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jmlease1

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Everything posted by jmlease1

  1. jmlease1
    Vazquez is having a rotten month at the plate and really looks bad right now.
  2. jmlease1
    I'm going to be very interested to see if Cossetti can legit stick at catcher. It would be very nice to have someone with his hit tool moving up through the system at that position.
  3. jmlease1
    Same. I am a huge fan of his bat, and if his wrist problems are finally behind him he could be a monster in this lineup. He looks pretty good defensively at 1B, even if he couldn't quite make that pick on the 2 hop throw from Correa last night (which would have been an outstanding play, really). When his wrist hasn't been barking at him, he's smashed line drives; when it's been hurting him the power vanishes, so that definitely an area I'll be watching for. I hope he's finally right and the xbh start piling up.
  4. jmlease1
    Meh. Correa missed a HR on that ball by about 3 inches. No, he didn't run hard out of the box, but presuming that he could have gotten a triple is kinda silly: Correa isn't particularly fast. He's not Buxton, and even if he'd run hard out of the box he probably just has a stand-up double, and he would have gotten buried for it if he'd tried to stretch the double into a triple. Lopez did a nice job holding down a really tough lineup on a night where he was fighting his command. Soto, Tatis, Bogaerts, and Machado is a tough group even they've been having some of the same problems scoring runs that the Twins have. A little disappointing to see the bullpen struggle to hold the lead again, but the offense needs to provide a bigger margin to work with. It did look like they were taking better ABs last night. (except for Vazquez, who is in a dreadful slump. Time to give Jeffers some more ABs?) Nice to see Solano come through, always interesting to see a guy step up when the groundswell starts up to have them replaced. Hope he can keep it up, but he's definitely just a bench bat now. defense was pretty good last night, nice to see them tighten it up after some sloppy outings. believe there was a closed door meeting, I'm guessing the sloppy play, bad approaches at the plate, and lack of focus were the topic.
  5. jmlease1
    I think if he could finish the season throwing deep into games and re-establishing himself as a potential rotation piece for 2024, it would be a great result for him. Would be wonderful if he continues to settle in and position himself to debut sometime this season, even if it's just for a cup of coffee to get his feet wet (and maybe one or three more metaphors...)
  6. jmlease1
    He's looked worse at the plate lately, suggesting that he's pressing and maybe dropping him down would help. There's definitely some data to suggest that he's been pretty unlucky so far (looking at his profile on Baseball savant is instructive) but at the same time the quality of his ABs has looked worse the last few games.
  7. jmlease1
    The total lack of any power from Solano is also worrisome. He just doesn't look like he's adding anything right now, and I'd hate for them to keep giving him chance to work out of it simply because he's a veteran that they gave $2M to. Give Helman a shot until Lewis is ready; Helman is 27 so it's not like we're stunting his development by not playing him every day and he can slide in at a bunch of spots with his RH bat. Maybe he can give them a spark. Gallo has pretty even splits over his career anyways and can still move back to 1B on days they give Kirilloff the day off. He was a reasonable insurance policy when Kirilloff wasn't ready to start the season, but Alex is back and Solano looks awful. Feels like it's time to move on.
  8. jmlease1
    Helman is really interesting. I think I'd be up for giving him a shot on the MLB roster once Farmer is back (we'd be awfully thin at SS if Castro goes down and Farmer isn't on the team). Unusual for a guy to break out at 27, but it can happen, and it's not like Castro is offering much other than flexibility at this point. The utter lack of pop in Solano's bat so far and his generally poor defense makes him a reasonable candidate to move on from, but this club seems to struggle with sunk costs sometimes. Julien is rolling at AAA to be sure.
  9. jmlease1
    Varland did the job last night, which was good. Wacha was what I feared: threw a lot of slop, got a lot of extra strikes, and a lot of hitters did little to punish him. Really disappointed in where Correa is right now. He's got to turn it around soon. he's way too talented to hit this poorly, but very much looks like a guy who is pressing on every AB. he's taking pitches he should be driving, and swinging through fastballs. Thankfully he's not taking it out into the field with him, but he needs to do better. he's earning the boos. Alcala looks pretty unreliable right now, not that it matters when your team can't hit. The "3 errors in one inning" was shambolic, even if Kirilloff's gets changed today. I also cannot wait for electronic strike zone. castro getting rung up on a pitch nowhere near the zone was abysmal. I'm sick of the inconsistency, I'm sick of the obvious errors, and it's got to stop.
