16 hitters? (or was it 17) That makes your pen pitch 4 innings which could affect what moves you make tomorrow, I hear all the time about how the game has changed; no it hasn't. The game doesn't change, only how it is played changes. And this bunch, with their golf swings (sorry, "launch angle") and lack of fundamentals, are going to strike out a lot and live or die off of the home run. Worked in '19; not so much lately. Last year just over 48% of our games we scored 3 runs or less. This year it is just under 44%, and if you only go by the first 9 innings (we got the 4th or more runs in extra innings 4 times) it is actually just over 50%. We only look decent in total runs scored because we get a bunch all at once in the other games. In the meantime, our record shows the inconsistency, and if you take away the 7 games against the 2nd worst team in MLB (KC) we are 19-22. And not because of the pitching, although a couple of relievers have contributed to that. In this older guy's extremely humble opinion it is due entirely to the hitting approach of the team as a whole, which is led by the manager and coaches, and the in game managing, which is some of the worst I have seen in my lifetime, Rocco has been living off of those 307 home runs ever since, and it is getting old watching the way he manages. But I guess that is something we will have to live with, extension and all. Earl Weaver's starters pulled him through; maybe ours can save Rocco in spite of himself.
  10. Mark G
    With Jax having thrown 33 pitches last night, it means he is most likely unavailable today. What does that do to the Win Probability Chart for today's game? 😉
  11. Mark G
    While I thought this was a very good article overall, I do wonder about the end a little bit. If there are multiple arms in St. Paul we should be looking at over Pagan, and they were doing well enough to call up, why did we choose Jose De Leon? A 30 year old with 23 career major league games (and an 8 1/2 ERA to boot)? A good month and a half in AAA so far was enough for him to leap frog the other prospects, so maybe we aren't that deep in St. Paul, or deep enough to jettison Pagan? Or, for that matter, Moran. We have a lot of good prospects, but they are just that at this point in time. As much as he makes me nervous every time he takes the mound, you would think if there was anyone behind him that was better he would already be here. But, please, stop using him in close games!
  12. Mark G
    Agreed. And a long time ago I advocated for keeping Urshela (who is hitting .303 at the moment) and letting Miranda get his AB's at 1st base. They thought better of that, and now Miranda is their proverbial bed, and now they have to lie in it. Or change the bedding, and put Farmer there until Miranda works things out (or Lewis or Lee are ready). I like Miranda. If he and Kirilloff can stay healthy and work out their swings, they have the potential to be a force for years. I am hoping for the best for both, but we can't wait much longer to decide how best to bring that potential out. If that means some more time in AAA, so be it. Even Morneau was sent down early on to work things out. Don't be afraid to say we may have jumped the gun. I trust he will be back, just probably not at 3rd base.
  13. Mark G
    Can't argue with your appraisal of Buck's AB in the least, but I also can't buy into a strike out being a better AB than putting the ball in play. In all 3 of those AB's you have to at least make the defense make the play; in the first 2 we did, and they did. A strike out is just a gift; a gift we have given 1 out of every 3 AB's so far this season. Which is why, I guess, I have such a hard time looking at a strike out as a better AB than putting a ball in play. Weak AB's, poor AB's, even flat out silly AB's are still better than strike outs if the ball is put in play, making the defense make the play. Unless you consider a strike out better than a double play ball. Miranda can attest to that. 😉
  14. Mark G
    "Correa and Buxton, though, were a tad too impatient. Both of them jumped on early pitches but failed to get the ball out of the infield, allowing Chicago’s defense to make two fine plays to get the outs at home. Trevor Larnach had a considerably better at-bat next but ended up striking out swinging on eight pitches." Maybe it is just me, but how is striking out a "better at-bat" than putting the ball in play, no matter how many pitches it takes to strike out? Making the defense "make two fine plays" strikes me as much better at bats than just making the catcher catch strike 3.
  15. Mark G
    You may be right. Take away beating up on the 2nd worst team in MLB (KC), and we are 11-13.
  16. Mark G
    I guess I am not sure what is so magical about the number 4. I also get the impression that at least part of the criteria of the selections is the amount of team control; I noticed none of the other keys to this season (Gray as just one example) are in it. Only due to team control? Age maybe? There are others as well. I would put Ryan into the group as an expansion, not a replacement. And if Miranda comes around as we hope (expect?) he will, would we add him? Or are we only going to talk long term proven veterans we have a long term control relationship with? If that is the case, we have a solid 4, as long as they stay on the field. But I still wonder: if we were to lock in a couple of young players who don't have quite the track record of these 4, but guys we consider part of our future, would we be willing to extend the number of the core?
  17. Mark G
    Speaking of the bullpen, the chart towards the end of the article shows a pitch count that suggests for a day or two, unless roster moves are made, we are down to a 4 man bullpen (although, I do like the looks of those 4 guys). I, personally, haven't seen an article saying there have been roster moves, so I am hoping for a couple of long starts the next couple of games. Anyone know if there are roster moves being made?