  10. jmlease1
    it's a pretty cheap deal: $2.5M for next season and $7.5M for 2025. relatively low risk for the Twins.
  11. jmlease1
    Exactly. I went and checked to see if my memory was right on Wacha and while he doesn't have an amazing ERA against us (4.13), his WHIP against us is his 2nd best against any club he's ever faced. It's only 5 games total, so not particularly meaningful...just the sort of thing that makes me twitchy. Hope we go the other way on him and send him packing early this series.
  12. jmlease1
    I think the Twins win this series, but it could easily go the other way. SD has some high-end talent on their roster, but they're definitely a little thin once you go past the top guys. I'd feel better about the pitching matchups if Wacha wasn't the sort of guy that seems to inexplicably do well against us? I think the pitching keeps us in the game, so will the offense find its way? I'm excited to have Kirilloff back, and amazed that Kyle Farmer is close to being ready. Goodness me, that was a nasty beaning he took, so I'm pretty dang impressed that he's already been back in action in AAA. Tough fella.
  13. jmlease1
    That's certainly fair. I do think he's a reasonable veteran choice to be competing for the 5th spot in the rotation for '24/'25 though, at a pretty reasonable price, and he was solid enough for the back end of the rotation before his elbow exploded last year. As a bridge option while others advance in the lower minors, he seems a fair pick?
  14. jmlease1
    I think the Twins 98% offer Gray the QO, but I'm pretty sure that he'll decline it unless he suffers a major injury (in which case the Twins probably don't have it on the table). With his track record and the way he's pitching so far this season, I find it unlikely someone won't offer Gray 3 years and $20M+ AAV. Twins would be thrilled if he takes the QO, but I don't think they'll be too upset if they get back a compensatory pick at the end of the 1st round. That's pretty good business for Chase Petty: 2 years of Sonny Gray and a pick for a teenage pitcher who hasn't thrown an inning yet in 2023? After SWR it definitely gets thinner on the developmental list, which is almost certainly why they extended Paddack like they did. Headrick is a possibility, and then we're looking at guys who aren't out of AA yet. (Laweryson, Winder, and Balazovic are starting to look like bullpen options, although Balazovic could still move back over to the rotation) But on the good side, a rotation of Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Varland, and Paddack is also a rotation without a single player over the age of 30. I agree that part varland's task this season is to keep the ball in the park, but he also just needs to be less hittable generally. he's done a great job growing his K-rate, and where he sits on his walks is sustainable...but you probably can't survive for long giving up a hit per inning. That's one of the things that's really impressed with Ober. He's not hunting Ks at the same rate as some other guys, but he's also been tougher to hit. Gives him a little more room to maneuver if he's fighting his command during a start.
  15. jmlease1
    I dunno, Since anything can happen in a short series, I kinda look at it where if you can make the playoffs you're a contender (even if you're not one of the favorites). I respect the process behind the Mahle trade and the aggression in trying to get us over the top. I'm more forgiving of trades/signings that have that kind of process behind them. Hajjar was interesting, but has real control issues that might limit him to the bullpen (and hasn't pitched yet in 2023, which is worrisome). CES was the key player for me, and while his best position is "hitter" his bat might be special. But you gotta give to get and Mahle looked like a valuable player. It's disappointing that injury has made him someone you can't rely on now. Has he not been forthcoming this season? The elbow problem seems new, but I haven't heard anything about it being an issue for a while. Not sure Steer would have changed much in the calculus on Miranda, except that maybe we don't sign Castro? Does someone like Steer push Miranda back down to AAA or is it a "slightly higher floor, much lower ceiling" comp that doesn't make much difference? Farmer's ability to come back quickly and hit at AAA has impressed me. that was a BAD hit and right now it doesn't seem to be in his head at all. I think if he's ready to come back I let Miranda go down and get his head and swing right.
  16. jmlease1
    I could see that as an option for next season? But MAT has been hitting well enough that combined with his defense in CF that it seems unlikely that he'll get pushed out soon. I tend to agree that Brooks Lee sure looks like the eventual starter at 3B
  17. jmlease1
    It's a fair question. I was thinking Farmer replaces Miranda right now...would putting Julien in for Slano generate enough playing time to matter? Are we ready to lose Solano (who would become a free agent, i presume)? I don't think we need to make the decision on Julien yet; he's still barely played at AAA in the biggest scheme of things, but the hit tool sure does seem to be there. And when the offense in MLB is struggling like it is, it's tempting to think of what he could offer.
  18. jmlease1
    Steer ain't so bad defensively? LOL. (Ok, he's probably the best of the 4. Barely. Just above Miranda.) It's definitely part of why Steer & CES were available to be traded, along with Lewis, Martin, and Lee coming in the next wave.
  19. jmlease1
    Julien is having no trouble with AAA pitching. At what point does he bully his way back to the MLB roster? If Solano continues to struggle at the plate in May and Julien keeps destroying AAA pitching, at what point do you move on from Solano (who seems to no longer have much utility outside of 1B, where he hasn't been good either)? Or is it going to be a thing where he doesn't get his next shot until another injury befalls us?
  20. jmlease1
    I really didn't think Royce was actually that close. It'll be interesting to see if they try to keep him in AAA for a while to be sure he's ready or if he bulls his way back on to the roster by hitting everything in sight. Hope he's really recovered and ready (not that i think the Twins would take any chances on pushing him early), I really like him.
  21. jmlease1
    Trading CES was a risk and it's not paying off with Mahle unreliable because of injury. His bat has the potential to be impressive and he was the piece I was most concerned about losing. But I do think if people are up in arms at Miranda's defense at 3B then CES would have really made people crazy. He's pretty dreadful defensively, which is probably why he's only played 2 games at 3B for Cincy this season. I don't think he's going to stick there. I think I would send Miranda down at this point. He's slumping badly and needs a reset. Farmer can slot in at 3B and I think other posters are right that it's preferable to have Castro sitting on the bench with Solano than Miranda. Castro kind of is who he is: utility guy who isn't going to hit much but will provide competent defense at a lot of different spots. A couple of weeks in AAA might get Miranda back to showing better plate discipline and attacking pitches in the zone with authority. A couple of weeks in AAA probably doesn't change anything for Castro, and his positional flexibility gives him utility in the late innings as a defensive replacement or pinch runner.
  22. jmlease1
    It probably wouldn't have mattered, but he did a poor job hustling out of the box on that double play ball. He's fast enough that he could have beaten that throw and it would have scored a run. But it was a team effort in poor hitting. Ump certainly had a wide zone; when Bremer is repeatedly commenting on it, you know it must be kinda bad; unfortunately we didn't have the CF angle to really see it on the broadcast. I've always wondered: does it help a guy like Quantrill more who isn't a big K pitcher to get extra strikes consistently 3-4 inches off the plate than a pitcher who is a strike out guy?
  23. jmlease1
    I would rather have Arraez playing 3B than Miranda right now, absolutely. I think I would also rather have Lopez starting for us for the next several years, though. I believe in Miranda's talent, but he looks like he needs a re-set. I think if Farmer hadn't gotten beaned he might have already been sent down to get his approach in order and his mind right, but the Twins don't trust Castro/Gordon/Solano to hold down 3B. Which I get. And Royce Lewis is still another 6-8 weeks away from being a realistic option. (Royce would probably say he'll be ready in 3 weeks, lol)
  24. jmlease1
    That's just not true about Correa. His best months of the season last year were (in order) June, Sept/Oct, and May. It's not being an apologist to be accurate. (BTW, the first 10 games in September were against Chicago, Cleveland, and New York all teams in contention and not throwing out minor leaguers to pitch and the Twins were tied for 1st on Sept 4th, so they weren't "well out of it" either and Correa was hitting then too: 14-40 with 4hrs during that stretch.) Correa has started the season slow at the plate (and did last season as well)...but he didn't just pad his stats at the end of last season. It's simply not true, and I cannot for the life of me understand why a Twins fan would embrace this lie about one of our best players.
  25. jmlease1
    Urshela has been pretty bad this season. Also, we didn't give him away for nothing: you might notice the Twins Daily story on the player we acquired for him is doing pretty well in the minors. Miranda hit roughly as well as Urshela last season and there really wasn't room for both on the roster. Miranda is younger and cheaper with more upside. Urshela can't play SS or 2B any longer (and considering how much he's been playing 1B for the Angels, maybe there's questions about how much he can do at 3B going forward) and we needed to add a guy who could backup SS...which we got in Farmer. If Farmer doesn't get beaned by Giolito, I think we probably see him playing some 3B and giving Miranda a break to hopefully find his swing again. But a freak accident that has ended player's careers took him out of the team for a while . Thankfully, he's rehabbing well and looks close to rejoining the team, which seem miraculous. But let's not let the Myth of Urshela make us crazy. I liked him last season and he played well for us. But with Correa back there really wasn't a fit for him and he wasn't worth the arbitration number to fill the Donovan Solano role. Considering how he's hit this season, seems like the right decision.
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