  18. Mark G
    Their recent history has been sending down guys after pitch counts and innings prevent them from being available the next few days, so I wonder if Headrick will be sent down and someone else called up solely for that reason.
  19. Mark G
    "Minnesota’s current front office has avoided long-term deals, especially for pitchers." I wonder if we need to alter our definition of current front office. Since Joe came on board, and Jim stepped more into the backround, we have done things (Carlos Correa?) we weren't known for throughout our history. Major signings of star players, increased payroll, a major trade of a team/organization favorite, etc., and not coincidentally right after the announcement of Joe coming into his own. Am I the only one wondering if this is the beginning of a new direction in our desire to be competitive in more than just a mediocre division? I am not exactly betting the mortgage just yet, but it is a very hopeful sign. I, for one, am going to stay tuned for future developments.
  20. Mark G
    And they scored 3 or less (including this 32% of course) in 48% of their games last year. I wish I had forgotten that, too.
  21. Mark G
    A question: the Pohlads have a conglomerate of business'.......when one makes money, and another "loses" money, does it not become a tax write off in the overall conglomerate? If the Twins lose money in any given year, are they the tax write off for the rest of the entity, while rising in value as a franchise? Does it become useful to lose money on paper, while rising in value overall, to keep the overall conglomerate healthy? Or am I just remembering an old episode of WKRP in Cincinnati? 🤭
  22. Mark G
    So, if we accept at face value the numbers given, then how much did they lose in '20 and '21, if they lost 30mil in '22? I assume it must be more, maybe a lot more. Does that mean the team has lost a considerable amount the last 3 years running? And they still upped the payroll this year? Truth be told, I assumed there would be a pull back until things got back to financial health. Instead, we are spending more, trying to bring the fans back. I will take my crow medium rare, please. 😌 And kudos to the team for trying.
  23. Mark G
    For how long, now, have we been told that the old school way of looking at a player, using the 3 categories that make up the triple crown, are not a true indicator of how the player is doing. We need to look at the analytical metrics, such as the chart above here. If they are good, we have a better indication of how a player is doing. Yet, when all the metrics look good, and the triple crown numbers look lousy, we still say the player is regressing and should we move on. BA isn't a true indicator of how a player is doing....... until it is. The analytic metrics are a better way of judging how a player is doing....... until they aren't. Funny how that works. Tongue in cheek aside, I think Max has a chance without the shift to have a stronger season, and I am rooting for him. If he doesn't, then it may very well be time to move on, but I like his chances. And I have been yelled at for being old school for so long now, I don't mind anymore, so let me have it. 😉
  24. Mark G
    Win the WS? No. I was thinking more along the lines of competing for a spot in it come October; honestly competing, not getting swept by the first team we face. At least being in the mix of contenders, and I'm just not sure the improvements alone will get us there; guys staying healthy and playing up to their potential just might. And I know I am old school, but BA still means more to me than WAR, because I have been given too many definitions of "replacement" to truly trust that stat. I will take a pure hitter any day (which Judge appears to be as well) over analytically driven stats. And the trade offs we made (again, just the trade offs, not the underlying potential this team has if it stays healthy and plays up to potential) don't appear to tilt the needle in a positive enough direction to get me on the wagon just yet. But I am waiting for that push, and will gladly jump if I am wrong.
  25. Mark G
    While I am not quite on the bandwagon yet, I am trotting along side it so I can catch it if and when my fears subside. I can't get on board yet, because I do not see the changes as an upgrade worthy of title proportions. We upgraded at catcher, and added a good pitcher to a starting rotation that has too many questions for my comfort level. Paddock out, Mahle and Gray seemingly on innings limits to keep them off the IL, and Maeda not having pitched since late '21 gives me pause. We lost our 1 and 3 top hitters (please don't tell me BA doesn't matter) and added two outfielders who can play D, but fall short of the two hitters we lost. And we added a wild card, in my extremely humble opinion, in Farmer, who can play multiple positions and can replace any injured infielder if the need arises. That pretty much leaves young guys stepping up, key players staying healthy, and the BP being able to hold up better than last year with having to pitch way too many innings. Optimistic? Yup. Overly confident? Sorry, nope. But I will gladly be wrong. And, by the way, the one thing I will wonder about until we see it play out, is the balanced schedule this year. Gone are the days of playing Detroit, KC, and Chicago 57 times a year. It will be interesting to see how that affects the record as the year plays out. Good example would be Ryan, who couldn't lose to Detroit if he was trying to throw the game, but struggling against better/more disciplined lineups throughout the league. Time will tell how we do against more of the 2 leagues. I am ready to jump on board; I just need the team to give me the right push. 😎
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